Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – review roundup

After what has felt like a long, long wait Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is finally here, and the games press is unanimous for its praise.

Infinity Ward may have changed, but its standards haven’t, delivering a consistent 60fps, zero controller latency, explosive set-pieces, robust multiplayer and military characters you actually give a damn about,” Edge wrote in its 9/10 review.

WhereverCall Of Dutygoes from here, Infinity Ward’sModern Warfaretrilogy stands as this generation’s defining FPS series – andModern Warfare 3is an emphatic, feature-packed and sometimes stunning final act.”

The Guardian awarded the title top marks of 5/5, stating: Modern Warfare is, in its third incarnation, what it has always been – a rampaging shooter with a moral compass so bent out of shape, your head spins at the madness of it all. Yet really, if you want to ask questions about the morality of war as entertainment, you should perhaps begin your quest with Homer or even chess. This game isn’t for you. It never was, and it never will be.”

Eurogamer was marginally less enthused with its 8/10, concluding: That the single-player story brings the Modern Warfare saga to a fairly definitive end is, then, cause for celebration. Whatever next year’s entry brings, some measure of reinvention will be essential.

For now, its exuberant blend of testicular bravado and blockbuster gloss ensures that Call of Duty retains its crown as the shooter genre’s biggest, boldest rollercoaster ride for at least one more year.”

Videogamer gave the game a 9/10, saying: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t do anything new, but it also doesn’t do anything wrong. For better or worse, this is a slick and well-metered trio of modes that make an entertaining package, but Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward are simply looking to augment previous games rather than expand the series into pastures new.

Modern Warfare 3 is another beat in the colossally successful rhythm Activision has mastered, but what this year’s game lacks in imagination it makes up for in quality.”

And CVG, while scoring it 9/10, did have caveats: The IW engine isn’t Captain Price, seemingly impervious to the passing of time. Keep on ignoring Frostbite and you’ll end up losing digits – off your sales. But such is the bluster of Call of Duty that these matters can be put on hold, at least for the next two years.

We can get back to enjoying what wedohave – more of the Call of Duty that so dazzled in 2007. Counterbalancing a bold, brash campaign with marginally more thoughtful online options is a nice touch – not that the legions of fans need convincing. To them, Modern Warfare 3 offers the best seat in the house: the one in front of the telly.”