While no real innovation is present, MW3 takes the best of CoD and wraps it into one content-filled package.
Difficulty: Easy
Time spent to date: 40+ hours
Bottom Line: The most CoD Activision could cram into an annual release
Pros:
+ The story and campaign are engaging, fast-paced, and smooth
+ Some of the best controls in the genre
+ All of the characters are back from the second Modern Warfare
+ New game modes and online tracking system
+ Horde/zombie mode has been added
+ Spec Ops offers more co-op, online fun
+ Online play seems to be more balanced
+ Online tracking gives players a ton of content, stats, and ways to connect
Cons:
- No "real" innovation
- Short campaign
- Potentially awkward end to the storylines
- No dedicated servers
- To get full functionality of online tracking, you need to pay for subscription
Call of Duty has been chastised for the past few years as being an adrenaline packed rehash. While it may be true that the newest installment of the CoD series does not offer anything completely new or innovative to the series or industry, it continues to refine a formula that has made it the behemoth of a franchise that it is. From the tight, responsive controls to the over-the-top story, Modern Warfare is back in full force and ready to monopolize all your free time and ruin any personal relationships you may have spent years building.
The campaign offers more of what made the first two Modern Warfare games a blast to play. The game picks up immediately after the finale of the second game, and launches you immediately into the middle of the action. You again switch between two factions throughout the game, so be sure to pay attention. The Delta Force is constantly fighting to secure and save America's soil while the disavowed Task Force 141 works quietly to track down and kill the illustrious and ever elusive, evil Russian, Makarov. This back and forth between task forces is not new to veterans of the series, as the two storylines eventually collide like two high speed trains refusing to use their brakes on the same track. This ultimately makes for a very enjoyable and action-driven conclusion to the game, which CoD has become known for.
As you battle through downtown New York or fly high above Russia in the president's private jet you will feel as if you are in the middle of a Michael Bay production. Globetrotting and tracking down those evil Russians is standard fare here, but is portrayed in a much more comprehensive and emotional way. The settings are diverse and the missions are fun, making the (potential) conclusion of the series as fun to finish as it was to begin all those years ago. Lengthwise it will top out between four and eight hours in length, depending on the difficulty played on and how many achievements you want to get. These hours will blaze by in a flash, and you will sit there wondering truly what happened to the time that has been spent hunting down and destroying evil across the world. There is also a sense of urge to continue playing despite needing adequate sleep for work or spending time with loved ones. However, as fun as the campaign is no one buys Call of Duty for the story… well, maybe except for me. The multiplayer arena is where the bulk of the time players will spend in the game. This will be accomplished around the world and billions of potentially productive hours will be wasted, killing productivity and ruining lives.
MW3 is perhaps the ultimate home and life-wrecker due to the addictive nature of the competitive online play, surpassing all of the previous games with ease. There is a multitude of modes, games, and training to do online with friends, strangers, or simply by yourself. The only real shame here is the lack of dedicated servers for the online play, which ultimately creates a lagged experience for those not playing in their immediate region or a host with a slow connection. For a franchise that nets billions over the life of its release, it is a shame that Activision decided to keep the dedicated servers out of the equation. However, this may be the only glaring blemish on the online play of Modern Warfare 3.
As stated before, the online content is where the bulk of MW3's value lies. The competitive online for Modern Warfare 3 has been balanced to appeal to the hardcore players, the rambos of the online world, as well as the newcomers to the franchise. This is accomplished in the addition of two new strike packages that add additional perks to your arsenal or don't reset your killstreak counts when you die. This levels the battlefield for players of all skill and is a very welcome addition, effectively removing the heavy reliance on high count killstreaks that dominated the team success/win rate in MW2. The various modes also tend to be increasingly friendly to the various styIes of players, and the maps reflect this – something that seemed missing in Modern Warfare 2.
On top of the cIassic online modes available to the Modern Warfare franchise, there is now a survival mode that allows players to face waves of enemies until the survivors die. Many will compare this to modes in other games, but this is the first time I've found the mode to be engaging and satisfying. It doesn't feel forced or overdone, but rather an extension to the normal game with an unlimited wave of foes on a multiplayer map. There is also a new online service for tracking your stats, connecting with others, and honing your skills through tutorials known as the "Elite" service. These may seem like small changes, but they add a lot more to the overall experience and move CoD to an "online social media" experience compared to what you used to have access to.
The Elite service shows how online shooters are now becoming as social as Facebook and other social media outlets on the internet. There is a free version of the online Elite service as well as the premium service that give premium members access to the DLC for the year plus specific premium features. Premium features such as clans, an online TV channel, more detailed leaderboards, and specific contests to win prizes and other swag online are just a few that come with the subscription. While the value of being a paid member has yet to be seen until the DLC schedule is announced, this is also used to distribute a number of community based intelligence, information, and even new game modes available under "community playlists" as announced on the service. The free version offers the basic information that all players would like to see such as leaderboards, stats, and the ability to modify their custom classes from a computer instead of logging in on their console. As the experience and social medium grows, apparently so does Call of Duty.
Call of Duty has grown to be a franchise that people hate because of its success. As a gamer, I really wanted to dislike the game and jump on another franchise bandwagon for online, military competitive play. People will also scoff at the fact that there is in fact nothing "new" added to Modern Warfare 3, but that was never the true intention of the game. What the newest installment does accomplish is taking the formula of previous games and refines it to a point where there is a greater balance, more appeal to players of all skill levels, and literally the addition of hundreds of hours of content packed into a single offering. While not all players will utilize the content available, those who choose to explore the game in its entirety will be amazed at how much there is to do with the newest release. If you are a fan of military shooters, Modern Warfare 3 is a game that caters to almost every niche and player profile out there. Everyone can find something they like and get lost in it for hours, which is what has made the game the most lucrative entertainment release of all time.