Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

In this season of sequels, one game stands above them all: Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Perhaps the most anticipated game of the year, has arrived selling an incredible and record breaking 6.5 million copies in its first day alone. Developed by a reshuffled Infinity Ward studio as well as newcomers, Sledgehammer Games, the game builds on what its predecessors have already created in an attempt to bring you the definitive Call of Duty experience (or at least until next year).

As some may be aware, the COD series has been suffering from a general lack of innovation in recent years. Since the game-changing arrival of Call of Duty 4, its followers have gone with the idea that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In my last review I had a jab at Gears of War 3 for being exactly the same as the older iterations with only a few tweaks to improve upon it. Call of Duty is pretty much identical; the developers haven’t drastically changed the game’s style, gameplay… in fact very little for that matter.

This aside, I have to admit the experience I had, and am still having for that matter, is exceptional. Whilst not a loyal COD fan boy arguing Modern Warfare’s superiority on just about every single forum, I have played and enjoyed most of the previous games.

The single player is perhaps the weakest part of the package. The game puts you in the shoes of several different soldiers as they fight in different conflicts to bring an end to World War III. Russia, the unfortunate baddie of most war games these days, has invaded the USA and then follows on by attacking Europe. All of this has been masterminded by arch villain of the series, Makarov, an ultra-nationalist Russian whose sole intent seems to be to bring the world to ruin. To be honest, I wasn’t really too focused on the story and nor should you be as it doesn’t make much sense despite following on from the last game.

The game takes you on a globetrotting tour from a shattered Wall Street to a sunny shanty town in Western Africa. The locations used are well recreated and give realism to an otherwise ludicrous plot.

The sound and appearance also add to the excitement of the game. Bullets will whizz past as you attempt to find cover behind a beautifully recreated red phone box, all to an impressive soundtrack by action film composer Brian Tyler. This is where the immersion is at its best in the single player part of the game.

It then falls flat on its face when you realise your Special Air Service allies as well as the Spetsnaz foes (Russia’s elite) are all a bunch of incompetent idiots. Enemy and allied AI will simply run in front of you as you fire in a supposed attempt to take a bullet for a comrade. The developers have tried to counter this by throwing as many enemies at you as they can fit on the screen, giving you plenty to shoot at but also some frustrating deaths as your killer is hidden behind a mass of allies.

Gone also are the stealth missions of 1 and 2 where you had to make your way through a level without being spotted, taking out targets as you went along. There is an attempt at it, but it is far shorter than the ghillie mission on COD 4 and nowhere near as exciting.
Having said this, the single player does provide some exciting gunplay with incredible set pieces to back it up, something Modern Warfare has never failed to deliver upon. They are often so over the top that even Michael Bay would have to take his hat off to them.

MW3’s coup de grâce, then, is the other portion of the game. By now you are probably aware that single player is simply training for the renowned multiplayer part of the MW series. Sledgehammer have embraced this and spent most of their time working on what can only be described as one of the best experiences there is to date.

Divided into two parts, Spec Ops makes a return, this time adding a survival mode as well as the usual roster of two player missions, some of which are borrowed from the single player but are all more compelling as a friend can join in. The best part is of course the multiplayer modes. The developers worked hard to ensure that the maps, weapons, perks and kill streaks make for as fair and balanced a game as possible, and the results are impressive. It may be an improved reiteration of what we have played already but so what?

As well as the normal kill streaks, you can now opt for the support class, whereby even when you die, your streak is not lost and you can still get some impressive rewards, with a focus on aiding other members of the team.

At the end of the day, it’s the fantastic multiplayer experience that makes the game work . The single player isn’t bad but it’s not up there with the last two COD outings. On the whole though, there’s no denying MW3 is a better game even if it borrows heavily from the older titles. For any shooter fan, it really is a must have.