Wednesday, November 14, 2012

GameLight Review - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Official Site: http://www.callofduty.com/mw3
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY

Developer: Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games
 *Additional work by: Raven Software, Treyarch (Wii version), Neversoft
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PC, [Playstation 3], Xbox 360, Wii
Release Date: November 8, 2011
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Pros:
+ Great campaign mode with a compelling story and exciting gameplay
+ Significant improvement in Audio from its predecessors
+ Spec Ops is a great co-op mode to play when a friend's over
+ Multiplayer's redesigned level-up system rewards practice on a single weapon
+ Online gameplay still allows 2-player split-screen co-op

Cons:
- The ending of this trilogy will either satisfy fans or infuriate them
- Spec Ops can get really repetitive for some people
- You die faster than ever in online multiplayer

Recommended: Depends, a lot of people buy it for the multiplayer and its community might drop quite a bit since Black Ops 2 came out yesterday.

If you're unfamiliar with the Call of Duty franchise, the game consists of a lot of fire-fights, quick-time events, some crazy scripted scenes, and a lot of killing/dying if you're playing online multiplayer.  What sets each iteration apart is the little changes here and there that makes them special.  In the case of Modern Warfare 3, the campaign is probably the most involving, epic battle of the whole series while multiplayer provides a nice change in leveling mechanics.  I wanted to boycott this game because of the conflict between the original developers and Activision, but I ended up getting the game and was surprised of how great the game turned out.  There were things I liked and disliked about the campaign, but I felt it was a pretty solid experience.  Multiplayer still doesn't capture the charm and memories of Modern Warfare 2, but it still turned out to be different and a lot of fun.  Even though MW3 gave me high hopes, I'm still weary about getting Black Ops 2 at the moment.

Aesthetics
Art Style: Realistic 3D
+ The graphics are notably better, even though it seems to mirror MW2 a lot
+ Scripted-scenes were breath-taking and very exciting
+ Lots of beautiful landscapes and all very detailed
+ Significant improvement in the sounds of the gun-fire
+ Even better motion-captured animations

- Why do the enemies have to blend so well with the environment? D:
Aesthetics: 9/10

Buttons
Controller: Respective gamepads for PS3/Xbox 360; Wii-mote & Nunchuck for Wii; Keyboard and mouse for PC
+ As expected, the controls are tight, responsive, and faster than ever
+ Key layout is the same: familiar and comfortable
+ User-interface is familiar with very little changes, easy to navigate menu
Buttons: 8/10

Concept & Content
Core Concept:
 *For Campaign: Kill enemies, move to next scene, repeat
 *For Spec Ops: Survive as long as possible
 *For Multiplayer: Fulfill the most points through killing, capturing points, etc.
+ A very large scale virtual involvement for the ending of the trilogy
+ Story was compelling, but the gameplay was also exciting
+ Level designs weren't only effective in gameplay, but beautiful in Aesthetics
+ Some rather memorable characters and scenes throughout campaign
+ Spec Ops satisfies the urge to kill waves of enemies
+ It's a good game to play cooperatively, be it against AIs or players online
+ I really like the level system for weapons and items, incentive to try new items
+ Tango Down mode is a nice addition to online multiplayer involving teamwork

- Multiplayer maps still aren't as fun as the ones in Modern Warfare 2
- The ending for the trilogy is kind of empty and some might not like it
- DLCs prices equal to, or more than, the game itself
- You die significantly faster in multiplayer than previous CoD games, meaning who sees who first will have an even bigger advantage than before
- There are still odd problems with lag in multiplayer and odd glitches such as being able to knife players 10 feet away
Concept & Content: 8/10

Duration
+ Campaign is a bit slow paced in the beginning but picks up and moves quickly
+ Campaign was at a decent length, but the ending did kind of come up abruptly
+ Spec Ops and Online multiplayer adds a multitude of replay value to the game
+ The new leveling up system is a good incentive to keep playing with a certain set of weapons and equipment

-As fun as campaign was, it's not something I'd replay like MW1&2
Duration: 8/10

Fun
+ Campaign was quite the experience and I'm glad to see the story conclude
+ Spec Ops was a surprising addition to the game and eats a lot of time
+ Multiplayer turned out to be pretty fun with the new items and leveling system
+ I like the new support build available for multiplayer, it suits me
+ The environments were really beautiful, I think it added to the experience
+ Audio was a vast improvement as gun-fire sounded more powerful

- Why do DLCs have to be so expensive?
- Multiplayer is fun, but I still like the multiplayer in MW2 a lot more
- I feel like a bigger n00b than ever at the rate of deaths I have
Fun: 8/10

Overall
I really liked how Modern Warfare 3 turned out, especially after the previous year of playing Black Ops (that one disappointed me).  The campaign's story was interesting without sacrificing gameplay.  Spec Ops allowed me to still play the game with friends who didn't want to play online.  Multiplayer is more challenging than ever and changes some things around to cater to more than one playstyle in the community.  It might be a bit more difficult to recommend the game now if what the player is looking for is Online multiplayer since the community might have died down quite a bit with the release of Black Ops 2 yesterday.  Still, it's worth borrowing from a friend or renting out for the campaign and Spec Ops.  Overall: 8.2/10

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