Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

this was and is a legitimately groundbreaking game, with one of the best single-player campaigns in FPS history, and a revolutionary multi-player experience. never let the endlessly repetitive sequels take away from how great this game was.

That Ghilly suit mission is still one of my favourite levels in any video gae ever, but the story is a Michael Bay-esque trek through toxic masculinity, explosions and eye-candy set pieces. While revolutionary at the time, the multiplayer hasn't aged well, and of course, there's the overall problem of the entire game glorifying war and American imperialism.

Barret .50cal 360 noscope.

In “patient gamer” fashion, I have just now finally played through this game 13 years after its release (single player campaign; don’t care about FPS multiplayer). And it’s... pretty darn enjoyable! Cheesy macho military action with a good mix of all-out action, stealth, sieges, corridor shooting, cinematic set pieces, vehicles, etc. Difficulty curve seemed a bit off to me though. Like, mission 18 is no tougher than mission 5, while the hardest level is in the middle of the game.

This game was a revelation and I spent so much time on the multiplayer at its peak. I don't know if I could go back to that, but it at least does a few really good things and its story moments don't go as over the top as later entries would.