Here starts a new series of articles called “In Defense Of”, which will attempt to address some of the negative accusations leveled at a host of popular things. Modern Warfare 3 (released on November 8th last year) seems like as good a place to start as any, because there are millions of people playing it even right now.
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I N D E F E N S E O F
–==Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3==–
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The Case Against:
The Call of Duty franchise is growing stale and Modern Warfare 3 is a glaring example of this. Every year the series repackages the same game and calls it a new one, expecting everyone to buy it anyway. Putting the disc into your console or PC will give you exactly the same experience as you got from Modern Warfare 2. The game is terrible and no-one should play it. Battlefield 3 is better in every way.
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Indeed.
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The Defense:
It’s amazing how little time can elapse before a popular videogame franchise becomes ‘cool’ to hate on. But it’s simply astounding that such a franchise can attract as much bashing as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 does and still sell so ridiculously well as to become the highest selling entertainment media property of all time. That’s ultimately the bottom line when it comes to the latest COD: Its sheer sales numbers tell the best story of its enduring quality. No extra argument needed.
But extra argument I will give.
First up, that Battlefield 3 comparison. DICE’s rival military shooter tends to come up in almost any converstion about the quality of the Call of Duty series. The general consensus is that it is very, very good. Yet deeming something ‘good’ does not immediately diminish the quality of any rival it might have by default. That’s just logic.
Really? ... I mean... Really?
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Battlefield 3‘s competitive multiplayer (the heart of the experience it offers, the same of which could be said of MW3) is generally a tactical affair that unfolds at a much slower pace, though on a much larger scale, than COD’s. While the former’s team focus is the preference of many gamers, it isn’t for everyone. Sometimes you just want a lightning fast thrill-a-minute shooter that tests your reflexes and rewards skill quickly. Modern Warfare 3 will give you that.
When it comes to the ample accusations of not alterng the Call of Duty experience at all, it pays to remember that Modern Warfare 3 does in fact feature a number of changes that may seem small at first, but ultimately prove to be anything but. The free Call of Duty Elite stat-tracking and clan management service taps into the immense player base extremely effectively, heightening the comptetitive edge at the centre of the series’ insane popularity. The redesigned killstreak reward system legitimises supporting roles in a team more than ever, effectively opening the game up for a whole new type of player to enjoy (e.g. me). Excellent new modes like Kill Confirmed and especially Drop Zone sprint away from BF3‘s strengths and turn COD’s unrelenting pace up to eleven, providing memories you won’t find anywhere else.
Drop Zone. It's insane.
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As for the unchanging core mechanics, I find myself struggling to think of why that’s a bad thing. Industry-leading tight gunplay and an addictive level-up system remain the very reasons why Call of Duty continues to excel as a multiplayer tour de force. If you are bored with this, don’t buy the game and vocally hate on it as you waste hours playing it anyway. Buy a different game. It really is that simple.
I never play more than the first level or so of a Call of Duty single player campaign, so I can’t comment on that. I know I’m not alone in this behaviour though. MW3 does feature a highly polished co-operative Spec Ops mode and it is awesome. Seriously, if you own the game and have neglected that part of the disc, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
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D E F E N D E D
Vagrant Rant 