Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Tested and reviewed based on the Xbox 360 version.

Review by Ben Nacca

(Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BenNacca )

XBL GT: Darkeyes1991    PSN ID: Darkeyes2k11

Game Info

When it comes to reviewing one of Activision’s prized babies that is spawned from the Call of Duty franchise, it is a very delicate matter. Lavish too much praise upon it and face the wrath of every anti-CoD human out there while being called a fanboy to the series is not such a far-fetched outcome. Criticise it too much on the other hand and you will have death threats and rants thrown your way at how you’re a fanboy of another shooter, most likely being Battlefield. In a case such as this, it can only be taken for its merits that it deserves and have its flaws picked out like any other game.

Anyone that has had a next gen gaming console should not need an introduction to Call of Duty or a reasonable explanation to what it is or what standards it has set since the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The jump into modern day from the drained and overused World War II setting proved to be a successful venture and many players took positively too it. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) picks up where the story left off with Modern Warfare 2 as a promising conclusion to a story that started so long ago with Call of Duty 4. The reason this may spring to mind is purely because the engine is starting to show it’s age and don’t get me wrong, they know how to devise entertaining set pieces but the campaign definitely holds itself as the weakest aspect of Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s campaign was a spectacular experience filled twists, turns and impressive set pieces but sadly it feels like the franchise has become a victim of its own success, using repetitive notions and once again a campaign that boasts a mere six hours of gameplay. The problems still persist as well, with grenades that always manage to find you and AI enemies that will go beyond the call of duty (sorry) to kill just you instead of any of your team mates, frankly become annoying even quicker than it did in previous instalments. However, despite the linear, close combat and occasionally high octane levels, it isn’t really what most people came for…

Multiplayer, of course, is the lifeline of the franchise, the heart as it were. It is what made the CoD franchise so successful with its addictive and fast paced, close combat gameplay and you can bet it is back once again.  As with the FIFA series, arguments always remain whether these annual releases are actually deserved but this time round it seems so. The online action seems to have been diverted to a closer proximity now, so leave your sniper rifles alone unless you have mad skills. The gameplay therefore feels more frantic and even faster paced than usual CoD antics purely because of this design choice and practically all of the maps favour this gameplay style. Whether DLC will present future map packs (of course it will) with more ranged maps (possibly) will remain to be seen but the entire experience can feel like you kill, die, kill, kill then die and so on in very quick succession.

In each map there are moments where standoffs occur as each team piles in and the bodies soon mount up. This forces players to adjust strategies and mix up how they play almost instantly less they favour a negative K/D ratio. The new Kill Confirmed mode seems to be a favourite too, taking Crysis 2’s approach where you have to collect evidence of your kill for it to count. As usual, it comes in the form of dog tags, but can play a part in ambushes or recuperating points if you pick up your fallen allies tags. The kill streaks and perk systems have been adjusted slightly too so you can tailor what you receive whether it is more team based or gung-ho approach, it is up to you. Struggle to get kill streaks? Well now the rewards can be earned by completing objectives too which will give some of the newer or less skilled players a chance to use kill streaks.

As usual, ranking up will unlock you new perks, weapons, equipment and now even your weapon characteristics, giving you the option to reduce aim time or getting rid of the recoil from a particular weapon. Prestige mode now allows you to trade in the token for abilities or double XP for instance and as usual, the multiplayer is on top form once again. The only real problem is that it is too easy to leave multiplayer matches, leaving teams unbalanced and unfair so those on their own and going solo could find themselves swamped or rather left out too but hey, you could always just quit and join another game? The shame is that the matchmaking is not perfect when it comes to putting players in mid-game so it is hard to replace the players that leave. Not a game breaker and by no means does it happen all the time but it is an odd oversight by the developers.

If, bizarrely, the singleplayer or multiplayer don’t take your fancy then there is the middle option; Spec Ops. Once more it returns but with a twist, either featuring the missions again that you can do up to veteran difficulty either solo or with a friend, or the new horde mode. The latter can actually be a good time waster and with so much of the Gamerscore/trophies linked to this mode, completionists will find themselves spending a lot of time here. Acting as any other horde mode, you must hold of waves of enemies while earning cash to access more weapons and kill streaks. It is a good idea but one that has been thrown into most games at the moment and if anything, serves as a mere distraction. Make sure you are with someone, playing cooperatively as playing the horde mode solo can become a tiresome and repetitive process.

Visuals   8/10

Although it can hold up in today’s market, the age of the game engine being used can be seen as it lacks that polish that is really required. There can be a lot of lag online at times which practically makes this game unplayable but whether that is just the recent spike in players or a long standing technical issue, remains to be seen.

Audio    9/10

As always, top performances here even if the script isn’t as accurate from a military standpoint as Battlefield 3. Most people will be too busy blowing stuff up to really care anyway and besides, it sounds cool! Weapons and explosions all sound great along with the level up tune that plays online. Bliss.

Gameplay   9/10

Handles the same as the others with the same modes as the previous Modern Warfare games. Same old with a short campaign featuring questionable AI and homing grenades with a spec ops mode that feels like a third wheel. Multiplayer is flawless except for the ease of leaving a match.

Delivery  9/10

It has a campaign. It has Multiplayer. It has a spec ops mode. No zombies but we will forgive them for that. That is Treyarchs area anyway. Plenty for you to do but let’s face it, you came for the multiplayer which is as expansive and addictive as ever.

Summary  8.7/10

A victim of its own success or held back by a lack of new tech? I guess that is up to you to decide as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is now released and with Treyarch rumoured to be working on Black Ops 2 for next November, you have a years worth of MW3 before Activision give you more CoD. A great shooter still nonetheless but does not give us enough new content to really sink our teeth into.

This guide is the property of Ben Nacca and is for the sole use of www.lanraiders.co.uk, www.dooyoo.co.uk and www.ciao.co.uk. No copying to other websites or other mediums without written permission first.