Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) is the eighth game in the highly successful Call of Duty series. Once again, the developers stuck to what made the series successful - a short campaign, and a finely tuned multiplayer.
The events of MW3 pick up after the previous game, with Russia and America on the brink of a full-scale war. Players take the role of a number of characters trying to stop the 'ultranationalist', Makarov, from tipping the scales towards World War III.
The game maintains a frenetic pace while the player moves through a number of beautifully reconstructed environments in the midst of turmoil, from Paris, to the tube stations of London, and the plains of Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't significantly different from MW2 - changes to the graphics, weapons and combat are minor and outside of the story, this could have been DLC for MW2.
As with the previous game, the writers attempt a few emotional moments and, unfortunately, they fall flat. An American father playing with his daughter as a bomb detonates in Paris comes across as being too contrived, particularly after you see hundreds of innocent civilians slaughtered over the course of the game. However, the conclusion of the overall arc was very satisfying and I enjoyed finally finishing the story.
Changes to the multiplayer significantly improve the online experience. In addition to levelling characters, weapons can now also be levelled, allowing players to further customise their class and focus their skills. Also, the Killstreak system has been completely revised to allow players to request support or specialist packages as an alternative to offensive strike packages. As someone relatively new to MW, I found these changes improved the balance of the game, and as a weaker member of the team, I was able to contribute more significantly.
New game modes are well executed. In Kill Confirmed, the player has to collect the dog tags of a fallen enemy to register the kill. This forces the player to work as part of a team because players can defend points by collecting the dog tags from a fallen comrade before an enemy does. In Team Defender, the player has to hold onto a flag; while in Survival, the players partner up and face off against wave after wave of enemies. Finally, the Spec Ops mode makes a return with a number of challenging two-man co-operative missions.
One of the most significant improvements is online matchmaking - finding other South African players is much easier. Unfortunately, lag is still a significant issue, and even though it is an improvement over MW2, it still affects online performance. A new addition, the Call of Duty Elite system, allows you to hyper-analyse statistics and maps. This is perfect for the more obsessive gamers wanting to improve their gameplay.
In summary
Overall, the single player is far too short, and even though it concludes the MW storyline, it is not strong enough to stand on its own. However, changes to the multiplayer gameplay refined the online experience. Even though the combat is largely the same, the multiplayer is addictive and the best competitive gameplay available.
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