COD4, then, still stands as an industry-changing classic. But what was it that made IW's game stick out so conspicuously back in 2007 - in a market with its fair share of brilliant FPS titles?
The fact IW went back to the drawing board; reset the franchise and implemented a bundle of never-before-seen tricks that now define the genre.
It's a fillip EA has learnt from: And the reason Medal Of Honor is the biggest threat to COD's dominance of the market in over three years.