Plot: What’s it about?
Call of Duty has become the premiere franchise in all of entertainment, even as I write this review Modern Warfare 3 is shattering sales records. In this installment we have the genre defining competitive multi-player, the story driven campaign, and the return of the Spec Ops mode. As a huge fan of co-op games, I dove into the Spec Ops first and loved what I found. In addition to a selection of missions you have to complete, there is also a survival mode. This tasks you and your partner to fend off infinite waves of enemies, using the points you score to gain new guns, upgrade the ones you have, equip some potent special weapons, and even call in powerful support options. There is also a dedicated rank system for Spec Ops, so the more levels you climb, the cooler stuff you can use in survival mode. I have had a blast with Spec Ops, it adds a terrific change of pace from the competitive modes and lets you and a friend save the world together.
The competitive experience has been polished and refined for this incarnation as well, with some substantial changes that open up the experience to more players. The killstreaks now allow more support driven players to keep their points through death, while more kill driven players have their usual one life rewards and for those lone wolf types, a third killstreak package that offers a wealth of goodies, if you can stay alive long enough to claim them. The support package is a great inclusion, especially in the objective game modes, which tend to be less kill/death ratio friendly. The assortment of maps are rock solid, though I do wish more larger maps were included, as most here lean toward mid to close range combat. I also loved the new Kill Confirmed game type, in which you must collect your victim’s dog tags in order for the kill to count. This really changes up the pace and makes for a fresh experience, so great new mode there. Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel in this area, but there are some wise changes and new additions that make it more fun than ever.
The single player campaign caps off the plot we started in Modern Warfare, so players who have experienced the entire run will get the most out of the experience. I’m not sure this campaign is better than the previous Modern Warfare ones, but it is on par with them and offers some great moments. The action is fluid and as far as set pieces, not many games can even close to the ones found in Modern Warfare 3. The game strives to be a high adrenaline roller coaster ride and for the most part, it succeeds. When you look at how much content is offered in Modern Warfare 3, the inherent value is just immense. The most popular competitive modes in the world, a revamped Spec Ops mode, and an action packed campaign, all on one disc. If you purchase the Hardened Edition, you also have a year’s membership in Call of Duty Elite, which provides the deepest stat tracking available, exclusive video content, and nine months worth of Modern Warfare 3 map packs. This is simply an excellent release that provides a tremendous value, so Modern Warfare 3 earns a most high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
This is the best looking Call of Duty to date, as well as one of the best looking shooters on the market. The visuals show off some remarkable depth, with great attention to detail. This results in environment that feel lived in, highly realistic weapons, and rock solid character designs. The visual interface used is simple and effective, so you’ll never be distracted by your heads up display, which is important.So from both creative and technical perspectives, Modern Warfare 3 looks excellent.
Audio: How does it sound?
The sound design doesn’t take a backseat to the visuals at all, as the soundtrack is visceral and high impact. In the campaign, the world seems to crumble around you, putting you right in the middle of the end of days. This provides some terrific audio potential and it is exploited at every turn here. The missions are quite immersive, with creative audio touches that make the most of the situations and locations. The guns have the required kick and then some, while explosions rock the speakers, making Spec Ops and competitive modes quake with dynamic audio. This game doesn’t just play like an action blockbuster, it sounds as good as one as well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
