XBOX 360 CALL OF DUTY 4 PATCH ARRIVES

The wait is over… at least for Xbox 360 Call of Duty 4 owners. Infinity Ward has finally released the long awaited patch for some of the problems plaguing the console version of CoD4. Players will be automatically prompted to receive the download if connected to Xbox Live the next time they play the game. (PC Owners please note; I believe all of these fixes have been available for the PC for quite some time now, so if you haven't patched CoD4 yet, you may want to look into it)

Number one on my wish list was a fix for the accuracy problems that have so far made using a sniper's rifle or ACOG scope more of a detriment than a benefit. According to the patch message, those problems should now be gone. I haven't tested the ACOG scopes yet, but from my experiences, the standard sniper rifles have definitely seen an increase in accuracy, making them once again an enjoyable option.

If that had been the only fix, I would have been a happy man - but Infinity Ward decided that happy wasn't good enough. According to Infinity Ward Community Director Robert "FourZeroTwo" Bowling, the company fixed quite a few issues in yesterday's patch. Let's take a look;

"New Kill Cams - Everything that can kill you has a Kill Cam now. Grenades, Airstrikes, Claymores, C4, M203 Rounds, RPGs, anything. So jump online, get owned alittle and check them out. They’re awesome, especially Grenades and M203 shots that go across the map and through a window.

Host Migration - Host migration was added, so now when the host leaves you won’t get dropped back to your own lobby by yourself. Everyone will stay together. Host Leaves, everyone returns to lobby, selects next best host, and the game starts up again. No more re-inviting, re-partying up because a host ended the game.

Improved Sniper Accuracy - The Sniper rifle accuracy has been improved. No more, WTF? shots now. Your cross hair will be a better representation of where your shot will ultimately land. Try out a sniper class today, let us know how the new accuracy feels.

Improved ACOG Scope Accuracy - ACOG scopes accuracy on any weapon has been improved. Test it out, throw it on one of your classes and give it a go.

Upgraded Spectator Cam - Now when you’re a spectator you have the option to follow in 3rd person or 1st person. As well as rotate 360 degrees around the player you’re watching. Next time you’re dead in Search and Destroy and just watching your team mates do stuff you know you can do better, now do it in 1st person or rotate around them.

Quick Mute Option - Now you can easily and quickly mute players in-game or in-lobby without ever going through the Xbox Live blades. Just go to their gamertag on screen and hit ‘A’ to quick mute in lobby, or via the in-game scoreboard if playing. Quick. Easy. Salvation!

In addition to these feature additions there will also be:

Improved Network Performance For Larger Games - 18 player games now require more bandwidth to host, resulting in smoother performance for players.

Optimized Server Selection for First Match - Server selection is now optimized to select best bandwidth servers associated by LSP.

Fixed “Playlist Older Than Host” Error - Player will no longer get this error when entering games.

Additional Start Spawn Locations in All Maps - Added a minimum of 9 extra start spawns on each side of all maps." - Robert "FourZeroTwo" Bowling

Overall, this is a great patch for the game, taking into account many of player's complaints and suggestions. Sadly, while the patch notes list some network performance fixes, I still found the same old lag in several of the games I played. Looks like there's still some improvement needed on that end.

Finally, lest PlayStation 3 owners feel slighted, FourZeroTwo confirmed that there is a PlayStation 3 version of this patch going through certification at Sony, and will be available as soon as that testing is done.

• Call of Duty 4 - Official website
• Call of Duty 4 Xbox 360 Patch is OUT - Here's What's Changed - IAMfourzerotwo