Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Review

By Kenny Duggal

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has a lot to live up to. The first in the series set a new standard for First P eron Shooters, especially the multi-player side of things. The second in the series (the biggest selling game in history!) refined everything and presented us with a gorgeous, epic and stunning campaign which took us around the world and kicked off with one of the most memorable (and controversial) moments in the games industry.

It’s a series that has had no end of highs, constantly stepping up the game. And with Modern Warfare 3, comes the final chapter in the trilogy, finally wrapping up all the loose ends and adding a bit more to the multi-player affair. There’s no question about whether the game is going to be big or not; but does it live up to its reputation and take things to the next level with the latest installment?

Easy answer is yes. Infinity Ward has pulled no punches in making Modern Warfare 3 a huge and satisfying experience

Although the moments in the game fail to be as jaw dropping as those presented in previous installments, they come thick and fast and never disappoints in delivering that wow factor the series is known for. What’s presented here is an endless array of amazing moments without taking you out the action for a moment. There’s rarely a dull moment with things being switched up all the time to keep things fresh; one in particular is what appears to be another dull corridor shooting sequence on a plane which quickly turns into scene ripped right out of Inception.

Once again, you’ll be jumping in and out of the shoes of various different characters, most notably Delta Squad which trots about the globe handling Russia making a mess of the world, and series staples Soap and Price going for the head of the mastermind behind the war, Makarov. With so much happening all at once, the characters never feel as interesting as they have been previously and your involvement less personal, but the sheer scale of the campaign itself more than makes up for it, with the game closing to one of the most exciting and satisfying missions yet.

It doesn’t take too long to breeze through the campaign – time flies when you’re having fun, after all – but there’s a whole load of content packed on to the disc to keep you coming back for more, most notably that addictive multi-player that dominates the lives of many gamers out there.

It’s all as entertaining as it ever was, although changes have been made to keep things interesting and fresh. ‘Point streaks’ replace Kill-streaks in the game, meaning you don’t have to rely solely on a quick trigger finger to gain some more skills and advantages on the battlefield… which helps those who are a bit inexperienced, like myself. You’ll get your hands on Point streaks simply from carrying out standard objectives in game modes, including capturing the flag in Capture the Flag or planting the bomb in Search and Destroy.

You get an option of ‘strike packages’ to which your points go to; the Assault Package works the same way Kill-streaks did in Modern Warfare 2; the Specialist Package awards kills with additional perks; the Support Package keeps your streak going even after you’re killed.

The change might seem a bit alien to Modern Warfare veterans, but adds some new elements and variety to the multi-player, especially if you’re one of those people struggling to make a difference to the team because you suck. It also adds a more strategic level to the multi-player component, with some love for those who prefer to support the team to victory in place of running around the map solo whilst spraying bullets into walls.

There are also a few new game modes including Kill Confirmed, which is your basic team death-match mode with a twist; to score points for any kill you’ve made you have to pick up a dog tag from the body, but the opposing team is also able to pick dog tags up from fallen team members to deny the other team the kill. It’s a great new take on team death-match and really evens out the playing ground so that everyone has to stay on their toes.

Overall, the multi-player of Modern Warfare 3 remains as addictive and enjoyable as the previous entries but with more modes and methods to discover and makes things a bit more universal by offering up some opportunities for new players to get straight into the game and not become completely overwhelmed by long term fans of the series who have a massive advantage.

There’s also the new cooperative Survival Mode to keep your eyes glued to the game. Similar to the Nazi Zombies mode from previous installments to the COD franchise, it puts you and a group of friends up against an endless wave of enemies. It’s definitely more intense and exciting however, as enemies spawn at tactical positions based on your location… zombies are cool and all, but they’re not the most threatening opposition you could go up against.

Survival Mode on the other hand, isn’t shy about wanting you dead; you’ll go up against enemies armed with anything from shotguns, AK-47s and RPGs to dogs and even HINDs raining bullets down on you from the sky. It hasn’t got that lasting appeal and variety that the main multi-player mode does, but it’s surprisingly addictive and the hours just whizz past when you get down to it.

For those that haven’t been bitten by the Modern Warfare bug, they find it hard to understand why so many people love it and whether it deserves the universal praise it hasn’t stopped at sucking in. Modern Warfare 3 secures itself as proof that it isn’t one of those games that is popular for the sake of being popular, but because the developers have clearly put a lot of love into the game and challenged themselves in delivering the best experience possible for those who play it.

Modern Warfare 3 ticks all the boxes; great visuals and sound, an amazing single player campaign and outstanding multi-player component to match that will keep you coming back for more and more. It’s a game that just about does everything right… and what it doesn’t do right, it does GREAT.

Sound – 9

Graphics – 9

Gameplay – 9

Overall – 9.5