The Call of Duty franchise first defined itself by creating epic battles from World War II, incorporating scripted events that imitated some of the most gripping moments in movie history re-telling real history, except in a video game. In this latest iteration, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the developers have moved on from World War II and jumped right into today's headlines.

Somewhere in Russia, disgruntled ultranationalist Imran Zakhev dreams of the Soviet Union's return by any means necessary. In hopes of forcing that end, he funds a military coup in a Middle Eastern country designed to distract the world from his insidious scheme. Aware of the ruse, the US and UK launch attacks in both Russia and the Mid-East in an attempt to stop the madman's plot. The story unfolds through a series of engagements by either the US Marine Corps, or the British SAS. Missions range from urban warfare in the radioactive streets of Chernobyl to raining fire and brimstone onto terrorists from the seat of an AC-130 gunship, while the storytelling does an adequate job of keeping gameplay flowing from one event to the next. Though it feels like an interactive army recruitment ad at times, Modern Warfare does an admirable job of distinguishes itself with those Call of Duty trademarks of emoted fear, viscerally harrowing moments that remind you of just how horrific war can be. After an emotionally exhausting six hours, the game has thrown nearly every imaginable scenario at you and usually more than once, and you might well be think a trip to the shrink or the bar might be in order.

It'd be easy to complain about Call of Duty's overly repetitive gameplay mechanics, but that would be wimp detractions of the game's true strengths. Sure, you've shot at enemies from a plane before; planted C4 and booked before, but the different elements are so well presented, so excellently paced that you won't have time to care. The game utilizes a series of pre-scripted events to create intensity on par with modern blockbuster film. While the pre-scripted nature of these cinematics limits their impact to one-time shockers, it's a hell of a shock most times.

And, even after the shine has worn off the single-player game's polish, the game continues to offer plenty of killer play in its robust multiplayer mode.

In a welcome addition to the series, the multiplayer options rival or best those of any other game on the market. Yes, any game. Modern Warfare online includes every option and mode under the sun and also introduces a level system for tracking players' online progress. Similar to an RPG, you gain experience as you climb through the ranks, which is used to unlock features that allow character customization, such as the ability to fire a revenge shot as you lay bleeding on the ground. For the hardcore, after reaching the level cap, you're offered the chance to start all over again, but this time with a visible prestige point wore like a keener badge reading "I've got too much free time and I don't care who knows it!"

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's visceral single-player experience is easily worthy of your hard-earned cash, but what makes buying this game a no-brainer is the addition of a multiplayer component that matches and often exceeds the quality of anything else on the market.