Another year, another Call of Duty. Sitting down to write this review feels a tad like deja vu from last year as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a continuation of the previous Modern Warfare (2019) and especially Modern Warfare 2 (2022). Sledgehammer Games have tried a new tactic in the continuation of the series - incorporating “Carry Forward” into MW3 which means that all of the weapons, camos and skins have carried into the new game from MW2 as well as the maps.



Many people have gone on record saying that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is in essence a DLC from Modern Warfare 2, especially since the development time was reportedly only 16 months. They have carried over weapons and operators - not just as content, but even your progression from the previous game. As far as content goes, the real winners here are those who skipped Modern Warfare 2 and waited for Modern Warfare 3 to be released. But does this qualify it to be seen as just a DLC? In my opinion, no.



Speaking strictly in terms of a multiplayer gamer, who doesn’t want a game series to be improved upon? When developers bring out an entirely new game, most players will be vocal about how they don’t like the new mechanics, there isn’t enough content, too few maps, too few operators - the list is extensive. Modern Warfare 3 still contains new weapons, new(ish) maps (albeit remakes of popular maps from older titles), new progressions and new mechanics, all while launching with improved versions of elements from the previous game. According to Sledgehammer Games, they purposefully designed Modern Warfare 3 to include all these features.

As someone who invests time and IRL money into the Battle Pass, operator skins (shoutout to my Skeletor skin here) and weapon packs because I want my pew-pew to be purple, I appreciate “Carry Forward” as it makes the investments from Modern Warfare 2 worthwhile for another year.

The Campaign



Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed by the campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Short play time aside (roughly about 5 hours), the Open Combat sections felt more like an introduction or tutorial for Warzone with a (slight) narrative element - and there are too many of them. Out of 14 missions in the campaign, 6 of them are Open Combat. In a way, the Open Combat felt a bit lazy - reusing multiplayer and Warzone assets and making players create their own story.

Short play time aside (roughly about 5 hours), the Open Combat sections felt more like an introduction or tutorial for Warzone with a (slight) narrative element.

The gameplay on missions go from 0-100 really fast if you don’t maintain the stealthy element, and because you take so much longer to get through a level when you’re trying to sneak around using recon drones to ping enemies, it felt to me like the developers were trying to extend the play time of missions without actually giving us more content. Personally, I love sniper missions like Recon By Fire in last year’s Modern Warfare 2.



But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still a “give ‘em hell” kind of player and I want variety in my missions for a campaign. Going in loud felt like it was designed to be a last resort when you failed at playing the mission like a super spy - and this meant you were met with the whole barrage of the enemy arsenal, including heavily armoured juggernauts and air support.

The way the story jumps back and forth between the present and the past had potential to add to the series’ narrative, but it felt a little disjointed at times - especially since it’s a reimagined story. The campaign is at times cinematically beautiful (not you, Open Combat missions), yet it felt like it lacks the impact of the campaigns in previous titles.

Zombies



Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies mode (or Operation Deadbolt) is now set on the upcoming Warzone map of Uzikstan, and this means it’s more open and has a co-operation element with other players who are on the same map. Much like the campaign mode, MW3 seems to be shoving us into the Warzone box. Realistically, it’s just DMZ with Zombies and the occasional NPC enemy soldiers who seem to have it out for you for some reason. The map is visually pleasing and well spaced out and you can choose if you want to go into the harder areas of the map with stronger zombies. The mechanics are similar to DMZ where you can have insured slots and contraband gear, yet pick up weapons and equipment on the map.

The fact that there are other players on the map means that you can request help from nearby players who aren’t in your squad and fight off hordes together with other teams if they choose to come to your aide. If you find yourself loading in without a team or having them quit on you, you can also request to join another team which proves super helpful when you’re flying solo. However, the downside to having it play this way is that there is a time limit on the match - it’s no longer a round-based mode where you just survive as long as you can. It feels like they rush you to do objectives and exfil, rather than pushing your limits as far as you can.

Much like the campaign mode, MW3 seems to be shoving us into the Warzone box. Realistically, it’s just DMZ with Zombies and the occasional NPC enemy soldiers who seem to have it out for you for some reason.

This is not traditional Zombies mode - And while this may work for players who prefer the Warzone gameplay mechanics, those who were looking for the old school Zombies gameplay will be left partially unsatisfied. Zombies is a fun way to spend a good hour and grab a bunch of XP, but if you’re new to Zombies, make sure that you take a friend with who understands the different elements as the game tends to throw you into the chaos without giving a lot of explanation on things that are crucial to your success (like pack-a-punching your weapons).

Multiplayer

Anyone who knows me will know that FPS games are my staple - most days you will catch me online in multiplayer or grinding it out in Ranked Play. Multiplayer on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a great improvement on last year’s game. The developers listened to the biggest concerns of the community and made changes that make sense.

