Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Even with an embarrassingly bad single-player Campaign, the Multiplayer and Zombies experiences are enough to cement this game as one of the franchise's greats.

If you've been waiting for Modern Warfare 3 to deliver an incredible, never-before-seen campaign, then you'll have to pass, but if you're in it for the Multiplayer, then this Sledgehammer Games title will win you over. Despite a timid campaign that may seem far too short and empty, the Multiplayer and Zombies modes make up for it. We rediscover the sensations we've come to know through previous opuses, and the Zombies experience is a pleasant surprise. Despite our initial skepticism, once we're into Operation Deadbolt, it's hard to stop.

Reviewing a Call of Duty game today is a bit like reviewing a military theme park: it’s impossible to give a holistic appraisal. You might find the rollercoasters thrilling, the ferris wheel tiresome, and the hotdogs tasty, but consider its murky ties to the US military-industrial complex deeply problematic. Certainly, however, the game has expanded in such diverse and deliberate directions that most players will find at least one diversion to suit their tastes and play styles, and for this the developers are to be commended. Wrangling an annual series into a persistent online framework is obviously an unwieldy challenge for artists, designers and programmers alike, as they seek to marry the past and future of video game delivery. Within those difficult, arguably misguided constraints, MWIII is, campaign aside, a minor triumph of engineering and design.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is likely going to go down as one of the weaker entries in the franchise. Undoubtedly the quality fluctuates from player to player every year but key elements of Modern Warfare III don’t hold a candle to what most expect from a superb Call of Duty game. This is most apparent in the game’s lackluster campaign that injects far too much Warzone influence for its own good. Rather than a classic, bombastic narrative with diverse mission structure, we are left with an all too brief story that leaves players with little to latch onto outside of vaguely experimental open-ended combat. Zombies is as universally weird as ever but may actually be beneficial towards newcomers with its large map and mission-based approach. Thankfully Modern Warfare III‘s exceptional multiplayer feel and suite of popular maps, modes, and customization elevate this rough going. If Call of Duty needed a break, maybe this year should have been the one. But at 20 years old, the old chap still has life left in it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III turned out to be what many feared: a sort of DLC of the previous chapter developed by Infinity Ward. Although undoubtedly fun for fans of arcade and fast-paced multiplayer shooters, Sledgehammer Games has done nothing but focus only on the nostalgia effect and few notable innovations, also creating an uninteresting and barely sufficient campaign.

Despite some moments where the campaign seemed confusing, Modern Warfare III is a decent enough reboot/sequel, allowing for some fun gameplay in the multiplayer and Zombies modes.

Can Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 be considered an expansion sold at full price? In part yes, and this element inevitably affects the vote, like the questionable single campaign. At the same time, however, it is impossible to pretend nothing has happened: the multiplayer component is the most fun to play in recent years and includes a pack of maps much loved by fans. Unless you buy COD just for the campaign and are willing to turn a blind eye to the lack of major innovations compared to last year, it is really difficult for you to be disappointed by the classic multiplayer of this chapter.

On paper, with its single player, its multiplayer and its Zombie, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 presents itself as a fairly complete package, and that is somewhat what it is. Alongside a dispensable campaign and a few adjustments to review (notably on the killing time), we had fun with the two online sides of this episode. Although focusing above all on a nostalgic formula, with its cards and features of yesteryear, it is difficult not to fall in love, once again, with these still successful shooting sensations. The Zombie for its part, although copied and pasted on Warzone and DMZ, turns out to be pleasant and rather gripping... In the end, in this title which looks like a “big expansion”, there are quite a few qualities! But these will only appear if Call of Duty is not your bedside title. For fans who own Modern Warfare 2, this is frankly questionable.

Overall, a poor Call of Duty but there will still be enough in the multiplayer for fans to enjoy for months to come...Just ignore the campaign unless you have an afternoon to kill.

A weak campaign with an unsatisfactory cliffhanger resolution, a Zombies map that's little more than rebranded DMZ, and a selection of multiplayer maps taken straight from Modern Warfare II (2009), Modern Warfare III barely stands up on its own merits, especially if you've thrown countless hours into last year's entry and have plenty to carry forward.

Modern Warfare 3 is one of the most blatant misfires of the Call of Duty series. Its campaign is lackluster and the overall quality and quantity of its online content gives the impression that it would be much more fitting as a DLC instead of a full-priced game.

Despite the fun multiplayer, CoD Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest disappointment in the series' history so far.

This year's Call of Duty is a mixed bag. Series veterans looking for a great multiplayer experience will find a lot to love thanks to the game's faithful recreation of some of the franchise’s best maps and excellent gunplay. However, Modern Warfare III's campaign is one of the worst in the series’ history.

Let’s see what you get if you are willing to pay not just the full price, but also the over-the-top cost of Modern Warfare III: a short and uninspired single player campaign, a solid co-op and multiplayer experience, both relying on recycled maps, and an overwhelming amount of micro and not so “micro” transactions. It is not just the regurgitated and uninspired content that makes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III one of the worst games in the series, but also the absurd pricing scheme that pushes over the edge both the industry professionals and players alike. Ultimately, it’s up to each and every one to decide if the game is worth all the basic and extra costs, but I definitely don’t want to encourage anyone to support these more and more questionable business practices, so wait for a sale if you really want to check this one out.

The reboot of the final chapter in the Modern Warfare trilogy deserved better. The half-baked campaign and recycled multiplayer maps make it seem like a lazy cash grab at an exorbitant price. Nonetheless, the refined gunplay and fun in the competitive PVP and cooperative Zombies modes keep Call of Duty’s strong points alive.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is a game made from other games, a hybrid that seeks to convince the most veteran fans with a fantastic multiplayer. However, neither the homages, nor the "innovations" of the campaign and the zombies manage to disguise the obvious. This game is nothing more than a wild recycling of ideas made in haste.

