Well the dust has settled and after a truly epic gaming session, we here at GameonStuff are able to cast judgement on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, the latest instalment of the franchise by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games.
Like many other gamers, I spent the last 24 hours swapping seamlessly between campaign and multiplayer modes and for me, Modern Warfare 3 is an improvement on both Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops in both departments, however it still hasn’t reached the level of enjoyment that the original Modern Warfare provided.
The first thing you notice when you start playing MW3 is how smooth and responsive the graphics are which is down to the 60 frames per second magnificence that is rarely seen in first person shooter console gaming.
The single player game play feels tight and features all the usual explosive cut scenes and set pieces that we have come to expect from COD games plus a sound effects collection that will see you ducking your head as bullets zip by your ears.
The gun play is aggressive as you would expect and situations often develop where you will be searching for cover from the rounds that are pinging down on you from every direction.
However it is this familiarity with the standard first person shooter story game mode that is starting to consistently let the genre down. The MW3 storyline is often hard to follow and doesn’t offer anything new. There is no attachment to the plot or the characters and for me personally the story merely acts as a break between shooting wave after wave of terrorists and progressing to the next checkpoint.
Ever since COD 4 I have felt slightly let down by the multiplayer element of the various games but I was pleased to find that MW3 multiplayer is an improvement on both MW2 and Black Ops. The 16 maps feel like they have been better designed and provide more enjoyment while playing. The redesign of the challenge, levelling and rewards system all provide great motivation to play just one more game and focus more on achievements rather than running and gunning to get a better kill death ratio.
What I didn’t like about the multiplayer experience was the hit markers setup. While it’s always fun to get that extra kill, when you watch some of the kill cams, it is clear that the bullets don’t fly near enough to the target to cause damage. This brings me nicely on to my second big dislike – over powered weapons. If the hit markers are a little bit out then the weapons damage is massively out with a lot of lower calibre guns seeming to cause more damage than their more powerful equivalents.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is currently retailing here in the UK for around £39.99 for the PC to £44.99 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 version and the best deals seem to be offered at Game.co.uk
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