In life, there are three certainties: Death, taxes, and Call of Duty cleaning up on the charts with a triple-threat collection of blockbuster entertainment and meaty multiplayer. This year’s major COD release, though, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 feels like a Frankenstein creation that’s falling apart at the seams. It’s a game that has an undeniable air of rushed production values and ideas that attempt to crowbar in open-world elements ripped from Warzone, while also attempting to give longtime fans a greatest hits package.

The end result? A Call of Duty experience that’s like having your favourite meal every night. Sure, it tastes great, but by the time you get to your umpteenth serving, you’ll be wishing that you had something new to feast on. Amidst reports of developer Sledgehammer only having a year and a half to produce the game–instead of the typical three-year production process that COD games usually go through–and other stories claiming that Modern Warfare 3 was initially designed to be a Modern Warfare 2 expansion before plans changed, and you swiftly get the feeling that something is amiss this year.

Call of Duty isn’t firing on all cylinders in Modern Warfare 3, but when that signature fuel combo of tight gunplay and moment-to-moment action ignites, there’s still some high-octane fun to be had. This year’s entry in the blockbuster franchise will likely still be the mainstream face of gaming until the next entry comes along, but it lacks the prestige, meticulous attention to detail, and value for money that has defined the series for years.

Modern Warfare 3’s Campaign is a dull slog

Let’s cut right to the chase here: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign is a mess. What should be a weekend of intense action that combines explosive moments with a globe-trotting adventure as you’re thrown into stuffed kill corridors is instead a dull collection of levels that won’t keep you glued to your seat. While the campaign starts strong with a Russian gulag gauntlet, it quickly devolves into several poorly constructed stages, and Warzone arenas given a sloppily applied fresh coat of paint.

These “open combat missions” don’t even bother to cover up the Warzone influence, as you’re plopped straight into an arena where you have to scavenge for better weapons and armor, keep an eye out for enemies, and complete a few objectives. It’s an approach that doesn’t gel with the traditional Call of Duty campaign structure at all – a terrible example of non-linear gameplay that is baffling when compared to other missions from Call of Duty’s past that strove to put a fresh twist on open-ended engagement. Lights Out is a terrific example of this approach, a creative mission that set a high bar, and one that Modern Warfare 3 has completely missed.

But hey, at least Modern Warfare 3 feels good to play, thanks to the best-in-class gunplay that has gone on to define Call of Duty over the years. That said, not even that patented formula can save this year’s entry from feeling like glorified DLC.

Stealth missions don’t fare much better either in Modern Warfare 3, as these are more aggravating than riveting. Insta-fail scenarios and broken stealth mechanics do not make for a good combo, leading to some of the most rage-inducing game-over screens that you’ll encounter in your life, while pithy quotes from history punctuate every failed attempt. Some of Modern Warfare 3’s failing could be forgiven if the story was decent, but that’s yet another area where the game fumbles the ball this year.

It’s a half-baked jaunt across the world, trying to recapture the franchise’s glory days, but it’s completely bereft of charm or standout moments even when it tries to replicate controversial “No Russian” moments from its past. It’s a story so forgettable that I’m amazed that Steven Seagal isn’t accusing Sledgehammer of plagiarizing one of his direct-to-DVD yawnfests. It’s four hours of tedious action, boring exposition dumps between missions, and an abrupt ending that closes the latest Modern Warfare saga not with a bang, but a whimper.

The Zombies mode shows some signs of life

Like the Modern Warfare 3 campaign, this year’s Zombies mode is another facet of Call of Duty tradition that has been completely Warzoned. While the idea of a Zombies game that swaps out the wave-based action of previous incarnations for an open-world approach sounds like an instant winner, Sledgehammer’s execution leaves much to be desired. It’s not bad, but it is a grindfest that only rewards those players willing to spend serious hours empowering themselves in a vast arena crawling with face-eating ghouls.

Operation Deadbolt plunges you right into the thick of the Warzone Urzikstan map. It’s up to you and two squadmates to loot the hell out of this location as you upgrade your arsenal, complete objectives, and generally try to avoid becoming a quick lunch when facing the infected masses. It’s Call of Duty Zombies where you’re free to chart your path as you complete objective-based contracts that can earn you some cash for upgrades, making for a surprisingly slower and more methodical approach.

