Reworking the usual killstreak, this doesn’t simply rely on multiple kills per life, and to build it up you can also achieve objectives such as planting a bomb or capturing a flag. Of particular note, though, is the new ‘pointstreak’ system. Weapons now level up as you use them, alongside your own rank, and when you gain weapon levels you’ll acquire extra upgrades, such as scopes and silencers, along with perk-like bonuses, such as less recoil or deeper penetration into cover. Some of Modern Warfare 2‘s more controversial perks have been removed in order to better balance things out and the levelling system has been revamped. There are two modes here, the usual competitive section, and the co-op mode, which make a welcome return, albeit in an enhanced state.Ĭompetitive multiplayer is still the meat of this particular meal, and what we have this year is a more refined and balanced setup that attempts to cater for all comers without resorting to cheap tactics and match ruining support items. Thankfully, although oddly reserved, the multiplayer has once again delivered, and this is the real reason for fork out the readies. As any hardcore CoD fan will tell you, this isn’t about the campaign anyway, the real essence of CoD lies in the multiplayer and online functions. This is a far cry from the genuinely emotion stirring events of CoD4. Sure, the story and the situations you’re put in are all great, and this is essentially popcorn gaming at its finest, even if there’s far too much on rails action than I care for, but it’s just been done too many times before in my opinion, and the obvious desperation to better last year’s outing and to try and crowbar some audience reaction into the mix (you’ll know which section I’m hinting at when you see it) simply has the opposite effect. The devs have done exactly what people expected and little more. The problem is that it’s CoD and it’s all very predictable and trite. There’s no faulting the game in this respect. The controls are tighter than a whale’s proverbial, the visuals are great, the audio direction is good and the general feel is one of pure quality. You see, my immediate thought here is that Call of Duty is back, and as polished, and silky smooth as ever. Even with the immense level of action and impressive scripted moments, I simply sat there, going through the motions. Despite this, though, I struggled to muster any form of emotion. All of this is in the first 30 minutes or so, leaving you with little doubt that MW3 is going for the jugular when it comes to spectacle. Can what’s left of the team still knock out the premier CoD experience, or will the mantle now pass to Treyarch?Īs a US Army Delta Force operative, you’re immediately in the thick of it, and before you can blink, choppers are crashing, building are being blown up, submarines are jumping out of the water and missiles are flung around with gay abandon. There’s more to a game than a name though, and the CoD lineage will surely be tested thanks to ravenous hype surrounding the third MW release, and the many controversial issues that hit Activision, and the now altered Infinity Ward. Of course, the fact that the console version of Battlefield 3 is, by all reports, a fully stuffed turkey, there’s even more reason for Activision to celebrate Christmas early.
Still, that doesn’t look like happening anytime soon, and even with competition from the other heavyweight military shooter, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 is sure to outsell EA’s effort by several to one. As the most played game on Xbox Live, with yearly iterations easily lasting until the next, annual outing, it’s the title to watch in the industry, and when CoD sales start to fall off, Activision needs to start worrying, as does the game industry as a whole.
Regardless of your particular stance on the whole Call of Duty debate, and whether or not you’re a fan of the series, there’s no denying the epic following the licence has.