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Call of Duty 4 was a breakthrough title and marked the start of the Modern Warfare subseries. Starting with that game, each annual release would alternate between Modern Warfare and the Black Ops subseries up until Call of Duty: Ghosts. I think Call of Duty 4 is great and Modern Warfare 2 is some of the most fun I’ve had with the series so far. It was followed up by Modern Warfare 3, the final installment in the original Modern Warfare saga. Developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 in November, 2011.
The story begins directly after the events of Modern Warfare 2 and opens with New York City under siege by Russian forces. After Russia withdraws its forces from the East Coast, the terrorist leader Vladimir Makarov kidnaps the Russian president, demanding he relinquish Russia’s nuclear launch codes. He then orders a chemical attack on European cities which is followed by Russian forces invading the European continent. While the U.S. military repels the invasion in Europe, Captain Price and his team set out to track down Makarov.
I don’t think the plot is quite as good as that of Modern Warfare 2. It definitely feels like a continuation of that story and I do think it makes for a solid conclusion. I also love the World War 3 backdrop because it makes for some exciting gameplay situations in my opinion. Several characters from the previous games return and the player is once again put in the shoes of multiple protagonists. The game does feature a notable voice cast including Bruce Greenwood, Idris Elba, Timothy Olyphant, and even William Fichtner among others.
The campaign is yet another cinematic style guided linear action-packed experience. It doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen before and as far as I’m concerned, that’s its biggest detriment. As you may or may not know, I’m a big fan of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign. I found the story to be a little more interesting than that of the previous entries and I think the gameplay is top-tier Call of Duty. The pacing is great, the environments are diverse, and the action is intense, exciting, and fun. I’m happy to say this trend continues in Modern Warfare 3.
For one thing, the campaign starts off with a bang. After the brief Prologue, you emerge from a wreckage in Manhattan as aircraft fly overhead and missiles fly into a building. It’s immediately obvious the city is under attack and that you’re in the middle of a war zone. Destroyed vehicles and rubble fill the streets and debris is floating around in the air as you move from cover to cover engaging foes. Not only does it throw you right into some fun action but I, personally, enjoy the urban warfare element. In fact, the game seems to place a bigger focus on urban warfare. You’ll participate in battles in not only New York but also London, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, and Paris.
You’ll witness buildings and structures come crashing down and move through bombed out buildings, areas littered with dead bodies, and streets filled with enemies. You’ll want to check corners, aim high and low, and utilize your equipment, space, and things around you to stay alive and even get the jump on foes. I do wish the gore effects from Black Ops were carried over. The gunplay, while familiar, feels more satisfying here thanks primarily to phenomenal sound design. Weapons have a nice punch to them and shots will often echo, resulting in loud firefights that sound incredible.
When you first fire up the game, you’ll be greeted with a “disturbing content notice”, much like Modern Warfare 2. This is to make the player aware of a mission that may come across as disturbing or offensive. In this case, it’s referring to the mission “Davis Family Vacation”. It’s a short sequence that shows a family being killed by a truck that explodes and releases a deadly gas. Much like “No Russian” from Modern Warfare 2, this is a mission designed to show how heinous the terrorists are but I don’t think it’s quite as interesting. It doesn’t actually make the player think about their actions. All this mission does is show a horrible event. The player is put in the shoes of a man who is filming his wife and daughter and they all die. That’s it. It could have just as easily been a cut scene.
I think what really carries the single player experience here is the locations and set pieces. If you’re already a fan of the Call of Duty gameplay, then you’re in for a good time. You’ll get to shoot a ton of bad guys, blow shit up, and participate in plenty of exciting sequences. Modern Warfare 3 comes with the typical Call of Duty ingredients. Plenty of run and gun action broken up by set pieces. You’ve got your big shootouts, scripted stealth sequences, the linear environments keep you and the action contained so you should never get lost, and the action rarely slows down.
