Does Modern Warfare 3 Answer the Call?

Call of Duty is like the Tim Tebow of the gaming world. It seems like people either love it or hate it, with little middle ground. However, there is no denying its popularity. Quite simply, the Call of Duty franchise is a juggernaut. Modern Warfare 2 is one of the highest-selling games in history and easily one of the most popular and addictive multiplayer games ever made. The latest installment in the franchise, Modern Warfare 3, was released this past Tuesday.

Despite the franchise’s popularity, there was a cloud of concern hanging over Modern Warfare 3. Infinity Ward, creator of the Call of Duty franchise and developer of Call of Duty 2, Modern Warfare, and Modern Warfare 2, suffered a severe shakeup as studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella were fired by Activision, leading to the resignation of roughly half of the studio’s employees and a barrage of lawsuits.

Between the chinks in Call of Duty’s armor and the arrival of the heralded Battlefield 3, would this be the day when Activision cedes supremacy?

No.

Modern Warfare 3 is an outstanding game that is a blast to play. It is the best Call of Duty game yet and a worthy successor to its predecessors. Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games should be proud of what they have created. It retains the quintessential Call of Duty experience while improving on the previous game’s flaws. It is not a grand departure at all from previous Modern Warfare titles, but considering the success of the series, why mess with a good thing?

Campaign

Modern Warfare 3 is by no means perfect, but it has no significant issues. The single-player campaign takes the player all over the globe to places like New York, London, Germany, Paris, Africa, and Asia. The wide range of environments and settings help keep things fresh, and the developers did a fantastic job with detail. The missions have some variety but nothing quite like the sniper mission in the first Modern Warfare. Like the two games before it, Modern Warfare 3 features its share of over-the-top set-pieces. While they may be unrealistic, they certainly are intense and add to the overall chaotic, mile-a-minute pace of the game.

Whether it’s a war-torn city filled with rubble or a shantytown in an African jungle, the game looks great and runs smoothly. The voice-acting is good, and the controls are pretty much unchanged. Some new weapons have been added as well as new attachments. My personal favorite is the hybrid scope, which allows you to switch between a close-in red dot sight and a longer range ACOG or sniper scope. It definitely gives the player some flexibility in choosing his or her weapons.

The AI also seems to be improved. Your AI teammates do seem to be of more use than they were in the past. Perhaps my biggest gripe with previous Call of Duty games was the never-ending supply of enemies that would continuously appear until you reached some invisible point in the level. It was highly-irritating and quite frustrating at times, especially in the first Modern Warfare, but that problem seems to have been mitigated in Modern Warfare 3. Granted, I have so far only beaten the campaign on Hardened and have yet to try Veteran, but this does not appear to be quite the problem it was in the past. My other big gripe in the past was how enemies always knew exactly where you were. It seemed most prevalent on Veteran, though, so I cannot yet comment on if that remains an issue.

The campaign features 16 missions and probably takes anywhere from 8-10 hours to beat. It is a lot of fun and lets the player experience a multitude of environments, characters, and forces. My only quibbles with it were plot and realism, and they do not detract all that much from the overall enjoyment of the campaign.

*SPOILER ALERT* At one point, you are tasked with infiltrating a Russian submarine and using its missiles against the Russian fleet. You then escape via Zodiac, racing through the exploding chaos of the Russian fleet. That scenario is highly unlikely, but it is fun and pretty damn cool. Another example is that the game starts in New York, where the Russians have attacked. In reality, a surprise attack culminating in Russian forces landing in enough strength to occupy New York and Washington DC (from Modern Warfare 2) is impossible. There is no way a force that size could escape detection crossing the Atlantic. Further, after the level in New York, you go to Paris and then Germany. How could the Russians be fighting in the heart of France before they had conquered Germany? Finally, there is a level that takes place on board a plane against hijackers. It’s a fun level, but realistically, there is no way that many hijackers, carrying that much firepower, could board the plane without being noticed.*END SPOILERS*

Like I said, though, those quibbles are minor and did not take away from my enjoyment of the campaign at all. Out of all the Call of Duty titles, Modern Warfare 3’s campaign was the one I enjoyed the most.

Multiplayer

Modern Warfare 3 has a lot to live up to. Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most popular and successful titles in history, and its multiplayer was a big reason why. Luckily, Modern Warfare 3 is up to the task. It even surpasses the standard set by Modern Warfare 2.

Modern Warfare 3 still has the same frenetic, fast-paced style of play from other Call of Duty games. Anyone familiar with online multiplayer from the previous titles will feel right at home with this one. It is much more similar to Modern Warfare 2 than Black Ops, so no wager matches or buying weapons and upgrades. Players still earn XP to level up and earn new weapons, perks, and killstreaks, but there have been some changes. One of these changes is Weapon Proficiency. Basically, you can now level up your weapons the same way you level up yourself. You can choose from different proficiencies to suit your style of play. For example, you can the Kick Proficiency to your gun to reduce recoil or the Focus Proficiency to reduce how much you flinch when you are hit by enemy fire.

Proficiencies are not attachments. In fact, one proficiency allows you to have two attachments on your weapon. Also, attachments are now unlocked the same way perks and weapons are: when you reach a certain weapon level, you unlock a corresponding attachment. You also unlock weapon camouflage and reticle designs this way.

Another big change, perhaps the biggest, involves killstreaks. They are now called “strike packages,” and there are three forms to choose from. The Assault package is pretty much the same system as in previous titles. The Support package is generally not as offensive; instead of a Predator strike or attack helicopter, you can call in a SAM turret or ballistic vests that your teammates can equip for better protection. Also, Support streaks don’t end when you are killed. Let me explain: if you want to call in Predator missile strike, you need to get five kills in one life without dying. If you don’t reach five before you are killed, your counter resets to zero. If you have chosen to use a Support package, dying doesn’t matter. Your killstreak counter isn’t reset. To call in a SAM turret, you can get three kills, die, and then get two more and still be able to call it in. Specialist packages reward you with perks rather than items. I have not used them yet, but the gist is that if you get say three kills, you are rewarded with the Recon or Assassin perk rather than a UAV, for instance.

The multiplayer seems more balanced, too. I have yet to encounter some yahoo running around with dual shotguns, and the Marathon/Lightweight/Commando annoyance is a thing of the past. Also, it is easier to shoot down aircraft. I have not experienced all of the killstreaks yet, so there may be something that is overpowered, but so far the game seems a lot more balanced.

Prestige mode has been retained, albeit with some minor changes like the Prestige Shop. There are 16 multiplayer maps, and they offer a wide variety of settings and environments that suit any number of different play styles. There are a number of cool maps that can be played in a variety of different ways.

My favorite change has been the addition of Kill Confirmed. It’s Team Deathmatch but with a twist: whenever someone is killed, he or she drops a set of giant, glowing dog tags. In order to score, you must grab the dog tags of fallen opponents to confirm the kill, hence the name. You can also recover your comrades’ dog tags to prevent the other team from scoring, so it really encourages teamwork.

The cooperative Spec Ops challenge mode from Modern Warfare 2 returns and has been beefed up, and a new mode called Survival has been added. It is reminiscent of Gears of War 3’s Horde mode where you defend against waves of attacking enemies, although they are not zombies. You can purchase defenses and weapons

Conclusion

Modern Warfare 3 is a great game that is certain to be one of this year’s big hits. Featuring a fun and intense single-player campaign, cooperative Specs Ops challenges, and the robust online multiplayer experience that Modern Warfare games are known for, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a must-have for first-person shooter aficionados. It doesn’t break any new ground but rather adds on to what was already a solid foundation.

A Way to Avoid Straining Your Wallet this Fall

This past Tuesday, gamers rejoiced at the release of the eagerly-anticipated Battlefield 3. Its release marked the beginning of the fall frenzy as a plethora of much-anticipated games like Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, Halo Anniversary, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, and Skyrim are all slated to come out in the coming weeks.

Most gamers are looking to purchase several of these titles, and that can quickly add up and take a toll on the ol’ wallet, especially in the current economic climate.

One way to gain some relief is through trade-in programs. GameStop/EB Games has been doing this for years, but Best Buy has recently joined the fray and started its own trade-in program. If you have yet to check it out, I suggest you do so.

I have rarely traded in my old games. It seems like a betrayal to me, for some reason. On the rare occasions I did undertake such an endeavor, I went to the local EB Games and generally received very little. Now, that is not a knock on EB Games at all. The games I traded in were old and not in demand, and they just were not worth much.

The other night I went to the nearest Best Buy to check out their trade-in program and turn in some of my old games. I am running out of room on my shelf and figured I could part with a few games that just never really caught my fancy *cough*HAWX 2*cough* or that I had beaten and do not play anymore.

I brought in four games: Mirror’s Edge, The Bourne Conspiracy, Red Dead Redemption, and the aforementioned lamentable entity known as HAWX 2. Red Dead Redemption was the most notable of the quartet, and HAWX 2 was the newest, having been released in September of last year.

I was not expecting to get much for these games, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was informed that they were worth $31. What’s more, Best Buy is running some promotions for trade-ins. If you pre-order a game, you will receive an extra percentage amount on top of the value of your trade. Since I pre-ordered Modern Warfare 3, I received an extra 50 percent, meaning Best Buy was giving me an extra $15.50.

All told, I received a Best Buy gift card worth $46.50 for my four games, only one of which was a AAA title (and a year-and-a-half-old one at that). That amount is considerably higher than what I thought I would get, and it is almost the price of a new game.

Plus, the credit you earn does not have to be applied solely towards games. It can be used on anything Best Buy sells.

If you want to knock down the price of a new flat screen or perhaps that Dyson Ball vacuum you have had your eye on for quite some time, then take a gander at your game collection and turn in a few games that have been collecting dust.

