User Score
3.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5387 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Nov 11, 2011
    8
    Like everyone else is saying, yes this game is very similar to the previous modern warfare titles. But the developers even said this game was going to pick up exactly where Mw2 left off. with that being said, of course the game is going to be very similar. they aren't going to completely change the foundation of the game that is directly based off of MW2's ending. i agree, the multiplayerLike everyone else is saying, yes this game is very similar to the previous modern warfare titles. But the developers even said this game was going to pick up exactly where Mw2 left off. with that being said, of course the game is going to be very similar. they aren't going to completely change the foundation of the game that is directly based off of MW2's ending. i agree, the multiplayer is extremely similar but that was expected. their choice to base it off a previous game really limited their ability to expand. the only complaint i would put on this game is the maps. they are extremely compact and encourages the close quarter combat. there is no real maps that promote sniping and long range engagements. the developers said they wanted to encourage more gun on gun action instead of the camp and get a chopper gunner play style. they succeeded in this but i think they tried a little bit to hard. overall it's still a great game and successfully followed up Mw2's story line. i think people just expected way to much change in this game. Expand
  2. Nov 11, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Best "Modern Warfare".. it have the final conclusion to the whole series (MW)...
    Any Creature should Try this game! Ignore all those negative Reviews & Scores.
    We believe -CoD Fans- that most of the negative reviews, were done by those BF Fans.
    OR People who "loved" the Characters will never see them again. This is STUPIDITY. It is not a sequel to "Call of Duty" Generally, but to "Modern Warfare" series.. The graphics are GREAT.. But BattleFAILED's new Engine -Frostbite 2- made it a bad Graphically game?
    Robert Bowling said this "We have no time to create a new engine to fit the game.. so we have to work on the previous one" We will be insane people if we compared MW3's -or any Modern Warfare's"- campaign to BF3 -or any BF-... Self-evident MW win.. but we can stil compare the "Graphics" which make Battlefailed 3 "a good" game.
    We can compare their Multiplaye Mod as well.. they both have excellent multiplayer.. BUT.. there's no Spec OPS in BF3.. so Battlefailed "3" beats MW3 because of the Graphics.. That's **** !!!!
    **** strongly Recommends this game to any creature in the whole wide world to play this game.
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  3. Nov 12, 2011
    10
    This game is very similar to MW2. Of course its similar to MW2 as the same designers made this game! The Special Operations Mode is the most enjoyable out of the three modes for me. Call of Duty will always be ripe with young children online so I tend to stay offline when I play this game. Without spoiling the campaign for those who have not played, this game finishes the story asThis game is very similar to MW2. Of course its similar to MW2 as the same designers made this game! The Special Operations Mode is the most enjoyable out of the three modes for me. Call of Duty will always be ripe with young children online so I tend to stay offline when I play this game. Without spoiling the campaign for those who have not played, this game finishes the story as depicted in MW2. I've played every Call of Duty game since it was created to compete with Medal of Honor in the WWII days. Not many people remember those days as most gamers who play these games are technically too young to play them. The score on this website is being abused. This game is solid and the franchise is successful for a reason. FPS in general are very hard to "innovate" so everyone quit your whining. They're all very similar! Expand
  4. Nov 12, 2011
    9
    Battlefied 3 was my main concern this year, but out of the blue I was hooked on COD:MW3. While I am still very much in love with how fresh BF3 has been I can not ignore the value for dollar and refinment of COD:MW3. First of is the single player which is the shortest one yet, but its quality over quanity. If you like Michale Bay movies, and could give two rats ass about story telling thisBattlefied 3 was my main concern this year, but out of the blue I was hooked on COD:MW3. While I am still very much in love with how fresh BF3 has been I can not ignore the value for dollar and refinment of COD:MW3. First of is the single player which is the shortest one yet, but its quality over quanity. If you like Michale Bay movies, and could give two rats ass about story telling this is for you. I have been playing all morning, and all I can say the single player makes you feel like a total bad ass and it takes no prisoners doing so. The visuals, sound, and ammount of content is epic. Spec Ops, is the best part of the game but will be probably the least played of the bunch. If you got a buddy to play with this is really a challange, and will put your skills to the test if you are willing to get a 100% in them Multiplayer has grown up a lot, and while not on the same size scale as BF3 it offers a different flavor of it. I am not very good at COD MP, but with the support class I given slack for sucking, but rewarded for supporting. That single featuer alone is sensational. I am very please with it, and the fact that you can custom tailor the guns to your liking is awsome. COD:MW3 is worth your money, and I really have no clue why all the negative reivews. I own both BF3 and MW3, and I can not say that I like one more over the other, but I can say that I play as of right now MW3 more because it is refined, no cashing, freezing, or funky glitches in the game.â Expand
