Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – In this game, a character boldly declares, “There are three things no one can escape from: death, taxes, and me.” In a similar fashion, every year brings with it a new installment of Call of Duty. The Modern Warfare franchise, a reimagining of the Xbox 360/PS3 generation’s successes, has earned both audience and critical acclaim. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III dramatically diverges from its predecessors. What leads this title to such spectacular failure? 

A Mined Narrative

The menacing Russian ultra-nationalist terrorist, Vladimir Makarov, has returned to his old ways, commanding an army of ruthless mercenaries who blindly follow his cause. Squadron 141, led by Captain Price, stands ready to thwart him. Can they outmaneuver his plans? 

Let’s be clear: Call of Duty narratives won’t be winning Nobel Prizes in Literature anytime soon. They are essentially parades of spectacular action sequences that traverse the globe, with gunfire aplenty. Nevertheless, the two previous installments touched on sensitive topics (terrorism and drug trafficking), injecting a modicum of seriousness into the customary explosions. In this regard, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III fails to provoke any meaningful conflict or reflection. While a couple of intense scenes revolve around terrorism, there’s never a genuine motive behind them beyond ‘Makarov is very bad.’ Supposedly, his plan is to restore the glory of Mother Russia, yet the game never explains how his actions achieve this or why people follow him. We’re not seeking an exposition on International Law, but at least something that makes sense within this fictional universe. 

Another serious flaw of this storyline is its laughably brief duration: a mere 5 to 7 hours. We literally completed this game over a weekend, without even marathon gaming sessions –just a couple of hours before bedtime. Any dedicated player will finish it in a single afternoon, left wanting more. Previous entries didn’t offer significantly more hours either, but they at least reached the double-digit mark. 

Adding to these flaws is a plot twist that will infuriate many players who have closely followed the Modern Warfare series. We won’t spoil it, but rest assured, it occurs abruptly, crudely, and deceptively. Don’t worry; it won’t take you long to uncover. 

Gameplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

If you’ve played Call of Duty before, you know what to expect: linear maps with high-budget action sequences and meticulously planned shootouts. Or so we thought. Suddenly, we encounter a new kind of mission: open-world levels. These missions present various objectives that players can choose to tackle in any order. On paper, this sounds like an excellent idea to breathe fresh life into the campaign. In practice, they are disastrous. 

The basic concept is simple: multiple objectives, player’s choice of order, but dying while pursuing them means starting from scratch. It’s a continuous exercise in frustration that artificially prolongs the length of these levels. Moreover, inexplicably, they play like they belong to Warzone. This is Call of Duty’s Battle Royale mode that has gained popularity in recent years. Players must scavenge for armor, weapons, and resources. While most of these missions are supposed to be stealthy, it’s impossible to remain stealthy when an enemy 800km away can spot you and trigger the alarm. This aspect is particularly frustrating with poor difficulty balancing. 

What stings most about all this is that the levels played in the traditional Call of Duty style have a far more significant impact. They may be linear, but they allow for more controlled pacing, reasonable checkpoints, and spectacular action scenes. They are so good that when you realize your next mission is an open-world one, you’ll likely exclaim in frustration due to the aggravation it generates. There were moments when, knowing we had to do open-world missions, we turned off the console and resumed the next day. It’s a fact that this drives away any COD player. 

Graphics & Sound

The customary production values remain intact –impressive game engine, scenes that are both technically and artistically breathtaking. It looks like a game with the budget of a small nation’s GDP. Similarly, the sound and its soundtrack are of the highest quality and impact. There’s just one issue: the 30 frames per second cutscenes don’t harmonize well with the 60 frames per second gameplay on the Xbox Series X version. 

Conclusion

This is one of the most mediocre campaigns since Call of Duty: Ghosts. Its duration is simply insufficient for anyone. The story is predictable and poorly executed. The open-world elements promised but ultimately failed. While there are bright spots within this title, unfortunately, they’re insufficient to redeem it.

Rating: 5 

About the Firm – Rolando Vera

Journalist, content creator, illustrator, and international video game retail expert. Contributor to Meristation and Los 40 Mexico since 2017, reviewing gadgets and video games, and creating streaming content. He has been part of the teams at Publimetro, IGN Latinoamerica, and Bitme on Televisa. In his commercial experience, he has worked with companies like GameStop, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart in three countries (Mexico, USA, and Canada).

Vera is also a market analyst for the video game segment in international reports such as Circana (formerly NPD) in the USA and Canada, GFK in the UK, and Games Sales Data in France. He currently holds the position of National Account Manager for Mexico and Latin America at the video game accessory company Performance Designed Products. His previous work experiences were in Planning, Purchasing, Marketing, and Production at Walmart de Mexico and Central America, Danone, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble.