The latest entry into the mega-selling Call of Duty franchise has arrived with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Like the annual flood of holiday
decorations which arrive earlier and earlier each year; the annual release of the latest entry in the series always garners plenty of attention from gamers eager to experience the latest entry in the series and those anxiously awaiting to see if they are gifted a copy for the holidays.
There were rumors earlier in the year that the company would skip releasing a new game this year and instead offer another year of maps and new content for owners of Modern Warfare II which rumors implied that a
new campaign DLC would be part of the mix.
Eventually it was revealed that the game would be a release but that the online maps would be remastered versions from Modern Warfare 3 and that
new maps would be released later in the year.
With this in mind I went into the game with tempered expectations as I saw it as a bundle rather than a new game from the ground up as it was reported to have half the development time of the usual releases.
The multiplayer maps are engaging but heavily nostalgic as despite the updated look; there is a sense of deja vu with them at times even if the updates do improve the overall look and play.
The Zombie mode is entertaining enough and I have spent a good amount of my time on this one and even had my son join up with me as it was a great
open-world experience on a large map that allowed me to play in small groups or join with other players along the way.
Racing a cloud of gas to the final extraction site via an ATV with a rider on the back and unneeded packs of undead all around was a thrill that I was happy to say we managed to survive.
There has been much focus on the campaign regarding the length and quality of the story. While I agree it is not as long as one usually gets in a COD game, there is still an engaging enough story and it does provide an enjoyable play experience as long as one remembers this was likely intended to be DLC and not the core of a new game.
Graphically the game is in keeping with Modern Warfare II and uses motion capture to bring a gritty realism to the drama about the dangerous Markov
and his plan to use weapons of mass destruction.
Modern Warfare III does not break new ground but does provide an experience in keeping with the series.
There has been some complainants online about being asked to pay full price for what many brand a DLC bundle which I can understand.
However I would like to see how much content is released in the next year as if it is larger or more frequent than the usual season updates it could go a long way to calming gamers who think this release is a step back from the
franchise.
I think back to Cal of Duty: Black Ops IIII which did not have a campaign and instead offered only online play. It also had grenades removed and
only featured after a certain level was achieved and then only on a cool down system.
That combined with a lack of a regenerative health system
drastically changed the way I and many other played the game and there were calls for and rumors of a campaign to be added later which did not
arrive.
The next release was a return to what gamers expected in many aspects and while some releases have been better than others, there is a certain standard of online play which keeps bringing gamers back year after year.
In the end the focus will be on the Multiplayer aspect and while I do not like the grind to get my weapon configured to what is ideal for my style of play; it is how the series has always operated and I am making progress in this regard and has not overly diminished my gameplay.
If you are a fan of the series and have reasonable expectations going in then this is a release you may very well enjoy.
3 stars out of 5