  5. Nov 14, 2011
    9
    Don't listen to the unnecessary hate. Sometimes things are popular because they are GOOD. The campaign is better than Modern Warfare 2, but not quite as good as modern warfare 1. The narrative feels less random, and it is really fun to see World War III in full force. The opening level is great. Also, the pacing is good, switching up more calm levels with on rails vehicle sectionsDon't listen to the unnecessary hate. Sometimes things are popular because they are GOOD. The campaign is better than Modern Warfare 2, but not quite as good as modern warfare 1. The narrative feels less random, and it is really fun to see World War III in full force. The opening level is great. Also, the pacing is good, switching up more calm levels with on rails vehicle sections with more bombastic explosions going off everywhere. As far as multiplayer is concerned, it does what the previous games do, with minor tweaks. I really like the new kill confirmed mode, which has less campers since people have to run out and collect dog tags. Overall, if you like the series so far, you will like this game. If you hated previous entries in the Call of Duty Franchise, why bother? Expand
  6. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    Call of duty continues to be the fun addicting experience that people love. It runs smoothly and has excitement throughout. Spec ops is a welcome addition and the ability to play splitscreen is much appreciated in a generation where very few developers consider the people who play with those that they know, not just random people around the world.
  7. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Excellent game that builds off the rest of the series, bf3 fanboys need to find something better to do than rate this game a 0, shouldn't you be spending your time playing your precious game?
  8. Nov 10, 2011
    9
    First of all I can safely say that MW3 is not a game worthy of the current User critic score of 2/10. I mean really? In all seriousness there is simply no way that the game deserves a pathetic score like that and whilst people are entitled to their opinions it's laughable to suggest MW3 is a terrible game because it's far from it! Now that's over, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Or Call ofFirst of all I can safely say that MW3 is not a game worthy of the current User critic score of 2/10. I mean really? In all seriousness there is simply no way that the game deserves a pathetic score like that and whilst people are entitled to their opinions it's laughable to suggest MW3 is a terrible game because it's far from it! Now that's over, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Or Call of Duty MW2 Part 2 to the haters. It was a given that this outing would pick up from the events of it's predecessor and it does exactly that with Nikolai flying the injured Soap and Captain Price to safety however that's short-lived because when chief antagonist Anatoliy Makarov resurfaces and with the world seemingly at war it doesn't take long for the twosome to get back in action. In all honesty the single player campaign is a continuation of MW2, so yes, it carries on the farfetched story but all the while entertaining you nonetheless. In terms of game play nothing major to report the shooting system has always worked and is arguably the best around when it comes to the FPS genre one of which leads to the demise of one of the MW franchise's most iconic characters however for me personally it didn't have the impact it should have especially giving how important a character this unfortunate individual was throughout the trilogy. Unfortunately the people at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer haven't addressed the length of the solo campaign which again comes in at the 6-7 mark and even more so they have failed to fix the ridiculous AI of enemies as they can amazingly waltz by your team-mates just to pop a round in your head! I was disappointed actually by the lack of new innovations in the game as i'd like to see CoD continue to move forward for e.g. a cover system would have been fresh however it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the ride. The one thing that MW3 does deliver on is it's action packed set-pieces and it does it better than any of it's rivals and in doing so it does engross you throughout whether it's a thrilling train-journey under the British Parliament, witnessing the destruction of the Big Apple or even the collapsing of the Eiffel Tower and that brings me to the visuals it's not close to competing with the very best such as Uncharted but it still does the business for Call of Duty. The one area where Infinity Ward and co continue to thrive upon and deliver the goods is the Online/Multiplayer. People had complaints about MW2 and I wasn't overly impressed by it but MW3 is redefined and plays a treat so be prepared to say goodbye to hours upon hours of your social life its addictive as ever. Again there's nothing new game mode wise the usual suspects online like Free-For-All, Team Death match and all the favourites that entertain us for hours on end are there again but now the guys at CoD have introduced Call of Duty Elite, is it a con for your money, probably but what it does is allows you to improve your game as well as compete in year round competitions for prizes and earn XP its not essential although i'd imagine a fair few might be purchasing it at some point. On top of that Spec-Ops returns for a second outing after it proved to be a success in MW2 and again it's a delight and gives the game plenty of life and to top it off thereâ Expand
  9. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Only reason this game gets a 7 from me(I'd give it a 7.5), is because they are still using Host Migration when they have been making plenty of money to use dedicated servers. That and there are still quite a few bugs they need to kink out.

