Activision has been releasing a newCall of Dutygame every year without fail since 2005, withCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3being the latest in the franchise. However,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3finds itself in a unique position compared to other games in the series. Reports have indicated thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3had some serious challenges behind the scenes, with the game reportedly having a significantly shorter development time than its predecessors.
Activision and Sledgehammer Games have pushed back against that narrative, but the final product does seem to point in that direction.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is largely made up of content that previously existed in other games or is set to be used in the newWarzonemap, which in some ways makes it come across more like an expansion than a fully-fledged new game. Despite these limitations,Modern Warfare 3actually succeeds in delivering a quality multiplayer experience and a decent-enough Zombies mode. Where it stumbles is its campaign.
TheModern Warfare 3campaign is full of bland, generic, interchangeable characters that are impossible to care about. It makes big emotional swings that fail to connect and are unearned because the characters get no real development. The expectation is that fans will care about these characters because of their nostalgia for the original trilogy, but it doesn’t work.
Part of the problem is thatimportant story developments occurred in theWarzonebattle royaleand Special Ops co-op mode between the release ofModern Warfare 2andModern Warfare 3, so someone who only played theMW2campaign and skipped the BR stuff will be confused about characters like Phillip Graves and Alex Keller suddenly being back in the mix. This also was a problem in the jump from the 2019Modern WarfaretoModern Warfare 2, ensuring that there is no story cohesion in theModern Warfarereboot trilogy.
A consistent story may be too much forCall of Dutyfans to ask for when it comes to theModern Warfarereboot trilogy, but they can otherwise count on the same-old campaign gameplay. None of theModern Warfare 3campaign missions have an original thought, instead taking inspiration from previous games in the series. There’s the obligatory AC-130 gunner mission, linear “Follow Me” missions (except this time without the impressive set-pieces), and stealth missions that are as tedious as usual.Modern Warfare 3’s campaign also takes a few pages out of theWarzoneplaybook with its Open Combat missions.
Open Combat missionsinModern Warfare 3are a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s nice to have missions take place in large, open areas where players aren’t being suffocated by the typical “Follow Me” linearity that has plaguedCall of Dutycampaigns for over a decade. On the other hand, the injection ofWarzoneelements in the Open Combat missions makes the campaign lose its identity. It doesn’t help matters that players are better off making a beeline for the objectives in the Open Combat missions instead of exploring, which defeats their purpose.
Almost everything in theModern Warfare 3campaignrevolves aroundWarzone. TheMW3campaign has effectively been Frankenstein’d fromWarzoneparts, from the Open Combat missions to linear missions that take players back to Verdansk. It’s true that many fans have been calling for Verdansk to return, but they meant in the battle royale, not in the campaign.
TheMW3campaign has effectively been Frankenstein’d fromWarzoneparts
Modern Warfare 3’s campaign is mercifully over after a few short hours, offering little in the way of redeeming qualities and establishing itself as easily the worstCall of Dutycampaign ever made. The one good thing that can be said about it is that the graphics are incredible, with gorgeous lighting and highly-detailed environments. This same level of polish can be found in theModern Warfare 3multiplayer, which is the game’s saving grace.
Modern Warfare 3multiplayer is a blast and a significant step up from what was offered in the previous twoMWgames at launch. There are some issues that still need ironed out, likewonky Hardpoint spawnson some maps, but overall, theMW3multiplayer experience is vastly superior out-of-the-box than most recentCall of Dutygames.
Modern Warfare 3multiplayer delivers the fast-paced, excitingCall of Dutymultiplayer that fans have come to expect, but with improvements across the board. Movement is faster, more fluid, and generally feels a lot better than last year’s game. TheTime to Kill has been greatly increased, which results in more intense firefights. The developers have made all kinds of fan-requested changes, and the end result is one of the bestCall of Dutymultiplayer experiences in years.
TheModern Warfare 3multiplayer experienceis enhanced by some genuinely fantastic sound design. Guns sound great, and it’s easy to hear enemy footsteps, but players may be more impressed by the smaller moments. For example, while stalking around the Rundown map, players can hear flies buzzing around their ears in certain sections. Little touches like this go a long way in giving the maps personality.
