‘Modern Warfare 3:’ War never changes
February 21, 2012
For years, the Call of Duty franchise has been the undisputed king of online multiplayer shooters. Over the course of several games, the series has refined the overall experience down to a near-perfect balance of skill and enjoyment. Unfortunately, the games have reached a point where they sacrifice change and innovation for stability, and Modern Warfare 3 suffers because of it.
The story mode picks up where Modern Warfare 2 left off. After the shocking events of the previous game, The United States is still embroiled in a bitter war with Russia, setting the scene for most of the missions. Over the course of the campaign, this conflict will take players across the globe, from the war-torn streets of Manhattan to Dubai and nearly everywhere in between.
Like previous installments, MW3 features brilliant setpieces and more explosions than a Michael Bay movie. While the game attempts to one-up its predecessors, most of it feels rehashed. There is an undeniable been there, done that air about the campaign, despite developer Infinity Wards attempts to up the ante. While the campaign has a few moments of brilliance, particularly once the locale shifts to Paris, gamers who have supported the series will likely feel underwhelmed by the experience.
But honestly, the current Call of Duty games have never been known for their single-player campaigns. The real meat of the series lies in the stellar online multiplayer modes. Players can choose between classic mainstays, such as Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag among others, receiving level advancements by earning points from kills and completing objectives. These level advancements allow players to earn upgrades ranging from new weapons and equipment to stylish nameplates for their display names.
As always, the multiplayer modes do a fantastic job of rewarding players just enough to keep them playing, while lengthening the experience by withholding the most powerful equipment. The game is extremely generous with its experience points, allowing even the most mediocre of players to feel like John Rambo. This time around, players are able to level-up each individual weapon by gaining kills. At certain levels, players can unlock upgrades for the weapon, such as long-range scopes and reduced recoil. This is a fresh take on combat, as it rewards players for sticking with a weapon rather than jumping straight to a more powerful one. The popular killstreaks have also been revamped into pointstreaks, rewarding players with powerful backups such as attack helicopters for completing objectives as well as downing opponents.
Joining the traditional gametypes is the new Kill Confirmed mode, in which players earn points for their teams by collecting the dog tags of fallen opponents. If a teammate is able to collect the tags before the opposing team, they deny the kill and prevent them from earning the points. This new mode is surprisingly fun, and can lead to some frantic and heated battles. It is clear that Infinity Ward spent a great deal of time tweaking the gameplay to appear fresh, yet familiar.
But no amount of tweaking can hide the fact that the multiplayer, while still extremely fun, has gotten stagnant. It is a tricky line to walk, making a game that has been perfected down to a science seem new and innovative. Too much change, and fans are alienated, with an additional risk of tarnishing the games image. Too little change, and it is essentially publishing the same game over and over again. It cannot be denied that MW3 is a highly-polished and competent game. It just feels too familiar to truly be new.
Rating a game like Modern Warfare 3 is a difficult task. On its own merits, it is a fantastic game that can provide dozens of hours of solid fun. However, as yet another entry in the Call of Duty series, it does not deviate enough from previous entries to be truly exceptional. Many have taken to calling MW3 a glorified expansion pack. While that may not be entirely fair, it is hard to argue against the sentiment.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, available for the PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Filed under: Enjoyment