    Everything else, is exactly what I expected. I never bought into the hype, and came out satisfied. Spec Ops missions are where this game truly shines
    Only reason this game gets a 7 from me(I'd give it a 7.5), is because they are still using Host Migration when they have been making plenty of money to use dedicated servers. That and there are still quite a few bugs they need to kink out.

    Everything else, is exactly what I expected. I never bought into the hype, and came out satisfied.

    Spec Ops missions are where this game truly shines though, Kill Confirmed is my new favorite mode now too.
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  10. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    I dont know why there is all the hate if you dont like the game dont bye it simple. Overall game is not much differnt from mw2 but dayum this game is freakishly addictive.You can play this game for a whole year without getting bored(Talking bout multiplayer here). This game deserves atleast a 9 if not 10.
  11. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    brilliant game, love ever aspect of it, played every cod and this is easily the best all round package (needs zombies though!!) stop slating a game that doesn't deserve it people!
  12. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    Call of Duty is a franchise that gamers love to hate. Regardless, even though I am NOT a Call of Duty fan, developer Sledgehammer Games has created a worthy game for a franchise that annoys me entirely. Even though Activision may be money hungry, the studio who created this game deserves way better respect than this.
  13. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    Great game ! Will spend countless hours on it just like the rest :)I The multiplayer. Is as intense as it has always been. When I bought this I knew what to expect for it is MW3 and if it was all changed around it wouldn't be modern warfare ;)
  14. Nov 9, 2011
    10
    A huge fan of call of duty since the 1st one I can say I love this game but I think this game was rushed . what's with the graphics ? You could have offered better, I mean all the money you get but that's irrelevant I would like alot more guns, streaks and us as players be notice when playing online like activation best videos and list the best clans over all I would rate this game.A huge fan of call of duty since the 1st one I can say I love this game but I think this game was rushed . what's with the graphics ? You could have offered better, I mean all the money you get but that's irrelevant I would like alot more guns, streaks and us as players be notice when playing online like activation best videos and list the best clans over all I would rate this game. 9.0 out ten again better graphics next time Expand
  15. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    First impressions was a finer retouched modern warfare 2 , but after playin multiplayer for a few hours will be again easily hooked and will be spendin many nights and days playin this as its hugely addictive, new piont streak system gives sum1 like me who deosnt go on mad kill streaks every match a bit of satisfaction every game, new gun system impressive, graphics and sound excellent.First impressions was a finer retouched modern warfare 2 , but after playin multiplayer for a few hours will be again easily hooked and will be spendin many nights and days playin this as its hugely addictive, new piont streak system gives sum1 like me who deosnt go on mad kill streaks every match a bit of satisfaction every game, new gun system impressive, graphics and sound excellent. was never a fan of battlefield 2 yet to try no. 3 but COD is the game every1 talkin about at the mo and the game all your friends playin right now MW3 nuff said go Expand
  16. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Durazell
    Nov 10, 2011
    10 This is te best of the series yet. Infinity Ward has delivered the Special Ops for co-op gameplay and this is one of the best additions to the series. The singple player is as always as roller coaster ride and multiplayer delivers an even more balanced experience. The map are great and the smaller thighter maps at launch will provide new players with an fyn
    Durazell
    Nov 10, 2011
    10
