Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Despite the troubles at Infinity Ward, and a throng of haters on gaming forums, the third and supposedly final chapter in the Modern Warfare story arc is simply amazing - a brutal cinematic tour de force that will surely go down as the best in the series so far. Amazing, but not dramatically different. But then, why should it be. Modern Warfare has always been about over-the-top set pieces, unrelenting action, and a tight, focused multiplayer suite - all elements which are pillars of the Modern Warfare 3 experience. When your game has broken sales records year after year, with the competition still playing catch-up, there isn’t much need or drive to innovate. Instead, the focus here is on pushing the boundaries, taking the sensory overload to even higher levels with more spectacular battles, grand settings and narrative twists. There is little in the way of evolution with Modern Warfare 3, but rather a refinement of a winning formula that satisfies on just about every level.

As is the trend with Call of Duty games of late, Modern Warfare 3 has a distinct split personality between its online and single-player components, neither of which you can afford to ignore. While the multiplayer element is what keeps the punters coming back for more, Modern Warfare has also built a reputation for thrilling offline campaigns, and Modern Warfare 3 is once again top of its class in this respect. Battlefield 3, bless its heart, tried really hard to capture the essence of the Infinity Ward way of doing things, but MW3 is a clear reminder that there can only be one king on the throne.

Pure adrenalin from start to finish, yes, but I’m not sure that the Modern Warfare 3 campaign thrills the senses to the extent that Modern Warfare 2 did, purely because a lot of the narrative and gameplay mechanics employed have lost that element of surprise. You’ve dangled out of a burning helicopter before, you’ve been flung out of a building as it explodes, you’ve been knocked unconscious and dragged to safety while everything goes all blurry. That’s not to say that the developers have been lazy, as there are countless new variations on similar themes - speed boats, scuba diving, tearing the world apart with an unmanned armoured vehicle, taking over the gun turret of a strafing attack helicopter, even plummeting down through three floors of concrete of a parking complex in a tank; Modern Warfare 3 uses all the tricks in the book to remind you that you are playing a part in the number one cinematic action experience that money can buy.

Using the now typical system of jumping between a number of different characters through the course of the story, we now see the Russian threat from Modern Warfare 2 in full swing - Makarov is at large, the streets of Manhattan are ablaze and under heavy attack with a fleet of enemy battleships and submarines lining the coast of New York like wild dogs at a dying zebra buffet. Swift action by the US Spec Ops loosens the Red grip on New York, but that's just the tip of this hellish iceberg. This is war on a global scale, with blood being spilled across the world. There is less reliance on shock tactics to add dramatic weight to the story this time, and even though there are elements which will probably have the conservatives in a frenzy, they are hardly on par with the infamous "No Russian" level from Modern Warfare 2. Returning characters give Modern Warfare 3’s story a welcoming sense of familiarity, while a few newcomers allow a wider scope for involvement in the plot. As an example, playing as part of the Russian president’s security detail on a hijacked airliner puts you in place for one of the most thrilling action sequences of the first half of the story. I’ve always disliked the concept of switching between characters as it makes it difficult to forge a relationship of sorts with your protagonist, but in Modern Warfare 3 I’ll concede that it’s the only way that we could experience such a wide-reaching story.

Modern Warfare 3 also marks what looks like the end of the Modern Warfare narrative, and thankfully the writers have put together a worthy finale which ties up plot threads and should satisfy even the most cynical of gamers. Since the whole series has been a massive Hollywood-style punch in the face, don’t expect much in the line of subtlety or emotion as you thrash your way to the story’s climax. Also in line with previous titles in the series, and the majority of modern shooters, your campaign for world peace via worldwide violence comes to an end after around 6 hours. Short, but so densely packed with ruthless action that you’ll be just about ready for those end credits by the time they roll. I had to constantly remind myself to stop clenching my jaw from beginning to end - a result of the brilliant art direction, thundering sound and dripping testosterone which permeates through every part of the campaign.

Your 6 hours of relentless gunfire offline is really just a part of the full picture as most of you will know. There are many who will rush through the campaign as a sort of rite of passage, in the same way that you might devour your salad before you get to the steak, on route to the joys of Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer component. Again, things aren't dramatically different this time around, and again, they didn’t have to be - between Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, Call of Duty still gets more online game time than any other shooter on Xbox LIVE, so it makes sense not to veer too far from home for this latest iteration. The already massive suite of game modes has seen a number of additions, of which Confirmed Kill is sure to be a favourite - downed players drop a dog tag, which must be collected by the opposing team to register the kill, or scooped up by the dead players team to deny the kill. It may sound like a minor addition to the standard formula, but it makes for some incredibly tense and frantic online battles. Weapon customization has also been overhauled, now allowing for what feels like an infinite number of options when constructing your ultimate load-out.

The biggest change to the multiplayer game this year has to be the way that the famed Kill Streaks and perks are handled. Now split into three Strike Packages - Assault, Support and Specialist - there is far more depth to how you choose to play your online game. While selecting Assault means you are still aiming for unstoppable kill steaks, Support now offers perks for those who make a more indirect impact on the match - securing flags, assisting kills and so on. Support perks aren’t reset when you meet your maker either, making it easier to get in on the action for those who might not be so well versed in the breakneck pace of Modern Warfare online. It’s still a brutally fast game though, that hasn’t changed at all in its underlying mechanics, and you’ll need a snappy trigger finger if you want to see your name up on that kill sheet.

Finishing off the multiplayer aspect is the updated co-op section which now includes a wave-based Survival mode. Survival mode is pretty much a straightforward horde mode, similar in many ways to Black Ops’ Zombie mode, and provides for an entertaining distraction as you take on increasingly difficult enemies over four maps. The real attraction here, however, is still the main Spec Ops mode which sees you and a partner tackle everything from stealthy hostage rescues to mowing down enemies with remote turrets across 16 missions which have been carved out of the main campaign. With all of these elements in place, the multiplayer component of Modern Warfare 3 is a more comprehensive package than anything the competition has on offer.

Being comprehensive doesn’t necessarily mean "best" though. It’s no secret that Modern Warfare 3’s biggest rival this year comes in the form of EA DICE’s brilliant Battlefield 3 - a shooter which misses the target in its single-player form but is saved by its impeccable multiplayer mode. Which one you choose is ultimately up to personal preference, because even though on the surface they appear very similar, each offers a very different style of online play. Battlefield 3 is a slower, more deliberate strategic experience with the emphasis on teamwork and wide open theatres of war. Modern Warfare 3 on the other hand is lightning quick, centered on focused, intense battles across streamlined maps which lend themselves to faster run 'n gun play. Previous Modern Warfare titles have favoured the lone wolf gamer with the itchy trigger finger, but changes to the perk system and the addition of the Support strike package now make it a plausible option to employ a less direct kill-focused strategy. Regardless of your online shooter preferences though, where Modern Warfare 3 clearly trumps the competition is in its consistency - Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have put together a truly mammoth package, with an astounding single-player campaign, rewarding co-operative modes, and a suite of perfectly tuned competitive multiplayer modes. A gargantuan blast of American bravado, filled from top to bottom with nail-biting action, this is a fitting end to an already legendary trilogy.

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