Modern Warfare is back with a bang. This time developers Sledgehammer team up with Infinity Ward, bringing gaming’s elite together for the third installment of the Modern Warfare franchise.
Previous release (MW2) gripped players through endless multi-player action online, and (some of the time) the accompanying campaign mode. Modern Warfare 3 dives straight into the action and Russia is on America’s doorstep threatening invasion.
Soap and Price are back and with the help of Frost, Nikolai and new guy Yuri (to name a few). Primary antagonist Makarov is back too, hijacking the plane of President Vorshevsky and kidnapping his daughter Alena to add leverage to his insane bid to gain launch codes for the Russian Nuclear Arsenal.
I was taken back by all the gunfire, explosions and attention to detail brought forward in MW3, and while the game engine is still the same as before, buildings, characters and scenery all looking amazing. The cut scenes too are well done bringing the story to life with verve and drama.
Campaign Mode is all gripping, tense and thrilling. Spanning over several months, from land, air and sea with a vast array of weaponry, non repetitive objectives and an easy to follow heads up display. Difficulty changes are noticeable calling players to use a deeper tactical approach if Veteran is your forte.
Co-op Campaign is still a no-go and something the game is really missing. We do though see the Special Ops Mode return, with less stars to collect down from the pain staking 69 in MW2 to a more manageable 48.
As single or co-op, the challenge based missions are a test of abilities to up the ante of player skills. In conjunction a new mode makes a debut, Survival Mode.
One or two players against waves of increasingly difficult AI enemies. What is different is enemy spawn, it’s all calculated on the tactical position of the human player (finally no fixed spawn) to ensure players are on high alert at all times.
Guns, ammo and special support upgrades are available and unlockable by use of “cash” earned through time. Special select guns are also only available in this mode to either entice or annoy gamers.
Last, but by no means least, is the world renowned Call of Duty Online Multi-player.
Now with a more in-depth take through connection via Facebook and joining the ranks is free to download ELITE, a new aspect giving resemblance to Combat Record (Black Ops). You can view and compare stats, forge clans, news, tournaments and tons more. There is also a Premium upgrade option for all the hardcore to unlock more in-depth content.
In play weapon XP & level XP all act as a unit to keep gaming rewarding, unlocking weapon add-ons and perks. MW3 is a big improvement on MW2 with noticeable changes and differences across the board and I will be playing this game online for some time to come.
Big debates about which is best, MW3 or Battlefield 3 (its main rival) will go on for a long time, but MW3 has enough going for it to keep you enthralled in its grasp at least until the next installment is released.
Developer: Sledgehammer /Infinity Ward
Published by: Activision
Platform:
Number of players: 1-4 (online up to 18)
Game Rating: 18+