    This is te best of the series yet. Infinity Ward has delivered the Special Ops for co-op gameplay and this is one of the best additions to the series. The singple player is as always as roller coaster ride and multiplayer delivers an even more balanced experience. The map are great and the smaller thighter maps at launch will provide new players with an fyn experience. Veteran player no longer has the possibility to noob tube and spawn close to team mates are great. Overall this is a more balanced game than any other military shooter on the market with a technical finish others only can dream off.
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  17. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    If you enjoyed the previous modern warfare games, you will LOVE this one! Fast pace gun on gun gameplay. Multiplayer is awesome. Great game to play with your buddies.
  18. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Shield. Enough said. Plus more options this time around to be a team player. A very high risk, high reward multiplayer game which can be frustrating at times, but I love it.
  19. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Great Game IW/SH, many thanks! This is sequel in a series of games and this one has made steps to improve an already great formula. Single player is engaging, MP is addictive and accessible and this game just screams fun !! Im not sure why there is so much hate for this game here, tell me - are U3, BF3 , GOW3 brand new games? no, they are (as is MW3) sequals in a series of games thatGreat Game IW/SH, many thanks! This is sequel in a series of games and this one has made steps to improve an already great formula. Single player is engaging, MP is addictive and accessible and this game just screams fun !! Im not sure why there is so much hate for this game here, tell me - are U3, BF3 , GOW3 brand new games? no, they are (as is MW3) sequals in a series of games that have made improvements to their existing formula, not brand new games. If you want to be able to pick a game up run around with smooth fluid controls and get straight into fairly balanced fun action buy MW3 and don't look back. i await the next installment of this great series. Expand
  20. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    best shooting game of this year. better than battlefield 3. best shooting game of this year. better than battlefield 3. best shooting game of this year. better than battlefield 3.
  21. Nov 10, 2011
    0
    I honestly don't think I've evert played a worse game, period. Ony a five year old could enjoy this game, which makes sense, because those are the only people online. Please, avoid the tragedy at all costs, and use your hard earned money to buy skyrim.
  22. Nov 11, 2011
    10
    After seeing MW3 getting 2.7 I realized that we humans will never ever achieve world peace due to dick face close minded idiots on the internet. People are only giving Modern Warfare 3 because 1) It is popular. You know why? More than half of the user reviews on this website suggest that MW3 lacks innovation when they **** fail to realize that games like FIFA and Madden do the exact sameAfter seeing MW3 getting 2.7 I realized that we humans will never ever achieve world peace due to dick face close minded idiots on the internet. People are only giving Modern Warfare 3 because 1) It is popular. You know why? More than half of the user reviews on this website suggest that MW3 lacks innovation when they **** fail to realize that games like FIFA and Madden do the exact same **** every year and no one gives a **** Companies who are far more selfish than Activision like EA happen to just get away with it while new time developers like Sledgehammer Studies get bombed with hate comments. PLEASE people of the internet have sympathy for the Sledgehammer Studios due to the fact that they are hard working humans just simply working on their first every game as Sledgehammer. Now I will leave the haters a question. Why the hate? Expand
  23. Nov 9, 2011
    0
    I wouldn't have given this game a flat out ZERO if I had written this earlier. I really do NOT like a game developer ripping off consumers year after year promising new things. Only to find out the same EXACT models and animations were ripped from the earlier games.

