If video games had counterparts in the culinary world then J-RPGs would be Escargot – an acquired taste, not fully appreciated by the masses. And Modern Warfare 3 would be… well… a fast food burger joint!
Cheap, satisfying, and totally bad for you!
So my feelings for MW3 are pretty clear, but does it have any redeeming qualities? The short answer is YES, as for the long answer…
singleplayer
CoD has always had kickass single player filled with “holycrap did I just do that” moments, with CoD 4 (IMO) having the best examples. And then everything went to hell…
MW2 was fun and sometimes dynamic, but left most of it’s epic to Spec Ops.
Modern Warfare 3 is still fun, but is uber shallow! Yes the singleplayer is epic but it’s just all flash! If you take away the set pieces and gruff military man dialog, it is just your basic shoot your way from point A to B rinse and repeat formula!
And as for the story…
It’s pretty poor! MW3 relies heavily on the ground work set up by CoD4 and MW2, with even a return to the “No Russian” mission that made MW2 so infamous.
There are times where you think that the story is going to develop some emotional substance (like the family vacation footage) but then it takes a dive back into the gruff military man cliches and all is lost.
But it’s Modern Warfare 3 after all, who cares about the singleplayer?!
multiplayer
Let it be know that I didn’t love the multiplayer in Black Ops, it just didn’t feel right. And even though it had some awesome additions like the wager matches, I always found myself returning to MW2.
The good news is that Modern Warfare 3 feels right, the bad news is that it feels too much like MW2! It looks the same, it plays the same, it even sounds the same, all of which isn’t a bad thing but forces the question “why would I buy the same game twice?”
Well, because it works better!
The heavily exploited exploits are gone, there is more balance to the perks, and the unlocks are easier to get removing the feeling of grinding.
The maps are also more balanced without as many bottlenecks and choke points, meaning that the combat is less predictable and formulaic.
The addition of the “Kill Confirmed” game type (where you have to pickup dropped tags like in Crysis’ MP) means that nuke whoring campers are a thing of the past!
Add to that the introduction of “builds” that allow for kill/point streaks to carry over, and you have a much more solid and fun multiplayer experience.
Spec Ops
With the decidedly short singleplayer, and multplayer not being for everybody, the addition of Spec Ops gives MW3 some much needed longevity. That being said it’s still not very good considering all the competition…
The Mission mode is fun but mirrors the singleplayer too closely, and the challenge comes from the sheer difficulty of the tasks as opposed to a clever mechanic. Better alternative – Battlefield 3 co-op
The Survival Mode is a blatant jab at BOs Zombie mode, but comes off second as it lacks the same level of desperation and need for tactics that Zombie mode has in spades! (That and it doesn’t have Zombies) Better alternative – BOs Zombie Mode or Gears’ Horde 2.0
I’ve pretty much ragged on MW3, and for good reason! It seems that they have become complacent and just released Modern Warfare 2.5!
I did however say that it had redeeming qualities, and those are a more rounded and balanced multiplayer and a super fun although super superficial overall experience!
It doesn’t beat CoD4 or MW2, but it sure as hell beats the crap out of Black Ops!