Modern Warfare 3 will take you to different locations around the globe and I think the campaign features some of the best environmental design in the series so far. As expected, you’ll be thrown into a mix of tight and open spaces. You’ll often navigate or follow an NPC down a linear path which leads to a more open-ended area where a big firefight takes place and this is where the gameplay really shines. Missions set in Somalia and Paris are good examples. They feature areas with plenty of space to maneuver, multiple paths to take, and numerous rooms and/or buildings to move through. Trying different approaches and positions and finding ways to flank enemies is all part of the fun.
Despite basically feeling like more of the same, this is an explosive campaign with some really cool set pieces and sequences. You’ll do the typical stuff like gun foes down from aircraft, ride in vehicles and defend them from attackers, and Modern Warfare 3 features a sequence where you’ll get to provide support from a gunship, much like “Death From Above” in Call of Duty 4. You’ll get to hijack a submarine, fight through a sandstorm in Somalia, use a remote chopper turret to eliminate foes, operate a UGV to clear the way of enemies, and even chase a subway train in London.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find any multiplayer matches and the game does not come with bots or a mode like Combat Training in Black Ops. However, Modern Warfare 3 does see the return of the Special Ops mode which can be played solo or with another person. Special Ops is split into three modes; Mission mode which is similar to the Special Ops mode in Modern Warfare 2, Survival mode where you must fend off waves of enemies, and Chaos mode where the player is under constant attack and can acquire points to earn perks and increase their combo multiplier.
The mission mode is basically the same as before. Missions are objective-driven and often very fast-paced. But I simply found the ones here to be more enjoyable. You’ll get to fly around in helicopters and gun enemies down, infiltrate areas, rescue NPCs, retrieve items, and sneak around. There’s a good variety of missions and some of them can be quite challenging. You will earn stars and for most missions, the amount you earn is based on the difficulty. Both the Mission and Survival mode will throw different types of enemies at you including the typical soldiers and militia forces seen in the campaign along with Juggernauts, attack dogs, some of which are strapped with explosives, suicide bombers, attack helicopters, chemical agents, and guys with riot shields.
When compared to the Special Ops mode in Modern Warfare 2, things work a little differently here. Most missions need to be unlocked by reaching certain levels. Special Ops comes with its own ranking system. In the Mission and Survival modes, you’ll earn experience for killing enemies and eventually level up. In the Survival mode, reaching certain levels or ranks unlocks things for purchase. The mode plays out in any multiplayer map of your choosing and the goal is to survive as many waves of enemies as you can. Killing enemies rewards you with money that can be spent on weapons, ammo, equipment, and air support.
Other than some noticeable jaggies here and there, Modern Warfare 3’s visual presentation is quite good. The character and weapon models look good and I thought the environments looked amazing. From the beautiful distant mountains in India to the beautiful destroyed urban landscapes you’ll traverse, the environments are detailed and really help convey that sense of a global conflict. The action is backed up by a solid soundtrack with some really dramatic-sounding tunes that help heighten the mood and tension or certain situations. As mentioned before, I think the sound design here is incredible. Weapons fire in particular sounds amazing. On the technical side, the game ran smooth and I encountered no major issues.
I feel like Modern Warfare 3 is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. I love this campaign but am fully aware it’s all for the surface value. I love the flashy intense action, fast-pace, and exciting set pieces even though it all feels familiar. It’s an interesting title to me because I don’t think the plot is quite as good as that of Modern Warfare 2 but the World War 3 backdrop does help make it stand out. And despite the gameplay feeling familiar, I never got bored. I was going through the same motions and was entertained from beginning to end. It’s not innovative but it is another thrilling ride. Unfortunately, I can’t speak for the multiplayer because I didn’t get the chance to try it out but I do think the Special Ops mode is one of the game’s highlights. The missions are fun and exciting and I could play Survival for hours. The entire mode is extremely replayable, the ranking and reward system make it addictive, and it can be enjoyed with a friend.
I would absolutely recommend Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to fans of the series. However, if you’re tired of the Call of Duty gameplay or never liked it before, I don’t think this is going to turn anything around for you. Ultimately, it’s a solid but familiar Call of Duty experience and delivers everything you would expect from a Call of Duty game. Definitely check it out.