The Good



Movement has been improved upon - adding the slide canceling back into the mix was a complete win from the team. The guns feel good (maybe some of them feel a little too good) and the attachment options are extensive. I actually wasn’t sure if I was going to include the vast number of attachments into the pros or the cons section, but I honestly think that it gives the player more options when it comes to the way they would like to play. Whether you are a zippy player who needs fast improvements or a slower, more precise player who values accuracy, you can build your loadout to the best one for you. It can be a little intimidating to start off with, but once you take the time to understand the attachments, it will make all the difference to your gameplay.

Time to Kill or TTK has been changed by increasing the player health from 100 in MW2 to 150 in MW3 - this means that players with skill are able to react before they die and sometimes avoid that last bullet damage by sliding out of the way, ducking behind cover, or getting the opportunity to “turn” on the enemy.



Weapons, gear, equipment and attachments are now locked behind not just a level progression system, but also behind doing daily missions. It might sound frustrating because you only receive 3 missions each day, but the developers have made it a little easier. After completing all 3 of your daily missions, you can still continue to unlock everything by winning matches.

Not only is this a good thing as it keeps players grinding each day to unlock more and more, but it is an incentive for your teammates to play together to get the wins rather than just sitting back and getting kills for their own personal gain rather than the collective good. As I stated earlier, I also play Zombies to be able to do unlocks, as when you exfil with something that was previously locked on your loadouts, it’s automatically unlocked. I am not sure if this is a glitch that will be patched with time, or intentional from the developers to get more people to play Zombies, but for the time being, it saves a lot of time (and you get generous XP for a round of Zombies which is a bonus).

The Bad



By far, I think the most upsetting component to multiplayer at the moment is the spawn system. Players are currently able to trade their own kills as the spawns are so broken that you can spawn right behind someone who just killed you. It got me thinking that maybe the use of old maps without reworking them might not have been the best move from the developers, as it’s clear that either the maps aren’t built for the faster gameplay or they weren’t built to deal with the game modes as they are now (especially Hardpoint and Control which are game modes that weren’t available in the original Modern Warfare 2 from 2009 where these maps come from). Once spawn issues are fixed, the game will play a lot better in multiplayer, as you will be able to command spawn points for your team to ensure victory and maximise team play.

It got me thinking that maybe the use of old maps without reworking them might not have been the best move from the developers, as it’s clear that either the maps aren’t built for the faster gameplay or they weren’t built to deal with the game modes as they are now.

Weapon balancing is always a controversial issue with Call of Duty games. It seems that the developers intentionally release overpowered or OP weapons to encourage players to grind harder to get to that deadly weapon or to get the attachments that make your preferred weapon stronger or faster. Normally, we should see these weapons get “nerfed” in upcoming updates, but as new weapons drop with updates and new Battle Passes, we will probably see new metas take their place. Visibility is also something that developers need to work on. Some of the operator skins (insert evil Groot skin here) are near impossible to see in certain circumstances which is why sometimes half of the players in your match look like dead trees.

Skill-Based Matchmaking is a topic on it’s own



Skill-Based Matchmaking or SBMM is an example of a good intention gone wrong. SBMM means that the game looks at your skill level and *in theory* should place players in matches with players of a similar skill level to yours. Developers intended to balance out lobbies so you don’t have one team struggling against a team with a much higher skill level. However, SBMM seems to be a bit on the heavy side in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Designed to keep gameplay competitive and improve player’s skill levels, it seems to be punishing players for doing well. SBMM also prioritises skill level above connection, which may work for regions with tons more players than the local South African community, sometimes you find yourself in a tough match with a poor connection to compensate for your skill level.

The concept of SBMM works for competitive arenas like Ranked Play, but when you add it to casual multiplayer, you end up with higher skilled players consistently in high pressure games, taking the fun out of the game and keeping you on your toes at all times. Not only does it take the casual play element out of the game, but it also makes it incredibly frustrating to grind for camos and do daily missions. It puts the pressure on you to perform all the time, using the same meta weapons each round to make sure you get the kills and ultimately the win.



Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is at first glance a copy-paste job from last year’s Modern Warfare 2. With the aesthetics being so similar, the content carrying over and the maps from 2009, you would be forgiven for thinking that the developers forgot to load the new game onto the servers before pressing launch. However, as far as improving on a series and giving the players the changes that they asked for goes, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have created an enticing way to carry your experience forward from the previous game.

There are still some major improvements that I would like to see that would have given the game a better rating, such as unique maps being released and on the gameplay side the spawns and balancing the SBMM. There were some elements that missed the mark such as the campaign and Zombies mode, but overall, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a good multiplayer FPS game with strong promise… it’s not THAT bad.

*PS5 Review code provided by Activision | Reviewed by Sheree Buchholz