Brothers to the End

Okay, so my Rocky Mountain Showdown pick didn't exactly pan out. The Rams suffered a 28-14 defeat to the Buffs. A botched block punt (I still can't believe that a blocking a punt could be a game-changer... for the other team. Ugh.) by the Rams led to a CU touchdown that really changed the complexion of the game. Dumb penalties and an inability to get off the field on third-and-long doomed the Rams. They did bounce back last week with a 35-34 win in double-overtime against the Aggies of Utah State and are now 3-1 heading into this weekend's game against San Jose State.

Anyway, back to the main topic here: Gears of War 3. The third entry in Epic Games' hit franchise for the Xbox 360 was released last week with great success, selling over 3 million copies, but is it any good? The answer: yes, yes it is.

Gears of War 3 takes place about 18 months after the events of Gears of War 2. That game ended with the last human stronghold, Jacinto, being collapsed into the Locust Hollow, stopping the enemy advance in a flood of water but leaving the remaining human survivors stranded at sea. A new enemy was revealed: the Lambent.

The campaign in Gears of War 3 is the best to date. Written by author Karen Traviss, the Gears 3 story is the most seamless of the three and has quite a bit of an emotional impact. It's a story of survival; with their leaders having abandoned them, the surviving humans scrounge for whatever they can find, trying to persist for another day in the face of the Lambent onslaught. Without giving too much of the story away, Marcus Fenix and the members of Delta Squad discover that Marcus' father is still alive and may hold the key to humanity's survival.

As I mentioned earlier, Gears of War 3 has more of an emotional impact than the previous games. The settings and artwork really convey this. The towns and cities are largely abandoned and destroyed with rubble and rusted, abandoned vehicles strewn about the streets. The Stranded shantytowns really add to the desperate feel, and you are forced to scrounge for whatever ammo you can find at times.

The level set in the city of Char was the most haunting, impactful experience in Gears 3. Char was devastated during the Hammer of Dawn strikes early on in the Locust-Human conflict, and the designers at Epic did a phenomenal job driving that feeling home. The city has a post-apocalyptic feel, but most striking were the ashen remains of its citizens, frozen in time like the Romans at Pompeii. It's quite sobering and one of the most emotionally-powerful scenes I've ever witnessed in a game.

This is certainly the most tightly-written and most-developed story of the trilogy, but I did have some minor quibbles with it. First, past events are alluded to without explanation or fleshing out, and they weren't events from the previous games. My hunch is that they are from the Gears of War novels, which were also written by Karen Traviss. While I find it pretty cool that they might be integrating the books into the overall storylines of the games, I do wish they had explained those story references more in the game for those players who haven't read the novels. That might not matter to many players, but for those who do enjoy a game's story, it is an annoyance.

Story quibbles aside, playing the game itself is a lot of fun. The control scheme and gameplay are good. The cover system works well, and there is a wide variety of weapons at your disposal. The voice-acting and dialogue's nothing to complain about, and the wide range of environment keeps the game from looking repetitive. The game is visually arresting, with the dark, gritty, forlorn look of the ruined cities contrasting with the rich opulence of Azura. It was nice to be able to see and explore more of the world of Sera.

The multiplayer component is the component that separates Gears of War 3 the most from its predecessors, however. Gears of War and Gears of War 2 were plagued with multiplayer issues and problems. They just did not run as smoothly as other games such as Halo and Call of Duty. I'm an avid online gamer, and these problems really turned me off to playing Gears online. I barely played either of them online. I have yet to really play Gears of War 3 online, but I did heavily participate in its multiplayer beta this year, and I can safely say that it got me hooked. The big problems seem to be a thing of the past. Gears of War 3 is a fun game to play online. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I quickly found myself holding my own more often than not, which was a far cry from my online forays in the earlier games. There are some annoying tactics, such as the shotgun roll (roll at a guy then blast him with a shotgun), but they don't overpower the game like similar strategies in other games like Call of Duty, for example. Besides the typical online offerings, Gears of War 3 brings back the popular Horde mode from Gears of War 2, where players team up to hold out against waves of attacking enemies. Gears of War 3 ups the ante with Beast mode, where players control Locust units and try and defeat computer-controlled Human soldiers.

I must mention that this is definitely a mature game. While players are able to turn off the blood, Gears of War is a violent game that is not suitable for young children. The famed chainsaw bayonet on the Lancer assault rifle is back, allowing players to saw enemies in half. Each weapon has its own gruesome execution, and players and enemies alike can literally be blown apart.

In the end, Gears of War 3 is nothing revolutionary or ground-breaking. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Epic chose to make small refinements on its ultra-successful franchise. It will feel familiar to those who have played either of the first two installments in the franchise, but that's a good thing. The original Gears of War was a great game, and Gears of War 3 is that much better. Boasting great graphics, superb gameplay, a well-crafted story, and a much-improved multiplayer suite, Gears of War 3 is a must-have for any hardcore first-person shooter aficionado.