Video Game Review: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The third installment of "Modern Warfare" series as far as the game's storyline goes, picks up right after the events of "Modern Warfare 2." The hunt for Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov continues as World War 3 breaks out with a grand invasion of Russian forces all over the world. From Lower Manhattan to Africa to Europe, the battlefield is literally anywhere and everywhere.

What's always been praised about the "Modern Warfare" franchise is the unrelenting action. From the first installment in the series, players knew they were in an intense firefight. That holds true in "Modern Warfare 3." The action is unrelenting and tense whether you are serving as point man in your squad or controlling Predator drones and launching airstrikes. By now it should be no surprise as to what the core of the gameplay is in "Modern Warfare." It is a first-person shooter, but there's enough variety within that it's not just get from point A to point B, shooting at anyone that is shooting at you. One of my favorite moments in the single-player campaign is taking control of an UGV (Umanned Ground Vehicle) which resembles one of those bomb-diffusing robots, just loaded with a mini-gun and grenade launcher and clearing a road of enemies so your squad can make a proper exit. It is the inclusion of these moments in the game that give you a sort of a break from the action. This holds especially true if you play on the higher difficulty levels. I know for me it felt like something of a comforting breather knowing I didn't have to take on a wave of enemy soldiers with just my rifle and side-arm because I had control of an AC-130 gunship and can rain down heavy ordinance on them. The moments are spaced out so that nothing is a cakewalk, but once you get the ability to use them, it definitely feels rewarding and I'm glad that they've expanded on it ever since their introduction in the first "Modern Warfare."

Another thing that must be praised in "Modern Warfare 3" is sound design. It's only fitting that when you're dropping in environments where the action is seemingly coming from all directions that you must be able to hear it to get the full and proper experience. This game does not fall short on that. If you have a surround sound system, you will hear ever bang from explosions, hiss of bullets screaming past you, and radio chatter from fellow soldiers. "Modern Warfare 3" is loud and plenty of things go boom in a manner fit for a Michael Bay movie, but this is World War 3 and you shouldn't expect anything less.

Outside of the single-player campaign in "Modern Warfare 3," is a multiplayer mode which at the time of this review, I have not touched but will most likely in the near future. There is also the Special Ops mode where players can take on challenge based missions similar to some scenarios encountered in the single player campaign or choose to survive waves upon waves of enemies. It can be played by just one player or they can go online and go about it cooperatively. I only dabbled briefly with the survival mode and it felt just as tense and chaotic as going through the campaign. I made it through seven waves until I was taken down by a Juggernaut (a soldier outfitted in high damage resistance body armor).

The thing I took away most from "Modern Warfare 3" wasn't the impressive production values. It's a forgone conclusion that the third installment would continue the top-notch production that the first two installments had and made the franchise one of the biggest (and most lucrative) ones around. I still love the cutscenes using computer graphics you would most likely see on actual military computer hardware as debriefing for the next mission, but also mask the minimal loading times. Though for my father who sat in and watched me play through a few levels in the campaign, he was blown away by what he was seeing and hearing. Rather what I liked most about the game was that there was a proper length to it. I remember the campaign in "Modern Warfare 2" feeling on the short side. I said in a preview post I wrote about "Modern Warfare 3" that the last installment felt short. This time, it didn't appear to be the case. I felt properly rewarded when I reached the game's ending, not just from a storyline standpoint, but the time and effort I put into the game. Getting to rally points, taking out key targets, repeated attempts due to dying multiple times (thanks to playing on a higher than normal difficulty), and ultimately reaching the conclusion. The hype that went into "Modern Warfare 3" was monumental as for this game Activision launched Call Of Duty XP, a fan expo for the game, showcasing details. I didn't attend the event, but I read a lot of entertaining things (including an amazing live paintball match) about it and how well-received it was. I'm sure that the event will return for whenever the next "Call Of Duty" game is released.

While I don't play as many first-person shooters as I used to, it's just hard if not impossible to ignore the juggernaut that is the "Modern Warfare" franchise. There's just a lot to like about them, mainly the awe-inspiring, if not a bit nerve-wracking environments that you see and hear at every angle. I remember when gamers were tired of seeing World War 2-era games and wanted something new and something with a bit more bite. Enter the "Modern Warfare" franchise and they have introduced to a lot of us (what a very brave few have experienced firsthand; we must not diminish those who have done actual service) which is, war is hell.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for the XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and PC (with the Nintendo Wii version developed by Treyarch Software. A review copy was provided to me from Activision for the XBOX 360. The review covers the campaign experience through one completed playthrough on 'Hardened' difficulty and the aforementioned small play-through of one of the Special Ops modes.

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