Video Game Review, Call of Duty Modern Warfare

COD4 is a first person shooter set in modern places where warfare is brought into close combat.  Throughout the campaign, the gamer, plays an average private called “Private McTavish” also known as “Soap”.  The story requires the gamer to test his/ her skills at all positions of warfare.  There are various levels that require the gamer to run and gun, a very offensive, risky and quick battle tactic, probably using a sub machine gun.  In other levels stealth is used, with an M4 Carbine, red dot, silencer and night vision goggles.  These levels require the gamer to be sneaky and silently take out outposts with a few men in them.  There are also levels that require the gamer to cover his men as they advance on the battlefield, weave their way through buildings and eventually win the battle against the Taliban.  Not all levels require a lot of close combat and many kills.  There are a couple levels in which staying back a silently sniping.  Having played the campaign, having the variety of the different levels it is very entertaining to play because it is always changing and the gamer never knows what gun he will be given at the beginning of a level.  There are also 4 different difficulty levels that allow the gamer to set it to his gaming capability. 

 

The game doesn’t stop at just the campaign, Call of Duty 4 also has a fantastic online game play.  With the only play your have your own character and you level up.  Once you get to level 55 you can choose to stay there and try to achieve the golden guns or prestige.  There are ten prestiges and once you finish each one you get a new symbol which allows other player to recognize you as a more advance gamer.  A gold cross is the tenth symbol which makes you a feared gamer to play against.  The part I like most about the online play is the camouflage that any gamer can acquire for all of his guns.  Once 25 headshots are accomplished with any given gun digital camouflage is given to you.  It is a black and white pattern.  There is also blue tiger and red tiger, given to a gamer at 75 and 150 headshots with a gun.  If any of the camouflages are acquired they don’t help the gamer’s player in any way but it is more for looking cool and respect.  There are 5 different categories of guns that a gamer is allowed to choose from, Assault rifles, sub machine guns, light machine guns, shotguns, and sniper rifles.  There are many guns in each of the categories and if red tiger is achieved for all the guns in a category a golden gun is achieved.  This means that a gamer has accomplished one of the most difficult tasks in the online play.  This also looks very cool and a lot of respect is associated with this achievement.  Each time a gamer is killed a “kill cam” is shown, this shows you who killed you and what weapon they used.  This is how a gamer can tell if their opponent has a tiger or golden gun.  The concept of camouflage is very cool and the variety of guns is also a huge asset to the game.  The online play is a lot of fun and definitely scores high on the game rankings. 

 

 

Aaron Carr 

Camp X Book Report

Camp x:  Eric Walters

Aaron Carr

 

            Throughout the novel “Camp X” George and Jack get themselves into a whole lot of trouble because of their curiosity.  The book takes place in Whitby, Ontario in 1943. It is mid summer and their father is at war fighting the Nazi army.  As they running around in the local fields around their house the stumbled upon what looked like an army base.  When they first saw the base they were very curious and explored for a bit.  While they were snooping around thy were caught by one of the guards.  Seeing as though the base was a secret and was not suppose to be known about by the general public the boys were severely punished.  Once they are released from their grounding they are obviously curious being 12 and 14 so they go back.  As they sneak around more and more they get to learn about the place better and they soon figure out that it is a top secret Canadian spy camp. 

 

            The author of the novel used suspense very very well in this novel.  When the boys were creeping around the camp I felt like I was in a third person view of them.  I could sense all the danger that they could and it was so real.  He also would drag out all the smallest details and describe the area very well.  Mr. Walters also went into great detail about the boys and how they felt about their punishment and such.  Being a similar age to these boys I was able to feel for them and I was able to relate.  With the amount of detail and my knowledge of being that age I was able to feel the same way as the boys and I could share the same feelings.  This made the book very interesting to read and allowed me to be much more involved as a reader and therefore kept me turning the pages.

 

            “I’m ok… I smashed up my hands, but I’m ok,… I think, but there is no way I can get up.  He rolled back and forth on his back.” Pg 187

In this little blurb about the book the reader can tell many things.  Obviously something has gone wrong and someone got hurt.  This also brings suspense, questions are asked by the reader.  What happened?, is he ok?, how will they get you? And what is going to happen next?  This makes the reader want to continue and find out what happens next. 

“I pulled one knob and the windshield wipers sprung to life.  Desperatly I grabbed another knob and the lights came on.” Pg 219

            The detail in this passage used to describe the windshield wipers is very descriptive.  The second sentence starts with desperately.  This makes the reader think that they are being chased or something.  They are in a hurry so they want to leave quickly.  Again suspense is raised and the reader’s attention is captured and glued to the book.