The latest instalment to this dying game series add's a lot, but is it enough?
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, it's just as fun as ever. Without a doubt the most exciting and rewarding Call of Duty, by a long shot. The new gun levelling system really makes for more rewarding and addicting game play, the sound and recoil the guns is a lot heavier - they feel powerful (Polar opposite to the weak feeling guns of Black Ops.) Sniping is polished and smooth, probably the best and most satisfying sniping I've seen in any game. The Strike package system is really good, allowing you to achieve small rewards even when you're not playing at your best. All of these factors add up to make a really rich and rewarding CoD experience, and I would honestly say this game could be worth $60.
However, as it stands - it's not. Despite all of it's positive points, it still has many, many issues.
The one that gets me the most is the maps. They are awful. They are among the very worst CoD maps I have ever seen - I know that is a petty complaint, but how can you enjoy the game if all the maps just dissapoint you. They have been created to try and stop camping, which is an admirable move from Sledgehammer... however it's totally failed and camping is still a massive problem. Instead of solving problems, it has created one: Remember how I said this is the best game for sniping? Well, I was half-lying. The Maps make it very hard to snipe (Unless you can quick-scope... which I cant) Which is very annoying since I love sniping.
The game is also INCREDIBLY unbalanced - Assault rifles can be used to snipe people across the map with incredible ease (Which is another no-no for sniping) and most of the sub-machine guns with reduced recoil can also. Ballistic vests also contribute to this, although the advantage is minor - it's still an unfair advantage. It takes 5 measly kills to get juggernaut for your entire team. No-one has ever complimented health boosts in any CoD, so why the put this in is beyond me.
They've also removed a lot of good features from Black Ops, which perplexes me. Say what you will about that game, but it did add a lot of good idea's. I know this is a sequel to Modern Warfare 2, but it wouldn't have hurt to implement things from that game. Like when you knock some guy into last stand and then someone else kills him. In black ops, that was your kill, and that made things a lot less frustrating. But now things are back to normal - You'll get an assist - which is unfair and incredibly annoying. They also took out the dolphin dive, which admittedly was a pretty pointless feature, but alot of people sculpted how they play around it, so for the first few games, you will find yourself running for cover, and proning on the spot, wandering why you didn't dolphin dive.
Overall, this game stands as the most fun and rewarding CoD, and I really enjoyed it (when my head wasn't exploding with rage) but it definitely could have had more. A LOT more. If it was a standalone game, and Modern Warfare never existed before it, it would get a flat 10/10... but it just doesn't stand out enough from those games to warrant a truly good score.