Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the fourth title in the first-person shooter series, released in November 2007. The game, the first in the franchise set in the modern era, was a smash hit. Upon its release, it quickly became the best-selling game of the holiday season with 1.57 million copies sold. This number, when combined with the 440,000 units sold for the PS3 version of the game, resulted in CoD4 going double platinum on one month’s worth of console sales alone and fulfilling the predictions that the scrappy shooter would outsell Halo 3. And, apparently, the love for this game hasn’t died out yet. As of today, its total number of units sold worldwide across all consoles is over 18 million. Not bad for a game that is a decade old. No wonder Activision decided to release a remastered version of this fan favorite.
Between the remaster and the original, you may think you have seen—and know—it all when it comes to CoD4. After all, as I mentioned before, the game is ten years old now. However, I am here to tell you that even old dogs have a few tricks and secrets up their sleeves. The game is ripe with hidden references and secrets. In addition, there are many fun tidbits and humorous moments that even the most seasoned player may have overlooked or forgotten about. So, take a trip with us down memory lane as we list 15 shocking facts about CoD4.
15 Capture The Flag Was Cut From The Game
Many of us have fond memories of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game may be simple, but it was satisfying. It didn’t have the bloat of many of the later games in the franchise. However, a modest game may not have been Infinity Ward’s intention, as many features were left on the cutting room floor. One noticeably absent feature—especially when comparing COD4 to others in the series—is Capture the Flag.
Multiple cut audio files from the game’s multiplayer revealed that a Capture the Flag mode was planned for CoD4. If you own the remastered version, you know that it returned briefly for one weekend and then was swiftly removed, which, in a way, is worst than completely leaving it out. It is always a bummer when you find out what could have been, but we all managed to enjoy the game without it anyway.
14 The Early Multiplayer Concept That Never Was
Infinity Ward tested out a few different concepts for COD4’s online multiplayer before they found one that stuck. One early idea was to have players fight over specific areas on the map. Within each specific zone, there would be a button with a helicopter icon. If the button were pressed by someone, then a helicopter would come and fight for their team. The idea was scrapped because it just resulted in players going through the motions. They were more interested in reaching these support features than fighting.
Luckily, Infinity Ward decided to learn from their broken system. Instead of scrapping the idea entirely, they evolved it. To keep players focused on fighting, they decided to give players access to support items as a reward. And that, children, is how killstreaks were born.
13 “The Mile High Club” Hostage With A Familiar Name
Remember that hostage you had to save during the “Mile High Club” mission? You know, the one where you have to fight your way through a plane to save a VIP being held hostage by the Ultranationalists. Yeah, that one. Well, if you will recall, we never learn the guy’s name—which is kind of odd when you consider you jump out of a plane together.
After surviving such a death-defying feat, you would think he would at least tell you his last name. Well, fear not! Thanks to cut audio from this level, we now know this poor bastard’s last name was originally Kriegler. So, who is Kriegler? Why none other than the art director for CoD4. In a way, by saving him, you simultaneously save the game, and that is pretty cool.
12 Mark Grigsby—The Man With All The Gifts
If there was one guy at Infinity Ward who was capable of doing it all, it was Mark Grigsby. He wore multiple hats during the development of COD4. Not only was he the lead animator, but he was also the voice actor for Staff Sergeant Griggs. The character was even modeled to look like him and is the multiplayer announcer for the Marines.
As if that wasn’t enough, Mark Grigsby—taking on his Griggs persona—performs the rap song “Deep and Hard” that plays during the game’s credits. He may not have gone platinum with no features, but the song is catchy. Talk about having your cake and eating it too. Is there anything this guy can’t do?
Well, apparently not, since he is now the animation director at Infinity Ward.
11 There Is A Sword In The Stone Reference
Someone at Infinity Ward is a huge fan of T.H. White and his series of novels revolving around King Arthur. In particular, The Sword in the Stone, the novel which sparked a Disney movie of the same name, inspired the team to insert a hidden reference to it in the game. Of course, the most iconic moment of the story is when Arthur manages to pull the sword from the stone. It marks the beginning of a legend that will inspire generations.
If you want to see Infinity Ward’s tribute to The Sword in the Stone, then you need to pay special attention when playing the large multiplayer map, Bloc. Around the pool area, beside the stairs of a destroyed apartment building, is a huge rock with a knife lodged in it. You can’t pull it out and claim the throne, but it’s a cool thing to find.
10 Don’t Call Me Shirley!
The “Mile High Club” mission gave us many gems and memorable moments, but one that you may have overlooked is the reference to a famous Leslie Nielsen film. At the beginning of the mission, you listen in as two soldiers from your squad have a conversation. One says, “We’re going deep, and we’re going hard.” The other replies, “Surely you can’t be serious?” The first soldier then says, “I’m serious. . . and don’t call me Shirley.” This humorous exchange is a reference to the iconic parody film Airplane!, which released in 1980.
But wait! This isn’t the only way “Mile High Club” pays homage to Airplane! The music you hear throughout the level is a fusion of all the themes heard throughout the game. This hodgepodge of sound is appropriately titled “Don’t Call Me Shirley.”
9 Moving Away From WWII
If you have been a Call of Duty fan since the beginning, back when it was only available for PC, then you know the franchise spent more than its fair share of time exploring World War II. Their first three games featured the war heavily, and their upcoming title, Call of Duty: WWII, plans to take us back to some of the most iconic moments of the war. You don’t have to be an entertainment buff to know that we are obsessed with that era.
