Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Third Time is the Charmer?

Infinity Ward does not do anything radical with the controls and gameplay. I have read my share of complaints of nothing ‘new’ or ‘innovative’ to change the series. My response to that is: if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. Why change something that has been working since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare? If you are looking for a radical change of pace, then look at Battlefield 3. This is the CONCLUSION, people! You need a sense of continuity and familiarity from the previous Modern Warfare entries. To suddenly shake up something would throw the entire thing into a frenetic state of confusion. Let the trilogy end, then go another direction to introduce a new story and gameplay!

The third installment of the Modern Warfare franchise closes the curtain on World War 3. This picks up exactly where the second ends; the main protagonists Captain Price and “Soap” MacTavish are disavowed and on the run. American General Sheppard was killed by the injured Soap, now Price and his 141 unit are trying to find a place to hide and while Vladimir Makarov is still on the loose. Meanwhile the Russians have taken over New York City and U.S. Forces are blocked from communicating with anyone stuck in the city. We are introduced to Delta Squad U.S. soldiers Sandman and Frost (whom you control through the first person perspective.) They are tasked to enter the city and disable the satellite on top of the Stock Exchange that is blocking communications with Overlord command.

We travel through the perspectives of Frost (Delta Squad) and Yuri (Disavowed Task Force 141 Unit.) Each task force have their own set of objectives. Task Force 141 is pursuing Makarov and his partners in crime, who are responsible to spark the Russian invasion against the U.S. in the second game. Delta Squad travels the globe to maintain control of locations falling to Russian command and rescue key targets so Makarov doesn’t get his grimy hands on them. You go through similar formula from previous games, you gun, hide, take turret, hunt next objective and occasionally switch between soldiers in different parts of the world while doing so. We travel to many locations like New York, Endland, Paris, Berlin, Sierra Leone, India and Dubai.

The game level designs resemble each locale I just listed. The damage and war torn cities are realistic and life like. There are moments I say to myself “Whoa… did that happen?” when random and explosive events occur. Iconic towers fall, vehicles crash, explosions rock the maps and forces surround you at any given moments. You get occasional reminder of past events to connect things in the present situation and when everything comes to an end with the final showdown with Makarov. I got a sense of completion and satisfaction that I partook in a great campaign.

A new inclusion into the game is Survival Mode. Think of Gears of War Horde Mode, instead of beats… we have soldiers, bombers, helicopters and juggernauts with endless waves. It is only you or a player online versus them. You create a profile and level up your stats to that profile only (has no effect on multiplayer.) While leveling up, you unlock perks, more guns, grenades and support packages; like predator missiles, squad and air support. You will earn money for every kill and every wave you clear similar to Black Ops. Special Ops makes a return where you replay specific moments of the campaign locations or its own set of objects you must meet in a certain amount of time.

Multiplayer has some subtle improvements in leveling up and adds new games like Kill Confirmed and Team Defender. Kill Confirmed is team deathmatch with a big twist, the only way to score points for your team is collect the dog-tags of fallen enemies. You can also pick up your comrades dog-tags to deny enemy kills. Team Defender is Capture the Flag meets Headquarters Pro, your team must capture and defend the flag. Every second you hold the flag and kill enemies earn you more points doing so. The regular modes like Capture the Flag, Demolition and Free-For-All.

Killstreaks have been reorganized into Strike Packages:

Assault: Like Modern Warfare, once you die these do get reset. You have to get consecutive kills in order to get the package you set up. You can select predator missiles, airstrikes, helicopters and AC-130 gun ships. This is more catered for direct damage to opponents.

Support: These do not reset when you die. You can select supportive packages like UAV, Sam Turret, stealth bomber and share ballistic vests.

Specialist: Your unlock additional perks with consecutive kills. You already have customized set of skills, but unlock additional ones you may not have already. Like the assault, these get rest when you die.

Additional things have been added to the killstreak selection. Strafe Run which is a set of 5 helicopters attacking through the maps, Assault Drones that flies around and tag enemies and juggernauts are now playable. You can airdrop trap care package which is basically a boobie-trap case to fool enemies and kill them. Advanced UAV’s literally triangulate every player as a blip on the map and which direction they are facing instead of a dot.

Also Death streaks return, when you don’t get a kill but get targeted consecutive times… you get a little help. New things like revenge which means the last enemy that killed you can find them individually tagged to hunt down. Hollow point bullets which increase bullet effectiveness for one kill only. And death man’s hand which you fall with a package of C-4 to detonate. Brand new perks like Assassin (invisible to UAV or most scanning devices), Stalker (move faster while aiming), Marksmen (Identify targets further away) or Quick Draw (faster aiming) are added to list.

All primary and secondary weapons now can earn experience points and level up to unlock individual scopes, grenade launchers, weapon proficiencies and camouflage. If there is a particular rifle or shotgun you love to use, the more you use it the more things quickly you can unlock and customize it to your heart’s desire. You can make your weapon more efficient like adding two attachments, reducing the kick effect or even focus the aim time of the gun. However you do not earn money like Black Ops to buy attachments and stuff, you still have to level all the way up to 80 to get every weapon, perk and streaks unlocked.

The multiplayer has bug issues. It would take more than a few shots to register a kill. It looks like I would aim for the head or shoulders but it also appears that I missed a frame later. Some matchups I enter would be disconnected right away. Also I do play matches where I die fives straight when I respawn. These have been some constant issues that have plagued Modern Warfare before. You would think they have fixed it the third time around right?!

In summary: If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. But please fix those damn glitches on multiplayer, Infinity Ward!

 

Second Opinion: by Austin Griffith:

Call of Duty has always been about three things: shooting, explosions, and shooting. Modern Warfare 3 definitely lives up to that standard and even passes it; with flying colors. As you power through MW3’s brilliantly stages and well-written story you’ll immediately see faces both new and old. While some parts of the game seemed very predictable based on the past Modern Warfare’s, there were plenty of times that had me sitting back in my chair, sighing, and saying nothing more than “Holy Shit…”

While the campaign holds up nicely, multiplayer is where everything really comes together. With 80 ranks and 10 prestige’s totaling a whopping 800 ranks, there never ceases to be anything to unlock. Killstreaks are back yet again, this time ranging from the pants-passingly-awesome like an Osprey Gunner that drops care packages to the care package, a community favorite from the past Call of Duty’s. If online multiplayer isn’t your proverbial cup of tea, you can play Spec Ops – a mission ‘replay’ system where you and a friend tackle near impossible challenges. There’s also survival, a new addition. This mode is Call of Duty’s version of the Gears of War Horde. You’ll fight off waves of enemies, dogs, helicopters and more.

When all is said and done, Modern Warfare 3 is truly an amazing addition to the Call of Duty family.