Get ready soldiers. We've got another modern warfare on our hands.

     What would our year be without another Call of Duty game? Angry prepubescent children would be even angrier because they wouldn't have a fresh new CoD game as a platform to scream racist and annoying things at other online gamers. Thankfully we don't have to wonder about that. The good people at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have given us the gift of Modern Warfare 3. Fans of the series will find that Modern Warfare 3 doesn't stray far from its predecessors in terms of the single player campaign or multiplayer. However, there are a few new additions that keep things fresh and players coming back for more.

     Just like the other games in the series, Modern Warfare 3's campaign is minute to minute action. There are very few "down" times. This is the type of game that Michael Bay would be proud of. There's always firefights, explosions, car chases, tanks, and helicopters to fill that action loving heart of yours. The story takes place right after the events of Modern Warfare 2 (naturally) and does a fairly good job wrapping things up. I did notice that the campaign still suffers from the "infinite number" of enemies that constantly respawn and emerge from behind cover. This isn't a terrible thing, but it does get a little old at times. I finished the campaign on hardened difficulty in just under eight hours. If you're a real treasure hunter you can always spend more time trying to find all 46 pieces of enemy intel that is hidden in each level.

     The game is still running on the same engine but that's not a bad thing. While MW3 is not the best looking game out there, it still looks good. Comparing it to last year's Call of Duty Black Ops, I thought MW3 looks a little more polished and crisp. The attention to detail on the weapons is worth noting, as well as the great lighting effects on weapons, characters, and the environment. The sound is really good too. Each weapon has its unique sound and hearing explosions, vehicles, and bullets whiz by your head bring you into the combat even more. The controls feel very responsive and handle quite well. Again, if you're a fan of the series you will feel right at home.

     Now, let's get to the real reason why you're playing this game...the multiplayer! No other first person shooter has been able to achieve the online multiplayer success like the Call of Duty games. The majority of what makes these games so great in the multiplayer department remains the same. You still level up to earn killstreaks, perks, weapons, attachments, and other things. There are a few new things though. For example, weapons themselves now level up to earn "weapon proficiencies" like reduced recoil, extra attachments, and other weapon perks. You can also choose between assault or support killstreak reward packages. If you're the kind of player who loves to check your kill/death ratio or gets huge kill streaks, you would be more suited for the assault package. If you're not that type of player then you'd be better off with the support package.

     There's also a new multiplayer mode called "Kill Confirm." This plays out somewhat like team deathmatch, but there's a twist. Whenever you kill an enemy player a pair of dog tags will appear above their body. So to earn points for your team you not only have to kill an enemy player, but also collect the dog tags. You can also deny a kill for the opposite team by stealing the dog tags from their kills. This is a great new mode that really relies on team work and planning. Another new addition called Survival Mode puts two players against waves of enemies in different maps. Also, the cooperative Spec Ops mode has returned and I for one am glad to see it back.     

     The final big addition to the franchise is Call of Duty Elite. Basically this service takes all your multiplayer stats (kill/death ratio, weapon effectiveness, etc.) and puts it into a fancy layout. It's just like what Bungie.net and Halo Waypoint does for the Halo players. You can use many functions of this service for free, or pay $50.00 for a yearly membership to gain access to some more advanced features. Paying members of Elite will also get any downloadable content included in their membership. It's not the most amazing thing, but people who are into stats, clan matches, and other in depth strategies will really like it.

     Modern Warfare 3 is nothing short of a great game. It's the game people either love, hate, or just love to hate. No matter where you stand on this series you can't deny it is a monster of a game. I mean, it sold over 9 million copies on the first day it was released, and made $1 billion worldwide in just 16 days! What other game can say that?! The single player campaign delivers a great action experience. The multiplayer (with its 16 maps) is still awesome and will still have you playing it for another year and beyond. New modes and the Call of Duty Elite service will add just enough freshness to the game to make it stand out. You're probably already playing this game right now, but if you haven't go try it out. See you on the battlefield. I'm off to go prestige!

Final Verdict: 10/10

Written by: Alter Ego 83