This is why it was such a shock (and a relief) when Infinity Ward decided to leave World War II behind to create a game set in modern times—the first in the series to do so. It was also the first game that didn’t feature an Axis power, as the main antagonist is a Russian Ultranationalist.
8 The "Mile High Club" Inspired The Spec-Op Missions In MW2
The “Mile High Club” level was a unique feature of CoD4. After successfully completing the single-player campaign and sitting through the credits, players were rewarded with an optional epilog mission. The catch? It had absolutely nothing to do with the campaign. It was its own standalone mission with a separate story and different characters. The extra level was so successful that it inspired a whole new game mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
If you will recall, MW2 has a game mode called Special Ops, which includes over 20 standalone missions that have nothing to do with the single-player campaign’s story. Doing this gave the team more creative freedom to create interesting levels or reuse old ones in new ways. Not to mention the missions could be played solo, split screen with a friend, or online.
7 CoD4 Inspired Hidden Mission In Destiny
The “Mile High Club” strikes again! If you have Destiny’s The Taken King expansion pack, then you may have noticed a hidden mission, “Lost to Light,” which leads players to the Black Spindle, an exotic sniper rifle that released with the expansion. In order to get the rifle, players have to find an alternate path by speedrunning through the mission. Once the path is found, players must then clear three rooms full of enemies in under 10 minutes to claim their prize.
Sound familiar? That’s because it is. In a recent podcast, Bungie’s Rob Engeln revealed the team was inspired by videos of CoD4 players speedrunning though the “Mile High Club” level—which required players to clear a plane within a short timeframe— on Veteran difficulty. It’s good to see art imitating art.
6 The Sounds You Hear Are Real
When it came time to create a war game that was as realistic as possible, Infinity Ward didn’t just rest on their laurels in their studio, imagining what a real war was like. Oh no, they went outside and did actual research, even for something as easily overlooked as sound. In a game where all you hear are announcers and weapons firing, having inaccurate sound effects would break immersion.
To keep their players focused on the game instead of the components that built it, they attended a live-fire session exercise at an actual Marine Corps Combat Center. They studied how different weapons sound when fired—which included tanks! In addition, they also had U.S. Marines supervise the development of CoD4 and had veterans help them with motion capture.
They definitely didn’t phone this one in.
5 There Were Only Three Killstreaks
If you are a fan of the more recent Call of Duty games, then you might be a little spoiled when it comes to killstreaks or scorestreaks. You may be used to having options such as the ability to customize or stack them. Well, in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you can’t do any of that. It killstreak system is actually quite simple—you only get three. Let that sink in.
So what are they? After three kills, you get a UAV. Get five kills without dying, and you can call an airstrike to bomb a targeted area of the map. Finally, if you manage to get seven kills, then you can deploy an attack helicopter, which will fight enemies on the opposing team for exactly one minute.
This may sound terrible, but sometimes it's nice to have fewer options. It keeps your head in the game.
4 The Bringer Of Gold Camo
If there is one thing the Call of Duty series has done well, it is finding small ways to reward players. One way they do this is by allowing players to customize their weapons with different attachments, perks, and camouflage. Oh come on, you know you love changing the look of that Desert Eagle you love so much.
While there are many weapon skins to choose from, there is one that always stands above the rest, the holy grail, gold camo. Yes, gold camo. In later games, this particular weapon skin showed others that you were a force to be reckoned with. Well, believe it or not, gold camo got its start in CoD4. To get it, players had to complete all the challenges for a particular weapon class—with the exception of gold camo for the Desert Eagle, which is unlocked at rank 55.
So why not go for gold?
3 CoD4 Dethroned Halo 3
Halo 3 was a big deal when it released. I mean it made $170 million in its first day of sales in the U.S., beating its predecessor’s, Halo 2, record for highest gross of an entertainment product within 24 hours of its release. This is quite a feat when you consider that Halo 3 is an Xbox exclusive.
Naturally, with such jaw-dropping sales numbers, one would assume that, during its heyday, Halo 3 was the most popular Xbox Live game. You would be correct in your assumption. However, Halo 3’s reign didn’t last forever. Just a few months after its release, CoD4 managed to snatch the crown from Halo 3’s head, earning the top spot in Major Nelson weekly list of most-played Xbox Live games.
Take that, Bungie!
2 The First CoD With An “M” Rating
This interesting tidbit may leave you scratching your head. After all, the Call of Duty series is a war game, and you can’t have a war without killing. Considering that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth in the series, you are likely wondering what makes this game so much different from its predecessors—which were each rated “T” for Teen.
Well, according to Common Sense Media, it earned its mature rating by portraying realistic modern military combat and gore. Other concerns included swear words, the deaths of protagonists that players have likely grown attached to, and depictions of torture and execution. When you type it all out, it does sound pretty bad.
I’d be willing to bet that bringing the game to the modern world influenced their decision greatly. It’s much easier to explain away the past than the present.
1 Listen Carefully, And You Will Hear The Ghost Children
During “Aftermath,” players take control of Sergeant Paul Jackson after a nuclear blast has destroyed the helicopter he was on. Jackson is badly wounded, so all he can do is crawl around the crash site. Buildings collapse around him, His squad member’s bodies litter the area. Eventually, despite his best effort, the screen fades to white as he succumbs his wounds and dies.
It’s a tragic and haunting scene that stays with the player. If for some reason, you want to make it even more haunting. Try to survive long enough to reach the playground in the area. You can find it by turning left upon exiting the helicopter. As you approach the playground, you will hear the haunting sounds of children playing and eventually calling out for help.