    I would have given this game, maybe a 5 out of 10. But year after year video game websites such as IGN give this game the
    I wouldn't have given this game a flat out ZERO if I had written this earlier. I really do NOT like a game developer ripping off consumers year after year promising new things. Only to find out the same EXACT models and animations were ripped from the earlier games.

    I would have given this game, maybe a 5 out of 10. But year after year video game websites such as IGN give this game the title, "Game of the Year" and so on. Which leads me to believe either A. they are idiots, or B. they are being paid.

    I am a Battlefield fan, and I used to be a Call of Duty fan. With all "fanboy" aside. DICE brings new stuff to the table, while IW rehashed used material.

    The straw that broke the camels back on my ZERO rating. Was the idiot Schofield begging for metacritic reviews on Twitter. Schofield, eat my nasty nuts, your game deserves a score of 2/10.
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  24. Nov 9, 2011
    9
    This is a Great Game....
    the campaign, while having a cliche story, is a blast to play
    the new features in spec ops is worth checking out and survival mode is addicting (but its not original) multiplayer is fun, but i think BF3 did better still the old engine from COD4 is still here so it isnt "that" visually impressive in the end the gun-to-gun arcade style COD is here and has few issues
    This is a Great Game....
    the campaign, while having a cliche story, is a blast to play
    the new features in spec ops is worth checking out and survival mode is addicting (but its not original)
    multiplayer is fun, but i think BF3 did better
    still the old engine from COD4 is still here so it isnt "that" visually impressive
    in the end the gun-to-gun arcade style COD is here and has few issues
    Go pick it up if u just wanna have a good time
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  25. Nov 9, 2011
    0
    I wish I could rate this a -59.99, because that's how much money you might as well be wasting if you already own MW2. This is a crap game with a ludicrous plot, garbage maps, etc.
  26. Nov 9, 2011
    0
    I feel like I've played this game before. Oh wait, I have...twice. The graphics are pathetically outdated, having changed little since the first modern warfare. The physics feel cheap and flimsy, as the guns do not actually recoil realistically and animations look unnaturally robotic. Being able to go full auto at someone with a machine gun while having the reticule barely budge makes theI feel like I've played this game before. Oh wait, I have...twice. The graphics are pathetically outdated, having changed little since the first modern warfare. The physics feel cheap and flimsy, as the guns do not actually recoil realistically and animations look unnaturally robotic. Being able to go full auto at someone with a machine gun while having the reticule barely budge makes the gunplay feel unrealistic and cheap. Sound effects are equally messy; gunfire sounds more like a fruitblender than anything else. Firing the weapons has no weight behind them due to the muffled, unrealistic sound effects and the robotic physics, giving little to no satisfaction in landing hits. At 60 bucks, IW is robbing us of our money. This is almost the same game, with the same engine, the same graphics, and same gameplay as the previous two. I feel like there is an immense lack of effort and dedication put in by the design team; in its third iteration, i expect a game to at the very least have technological improvements over its predecessors. But even there I am disappointed. I find it hilarious that the Glen Schofield has the balls to ask for higher user ratings on Metacritic after pumping out this product on so much hype. So here I am, voicing my opinion to spite him when I otherwise would have stayed silent.

