Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a game that rewrote the rules of the genre for the entire following decade. The series had until then been built on World War II; here it moved into the present day for the first time and offered a campaign alternating between the British SAS unit and American Marines during a coup in the Middle East and operations in Eastern Europe. The narrative is delivered through cinematic cuts, switching between characters, and isn't afraid to put the player into situations with no control at all, which turned several scenes into some of the most quoted moments in the history of the medium.

The campaign is short but dense and remarkably well paced. Alongside the usual firefights, it offers a sniper mission in a ghillie suit, where you slowly crawl past patrols across a devastated landscape, as well as a night flight with support from above, where the world is only viewed as a black-and-white thermal image. But the real revolution was the multiplayer. The experience system unlocking weapons, optional perks changing the style of play, and rewards for kill streaks created a loop that virtually every competitive shooter since has copied. There was even a prestige reset of progress for the most persistent players, and maps like the flooded warehouse or the shot-up TV station became so iconic that the series repeatedly remade them later.

Technically the game ran smoothly and cleanly, with striking effects of smoke, dust, and lighting that gave the modern military setting a convincing look. Controls were unusually precise on a gamepad, and response was instant. Weapon sounds and radio chatter became a standard the competition imitated. Contemporary reception was ecstatic, and the game became a phenomenon far beyond the genre's boundaries. Today the campaign still plays surprisingly well thanks to its pacing and inventive missions, even though it's clear how much later games have wrung out of its formula.