I’m personally a fan of the traditional Zombies mode, one in which you take on waves of the ankle-biting monsters and you’re constantly kept on the edge of your seat. Modern Warfare 3’s take on Zombies is fine. I’ll admit it has its moments of intensity, like when you wander into a location swarming with enemies, or ultra-powerful zombies that’ll rip through your armor like a KFC Zinger Wings fart tearing through Pep Stores underwear.

But it’s the wait for these moments that can feel tedious, stripping some of the tension away from this mode instead of having you constantly balance your buttocks on the edge of your seat when you lean forward. It doesn’t help that progression feels almost non-existent, as the Zombies mode regularly throws highly specific objectives at you that are designed to eat hours of your life until you finally complete them. Then mix in several game-breaking bugs that can cost you all of your prized gear and progress to date.

There is a good game here and the use of DMZ mechanics to liven up the experience shows promise. However, when you’re facing an uphill grind and objectives designed to shake every second of possible engagement out of you, it’s hard to remain invested in a mode that doesn’t feel properly rewarding for the amount of time and effort that you put into it. Operation Deadbolt has its moments, but only if you’re willing to work for them.

Multiplayer is a fun but grind-heavy experience

And here we are, the bread and butter of Call of Duty. The main event, the attention-grabbing, rubber-necking, Juggernog-downing PvP showdown that keeps the Call of Duty lights on until next year’s game arrives and the cycle begins all over again. Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer is another identity crisis, but it’s not all bad. To make the mode more meaningful for those players who regularly drop cash on cosmetics and assorted gear, the multiplayer is essentially a nostalgic crucible with some much-needed tweaks.

All of the maps from 2009’s original Modern Warfare 2 have been recycled for this year’s Call of Duty, an admittedly meaty collection of 16 locations. These are good maps, make no mistake, but with nothing new to offer multiplayer veterans, the spark of excitement and danger that should come with a new release is sorely lacking.

On the plus side, Modern Warfare 3 does make some much-needed tweaks to how you’ll battle your fellow keyboard warriors. Overall, there’s a much snappier sense of speed and agility, thanks to thoughtful additions like slide canceling and adjusted tactical sprint timing. These might sound like small changes on paper, but in the Call of Duty metagame, they make for fast and furious matches in comparison to last year’s Modern Warfare 2.

More energetic and exhilarating, the overhauled movement systems gel beautifully with the fast-paced action that the franchise has become famous for over the decades. I’m also a big fan of a more traditional mini-map that pings unsuppressed gunfire, nuanced user interface systems that offer more on-the-fly informative, and an old-school perk system. Combined with all the typical game modes on offer, from Team Deathmatch to Ground War, Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer core is as strong as ever.

Simplified Gunsmith changes also removes the tedium from the PvP experience. Disappointingly, though, where Call of Duty takes a positive step forward it also takes an aggravating leap backward with its progression system. The multiplayer feels like an unnecessary grind, thanks mostly to the walls thrown up by the new Armory Unlocks system. Pretty much everything is gated behind this grindfest, from killstreaks to several weapons and lots more.

Making this roadblock even more confusing is the new “Carry Forward” programme that enables Modern Warfare 2 players to bring their premium cosmetics and operators with them into Modern Warfare 3. This allows them to invest further into this year’s multiplayer package.

It’s not a bad idea in practice, especially when you’re loathe to lose that Nicki Minaj bundle you paid a premium for, and this system also lets you bring in all your other unlocked weapons, cosmetics, and skins for good measure. But in execution? It creates a woefully unbalanced experience that’s rewarding for Modern Warfare veterans and incredibly unbalanced for new players who wind up in the crosshairs of longtime players wielding cutting-edge gear on the battlefield. If the multiplayer progression system was actually rewarding instead of punishing you might be able to negate that, but it isn’t.

And yet, despite it all, multiplayer is still a blast to play here. There’s a reason why Call of Duty remains the top dog in the competitive first-person shooter genre, even when the latest offering is stitched together with recycled ideas and grind-heavy progression. Post-launch content will undoubtedly elevate this year’s PvP component and there’s still plenty of fun to be had if you’re willing to overlook some glaring issues.

Released on 10 November, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out now for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and One consoles, and PC.


Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 review

A weak campaign and a half-baked Zombies mode don’t inspire much confidence in this year’s Call of Duty outing. The only saving grace here is a multiplayer section full of nostalgic highs that are regularly tripped up by startling grindfest lows.

5
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was reviewed on Xbox Series X|S