Call of Duty 4 [detailed]

Now that I've been playing the beta for almost a week, I've decided this game has taken the number one spot on my list, beating out Halo 3. That's a lot, coming from a long-time halo fangirl. The rank cap is set at 11, so there are limits as to what one can obtain in the beta, but here's a full description of those features for those who aren't able to get in.

Gameplay: same control scheme as the previous Call of Duties, with a few tweaks. Up on the d-pad gives night vision, left on the d-pad gives access to RPGs/other nades, and right on the d-pad allows you to call in rewards for your kills. When you achieve 3 kills in a row without dying, you are able to get radar online for your team for thirty seconds. At 5 kills, you are able to summon an air strike on a particular location of the map you choose - if you're enemies don't take cover, they get blown the fuck up. At 7 kills, you are able to call in a chopper, which roves the map, gunning down enemies who aren't able to get out of the way fast enough. The chopper can only get taken down by an RPG, which is also a challenge you can unlock for xp. As in Call of Duty 2, there is the kill cam, and watching yourself get destroyed by the chopper is pretty cool, no lie. Spawns happen in opposite corners of the map, and it's the traditional race for cover. However, much like counterstrike, you can be shot through walls, how deep the bullets penetrate your enemies differs. It adds a new level of challenge to CoD, you not only have to get undercover, but make sure your enemies don't know where you are. In Call of Duty 3, a sprint feature was added, in which you could hold down the left joystick to sprint for a short distance. In Cod 4, this feature has been enhanced, as you not only are able to sprint longer distances, but you don't have to press down and hold, but only press once. Sprinting is dead useful for my favorite improved feature - the melee. You know are equip with a knife, which you can plunge into your enemy for a one hit kill, dead useful if you run around a corner into an enemy and don't have your steady aim perk.

Maps: There are only 3 maps available to play in the beta, but they are all well constructed and provide a diverse and intense battleground for each match. There is a variety of foliage to hide in, and buildings that sometimes seem to offer little more protection than tissue paper when facing an onslaught from the opposite faction.

Weapons(unlockable in the beta, anyways):
Assault - M16, Ak47, M4, G3
SMG - MP5, Skorpion
LMG - M249 Saw, RPD
Shotgun - W1200
Sniper - M40A3, M21

With each of these weapons you are able to unlock features by completing challenges, such as 150 kills or 75 head shots. some of the customizations/add ons for the guns are; silencer, red dot sight, grenade launcher, ACOG scope. In addition to these, you are able to unlock camo - digital, blue tiger, and red tiger.

Custom Classes: Cod4 gives you 5 custom slots to create your own class. You are able to choose your primary weapon, equip it with a scope/silencer/whatever you choose. You then can choose your pistol. You are then able to choose from special grenades - flash, stun, or smoke. A new feature in this CoD is the perks you can add to your class. You get 3 perks with different ways to deck out your soldier.
Perk 1 - C4 x 2, Special Grenade x 3, RPG-7 x 2
Perk 2 - Stopping Power(increased bullet damage), Juggernaut(increased health), UAV Jammer(undetecable on radar), and Sonic Boom(higher explosive weapon damage)
Perk 3 - Extreme Conditioning(sprint further), Steady Aim(but accuracy without zoom), Last Stand(pistol enemies before dying), and Deep impact(deeper bullet penetration)

My standard class consists of the M4 with the red dot sighting, 3 special grenades, Juggernaut, and Deeper Impact. I've toyed with using last stand, it can be useful on occasion for last second kills, but I find other perks to be more valuable to my game play style.

Match Making: there are four matchmaking types available atm;
team deathmatch - 6-12 players score limit 750
free for all - 6-12 players score limit 300
team tactical - 2v2 or 3v3 score limit 500 [play team deathmatch and search and destroy]
team objective - 6-12 players score limit 150 [ play ctf, and different types of search and destroy]

Call of Duty 4 is an all around solid game, and I cannot wait for the release in November. If you're interested in the beta, you can check out http://www.charlieoscardelta.com, you may still be able to register to get a token to play in the public beta, starting the 27th!