jamielove
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The established formula awaits players through a single-player campaign that offers a chance to battle in the streets of major cities, jump into helicopters and tanks to operate turrets, and run special operation missions that require a certain amount of stealth before all hell breaks loose. Players will also continue jumping wildly between the perspectives of various characters in order to witness events unfold from multiple angles before this campaign finally puts the story-arc to rest. It's still a bumpy ride, and character attachment is as loose as ever while players jump into characters that may or may not survive, and never long enough for it to matter, beyond having access to hands capable of holding a gun.
The single-player campaign is also a short ride, easily defeated in a determined day, but still finds time for drama as soldiers fall in battle and terrorist attacks strike major cities. There’s no sequence to rival the infamous “No Russian” chapter from Modern Warfare 2, but this latest entry does dip into terrorism with a few detouring chapters during the campaign.
And yet Modern Warfare 3 feels more focused for the responsibility of tying up the loose ends left by its predecessor. The bulk of missions bring a direct agenda against waves of opposition that prove remarkably eager to cut down players not keen on cover. There are no real bottleneck situations where that directive changes dramatically, just plenty of opposition with reasonably good aim.
At times the chaos of the battlefield makes it difficult to keep tabs on enemies that continue pouring onto the battlefield and grabbing cover. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a breath in order to spot enemy fire in the smoke and confusion across urban set pieces that mix full-scale warfare with guerilla street tactics. And while I still prefer to linger behind cover and take down enemies with long-range rifles, it’s just as enjoyable to rush in like a fool sometimes – though this usually resulted in my position being overwhelmed by soldiers and an obligatory respawn.
What's interesting is how often the game still temporally takes away control, not even trusting players to push a button inside a submarine. And yet at other times the game still wants to grab at Modern Warfare’s shtick for putting players in the hot-seat of manually crawling toward a weapon, or watching another character stick a gun in their face – with plenty of quick-time moments still working to get the story where it wants to go. The formula previously established for the single-player campaign remains unchanged or tweaked, and Makarov still does everything short of pinching an evil moustache while working to set the world on fire.
In short, the single-player remains a temporary diversion and/or gateway drug to Special Ops and Multiplayer, which once against provide the real emphasis for purchase.
Special Ops continues to boil down and capture the core experience worth enlistment here. The battlefield Modern Warfare 3 takes place across is far too broad to really appreciate consistently, emphasized by widespread battle maps and operation grids that show action happening across the globe. The core experience is the pocket battles taking place within hot zones, offering intense bursts of action that are almost bite-sized war nuggets – and Special Ops is where that idea is free of narrative overtones and shines brighter for that freedom.
Players can tackle a series of Special Ops missions on their own or with a co-op partner, with a separate ranking system unlocking new missions as players increase stats. The bulk of missions involve aspects of the single-player campaign, such as stopping a Russian submarine from going nuclear in New York, or collecting toxin samples following the game’s terrorist attack in Europe. While none of these missions task players with objectives beyond what the single-player campaign offers, the ranking and bonuses along with the ability to quickly jump in and out of the action makes for an experience demanding repeated visits.
In addition to the structured Special Ops missions, Modern Warfare 3 also recognizes trends and offers an obligatory series of Survival Maps as a fully alternative and fleshed out section of Special Ops. Two players can work together to survive continuing onslaughts of soldiers while gaining points to unlock weapons and upgrades.
When you’re done chewing on that, the multiplayer portion offers 16 maps with a variety of urban warfare sensibilities and a truly dizzying amount of play options. Whether you prefer team deathmatch or free-for-alls, dominating a set position or visiting one just long enough to capture the flag, it’s hard to imagine that there’s not an option to appeal to everyone in the mix here. Alternative modes offer twists such as defending a juggernaut to everyone against the juggernaut, as well as killing to gain ammo and infection spreading mayhem.
As with any game where online becomes a priority, there’s an intimidation factor for newcomers, but the plethora of modes and a shifting emphasis that focuses as much on accomplishing team-based objectives as killing enemies extends the invitation to find out what all the fuss is about.
Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, lacking any real reason to. It continues to offer a remarkably well stocked multiplayer product with refinements based on previous entries, while also wrapping up the narrative leanings that complete yet another war epic trilogy this year. If your trigger finger still has an itch this season, there’s an ample amount of ways and means to scratch it here.
For more information on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, check out the product page on futureshop.ca.
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