2.17.2012

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review - Another Triumph for Activision and Infinity Ward


The modern warfare series is the definition of an awesome video game. The series is known for its huge set pieces, intense fire fights, addictive multiplayer, and massive variety across all fronts. Modern Warfare 3 is no exception.

The story picks up relatively close to where modern warfare 2 left off, and very rarely if at all takes its foot off of the gas pedal. While the story can be hard to follow at times, and confusing to new comers, the insane set pieces and various locales help keep the action moving and never lets you settle in, in a good way. You take control of various military personnel between the many wars factions as you continue your hunt for Makarov. It has its fare share of run and gun, stealth, and vehicle missions. The helicopter sequence at the beginning was a personal favorite, as was driving a small dinghy through a graveyard of submarines and destroyed war ships. The ending is satisfying; it does come a little quicker than you would hope however. It takes a good amount of twists and turns in the story line and keeps this campaign compelling till the end. Comrades will fall, and if you stayed true to the story from the first Modern Warfare you will feel attached when you see a friend fall. Overall the campaign lives up to Call of Duty standards. It runs around 6-10 hours depending on the difficulty you’re playing on. However Call of Duty has this thing called multiplayer a few people are bound to stumble upon, as well as the revamped Spec Ops section.

Spec Ops is also back and is vastly improved. It has the same set up as last time putting you into specific missions that put you in locations from the campaign and task you with everything from collecting intelligence, to saving the Russian president, and disabling IED’s in a juggernaut suit. You select your difficulty from normal to hardened to veteran all getting more difficult as you move along in an effort to collect all the stars. The new addition comes in the form of survival missions. Also ranged in difficulty, you’re placed into a multiplayer map and you fight waves of endless enemies. The difference from the popular Zombie mode in World at War and Black Ops is that these enemies are varied in the type of enemy you’ll be facing and they all carry guns, aside from the occasional killer German Sheppard. As you increase in levels it becomes more difficult as the enemies carry stronger weapons, juggernauts, suicide bombers, chemical warfare agents, and helicopters all rear their ugly heads to try to ruin your run. However, every map includes three care package areas to help you out. One to buy and upgrade weapons, one to buy perks and air support, and one to buy varied lethal and non lethal equipment. Spec Ops’ upgrade is playable solo or with a friend via local or online, and unfortunately that is also the curse. It only allows two players as opposed to the 4 from the Zombie game play.

Lastly we have the multiplayer, the reason why the majority of people spend countless amounts of hours and hard earned money on dozens of pizzas. Its addicting like it always is. With deep amounts of customization to guns, perks, equipment, the new prestige shop, and the new killstreaks format, it’s no wonder why this game is still considered a must have game. Some perks have changed names while generally doing the same things, and some perks have been removed completely like Last Stand/Second Chance. The killstreaks are now set into three categories, Assault, Support and Specialist. Assault is the typical Predator missile, Attack Helicopter, AC-130 combos from past games with a few new ones gracing the selection screen. Support however, is a complete revamp is the killstreaks idea. Under support your streak doesn’t reset, and it takes into account anything you do towards the games objective as also being factored into your point streak. So if you have 5 kills, a SAM turret destroy, and 2 flags captured, you’re point streak is at 8 assuming you have set it that high. It does not reset until you reach your final tally. It definitely is a fair way to balance out the studs racking up five to ten kills every few minutes that are calling in the heavy assault streaks. Lastly, the specialist, which has become one of my new favorites, gives your extra perks upon killstreaks. Setting up Blind Eye, Assassin, SitRep, as your starting three, upon every two more kills you gain a perk of your choosing. Any perks you have unlocked can be allotted to any killstreak number. Want Sleight of Hand, then Extreme Conditioning, and Dead Silence as your respective two-four-six streak bonuses? Go right ahead. Upon your eighth kill in a row, you unlock every perk effectively making you a super soldier on the battle field. The last new addition is the prestige shop, which offers tokens you a prestige token if you prestiged in the other Call of Duty games. They also dole out a token for being a member of Call of Duty Elite, and every time you hit the prestige button in this game. Giving you options to buy double XP, unlock a piece of gear that is unlocked for the rest of your time playing the game, or some titles.

Overall Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a solid game. It is a fun and addicting game whether you’re playing Spec Ops, or Multiplayer thanks to the deep customization. The story’s conclusion is fitting, especially if you endured the ride from the original Modern Warfare. If you’re looking for a game where you can drop in and out play a few maps, shoot some people, and have fun with some friends I would highly suggest this game. If you are experience FPS and shooter fatigue, I would not. While it does everything right, it may become boring if you have been slowly losing interest over the past few years. In the end, pick it up and play with your friends because they are surely buying it. 

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