Modern Warfare 3has 16 core multiplayer maps at launch, pulled straight from the 2009Modern Warfare 2game, but with significant visual enhancements. These maps are classics for a reason, and they are a big part of whyModern Warfare 3’s multiplayer is so entertaining.
While theModern Warfare 3multiplayer is the best at launch that the series has offered in years, it isn’t perfect. As usual, it’s missing important modes like Gun Game and Gunfight, which is disappointing, butCall of Dutyfans are likely used to that by now. Those modes will likely come toModern Warfare 3later, but in the meantime, the game’s standout new game mode Cutthroat should keep fans plenty busy.
Cutthroat is a new take on Gunfight-style battles, but it’s 3v3v3 instead of 2v2. There are no respawns, though players are able to revive downed teammates if they get to them in time. It doesn’t scratch quite the same itch as Gunfight, largely thanks to the fact that it uses custom loadouts instead of pre-selected guns, but it is a decent substitute and is a natural evolution of the concept.
Fans ofCall of Dutymultiplayer will find a lot to like aboutModern Warfare 3. It checks all the boxes and delivers a thrilling experience that will keep fans engaged for hours on end. For many, that will makeModern Warfare 3worth the price of admission alone, especially if they don’t care aboutCall of Dutycampaigns. Others will find it hard to justify the $70 price tag when they consider that all theModern Warfare 3multiplayer mapsare from a 2009 game. The maps are great, but they’re not original, and so it can be hard to shake off the feeling thatMW3is a $70 DLC instead of a full-fledged game.
Of course, there’s one more piece of the puzzle to consider.Call of Dutygames tend to launch with campaigns, multiplayer, and co-op, with the latter usually consisting of the fan-favorite Zombies mode. Zombies makes itsModern Warfaresub-series debut inModern Warfare 3, but instead of being round-based, it’s a newopen world Zombies experiencethat incorporates elements ofModern Warfare 2’s DMZ andWarzone.
Modern Warfare 3’s Zombies mode takes place on the massive Urzikstan map, the next battle royale map forWarzone.Warzoneelements are blended with classic Zombies features, with players able to loot chests, drive vehicles, and armor-up while also hitting the mystery box, buying weapons off the wall, anddrinking Perk-a-Cola. As players explore the map, they will have to deal with hordes of zombies and roaming bands of mercenaries, with the ultimate goal of getting as much quality loot as possible and extracting to secure upgrades that improve one’s odds in future runs.
At times the enemy density can be too low, which makes for boring stretches, but other times players will find themselves on the edge of their seats as they fight their way through massive hordes of the undead. Trying to exfil while zombies are swarming the helicopter is an exhilarating experience, and players can count on plenty more watercooler moments like this if they give the open world Zombies mode a chance.
For the most part,Modern Warfare 3Zombies sets players loose in the open world to do whatever they want, but those who choose can have a more focused experience. Contracts are dotted around the map that give out objectives for bonus loot and XP, plus there areZombies missionsthat players can complete that double as guides to teach players how to play the mode as well as lead them to some of its more interesting content. There’s always plenty to do inMW3Zombies, and at worst, it’s a great place for players to level up their weapons for multiplayer.
Zombies purists might remain unconvinced, but there is a lot of fun to be had here for the open-minded. Plus, it’s cool to get a sneak peek at the newWarzonemap, though that circles back around to the issue ofModern Warfare 3being made up of recycled content. TheUrzikstan mapat least isn’t inWarzoneyet, so it feels fresher than theWarzonecontent shoved into the campaign, but some may still be disappointed thatMW3Zombies isn’t offering a completely unique experience.
That’s really the story forModern Warfare 3across the board. The campaign is made up ofWarzonecontent, the multiplayer is comprised of maps that are 14 years old, and the Zombies mode uses a map that will be recycled for the battle royale. $70 is a high asking price for what’s here, but those that do decide to take the plunge will find the bestCall of Dutymultiplayer experience in years and an intriguing open world Zombies mode that, while not quite as fun as the classic round-based Zombies maps, can still dish out memorable moments with friends.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
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Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) continues Captain Price’s story from the 2019 and 2022 games.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant reviewed the game on Xbox Series X.