    Do yourself a favor and go play skyrim or something.
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  27. Nov 9, 2011
    0
    Campaign is the same old Linear piece of crap and the multiplayer is the same old boring gameplay populated by 13 year old caffeine addicts. Don't waste your money or time with this overhyped piece of garbage.
  28. Nov 9, 2011
    9
    Call of Duty MW3 is actually a great game. Picks up right where the second left off. The story is very satisfying to players who have completed the others. Yes it may only take players five hours to complete, but it is the best call of duty campaign yet. It is filled with intense action sequences, making players left speechless. The graphics engine is the same as the others, but thisCall of Duty MW3 is actually a great game. Picks up right where the second left off. The story is very satisfying to players who have completed the others. Yes it may only take players five hours to complete, but it is the best call of duty campaign yet. It is filled with intense action sequences, making players left speechless. The graphics engine is the same as the others, but this time it is more polished, and there is also destructible environments (Don't expect BF3 destruction). The sound is very good, along with the score and voice acting. Special Ops mode is similar to MW2s Spec Ops. Players are assigned objectives, such as rescue hostages, kill HVTs, recover data, etc. It is a great mode to play with a buddy, but some missions felt repetitive, possibly due to the fact I was playing them on Veteran, which was frustrating. Also, there is a new mode in Spec Ops where players fight off countless number of waves, just like zombies. Players can gain money by killing enemies and surviving waves. With the money that you earn, you can buy airstrikes, support squads, weapons, etc. It is fun for the first 10-15 waves, but starts to get a little old, just like most horde based modes. Multiplayer is what people would expect. It still has that Call of Duty feel, which there is nothing wrong with that. They kept the same formula and polished things that were problems in the past Call of Duty games. There are new modes, kill streaks and customization that will satisfy many players.

    The overall experience is great. Yes there are some flaws like in every other game, but it does not make COD MW3 a terrible game. Some people just play online, which I think is a problem with the ratings. Do not make a review on a game when you have not played the full game. Also, it is not IW or Sledgehammers fault that stupid people ruin the experience. Don't blame them for something that they have no control of.
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  29. Nov 9, 2011
    9
    I wasn't as hyped for this Call of Duty title like I have been with others in years past but I picked it up as usually do and I'm pleasantly pleased.

    Firstly the campaign, the end of MW2's campaign was intense and epic and MW3's starts with this one left off and continues to get better and better from there, while sometimes it can get repetitive fighting wave after wave of enemies like
    I wasn't as hyped for this Call of Duty title like I have been with others in years past but I picked it up as usually do and I'm pleasantly pleased.

    Firstly the campaign, the end of MW2's campaign was intense and epic and MW3's starts with this one left off and continues to get better and better from there, while sometimes it can get repetitive fighting wave after wave of enemies like most shooters this game makes up for that with their intense sequences and amazing set pieces. The stories well done and is a satisfying end to the trilogy running at about 5-6 hours on regular (easy, regular, hard and harder)

    Spec Ops- This gametype was in MW2 it has much of the same in MW3 but this time they have added a new edition with a horde mode where you fight endless wave after wave of progressively harder enemies. For the people wondering this isn't much like the Zombie Mode from Black Ops because Zombies had it own theme, story, and Maps from the multiplayer where as MW3's horde mode doesn't. I'd compare it mor to Gears of War 3's Horde mode but in 1st person of course.

    Multiplayer- This is really what your going to get your hours and moneys worth out of this game there are a few tweaks here and there to improve balancing but its pretty much the same formula as MW2 they have new ideas that have improved the gameplay like new game modes, perks and new ways to get killstreaks. However I'm disappointed they didn't use the good ideas Black ops had like their currency system because with that system no1 was at a disadvantage depending on what level they are and by not having currency they don't have wager matches any more either which I also liked. So the multiplayer is good and been very enjoyable. also I haven't come across any boosters or hackers yet so thats a plus.

    Overall a great game and definitely one of the games to pick up this holiday
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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 39
  2. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Feb 10, 2012
    90
    There's a tangible insistence from gamers that this series needs to evolve, but it seems unwarranted when it still leads the FPS class. The engine's definitely in need of an overhaul, but when it comes to thumping set-pieces and addictive multiplayer design, Modern Warfare 3 is still in a league of its own.
  2. Feb 1, 2012
    85
    By sticking to the series' strengths, Modern Warfare 3 delivers some of the best competitive, cooperate, and single-player shooting in the business.
  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Jan 4, 2012
    90
    As a complete package, Modern Warfare 3 takes the cake. [Jan 2012, p.67]