A series high for PvP, a series low for Zombies and the campaign. Worth it for multiplayer, but paying for the whole package leaves a sour taste. [Issue#35, p.70]

Modern Warfare 3 is two thirds failure, one third competent - but even that one winning third relies heavily on the merits of the 2009 MW2's multiplayer maps, and not their own. Meanwhile, the new Zombies mode is a grindfest, while the campaign feels rushed to completion.

From my perspective, buying the new installment doesn't make sense. It's particularly irrelevant for those who purchase Call of Duty once in a blue moon and desire a complete package, including an entertaining campaign and perhaps cooperative missions. Exhausted zombies don't salvage it. While the multiplayer is successful, the overall package leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has its moments of triumph, but they are few and far between. There’s still fun to be had in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, but this year’s entry feels like a stopgap while we wait for the next major release.

A Call Of Duty which tries to refresh its formula, which is not a great success for the campaign, and that recycle far too much with its multiplayer. Zombie mode saves the day, but is it enough at full price?

Modern Warfare 3 is a major disappointment in many ways, although its core gameplay is still rock solid. Its campaign is a mess, and multiplayer feels as iterative as ever, so a fun and new Zombies mode is all that really holds it together.

Modern Warfare 3 begs the question of whether this annual cycle should continue or not. Almost half the game feels shoehorned in, such as the forgettable campaign. Meanwhile, the other half has mixed results in the case of the multiplayer maps. But if players engage with the truly special parts of MW3, such as its exceptional improvements to gameplay and spectacular alternative modes like Zombies and Ground War, they’ll find there is a worthy experience in there somewhere.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 feels unfinished. The campaign feels like a spin-off of something much bigger, and the zombies don't quite fit in the open world. The multiplayer acts as a redemption for a product that should have stayed in DLC.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III attempts to rekindle the fire but falls short, particularly in its disjointed campaign. The multiplayer, drawing on iconic maps from series history, excels with responsive controls, intense gunfights, and revamped loadouts. Yet, the biggest letdown is the lazy reskin of DMZ into a zombies mode, undermining the essence of what fans loved about it. Modern Warfare III shines in multiplayer but offends with its campaign, zombies, and blatant money-hungry tactics, leaving fans still yearning for the franchise’s former glory.

All in all, it feels like one of the weakest Call of Dutys I've ever played. It's not that it doesn't work, there are no serious bugs, glitches or anything like that, it's just the way MW3 was delivered. It gives the impression of a quickly put together, run-of-the-mill installment rather than a worthy, well-thought-out sequel.

Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer is the shining light of this year's Call of Duty offering and is without a doubt the glue holding the whole package together. Unfortunately, it's hard to ignore the glaring cracks in what should have probably been an expansion for MW2.

Trying to slide in a DLC as a full- Fledged AAA title deals a massive blow to Modern Warfare 3’s Single and Multi Player experience, making it the one to forget or never even bother playing.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a patchwork of series highs and startling lows, but the fact that most people come here for multiplayer is a significant saving grace. The return of Modern Warfare 2’s beloved maps will scratch a nostalgic itch for long-time Call Of Duty fans, but just about everything outside of multiplayer will leave you wondering why this is a full-price game.

After playing the multiplayer game enough to review it, I can’t say that I feel all that compelled to jump back into it. That’s a first for me, and I’ve been playing the game since before it even had a multiplayer mode. Modern Warfare III is the most disappointing entry in the series for me in a while – I haven’t been this disappointed probably since Ghosts. The franchise would have better served its fans by taking this year off and putting the time into creating a better-balanced, more complete entry in the franchise. You can certainly skip this entry in the series, or at least wait until it is heavily discounted, because it’s just not worth it.

While the existence of Warzone by itself shouldn't represent a threat to the franchise, Modern Warfare III is the ultimate proof of how Call of Duty's free battle royale mode is harming the main entries by turning them into Warzone spin-offs and diverting the series from what they have been re-constructing since 2019. Sadly, the enjoyable multiplayer mode doesn't compensate for the open-world mess the campaign and zombies mode represent for this wasted and mistreated sequel.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III lost the chance to be great when Activision Blizzard decided to turn a DLC for the previous installment into a stand-alone title. As a result, Sledgehammer didn’t have enough time to properly polish the game, and that took a heavy toll across the board, from the absolutely deplorable story campaign to the disappointing Zombie mode to the multiplayer.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III appears to be a patchwork of disparate elements, stitched together with various patches. The campaign mode lacks distinct personality, and although the multiplayer options are robust, they feel recycled from previous titles in the series, offering only a handful of truly good ideas.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is an incredibly tired game. The series had already experienced moments of fatigue before, managing to reinvent and renew itself, but never before it has the been so palpable. This year, nothing manages to save the package offered by Sledgehammer Games: a dull and uninspired propagandistic campaign is accompanied by a multiplayer that, while enjoyable, just recycles previously seen content, and a zombie mode that is more lackluster than ever. The series urgently needs to cut ties with its recent past and to regain vital momentum because, the free fall has been ongoing for some time now – and it shows no sign of stopping.

Modern Warfare 3 does not offer much more than extremely smooth multiplayer and a dose of nostalgia. The game feels incomplete, is often boring and disappoints in many areas.

In granting players a bit of freedom, the campaign of this latest title has lost too much in return—perhaps even the reputation it had built up until now and the potential for the future. Fortunately, the refreshing zombie mode managed to somewhat heal the disappointment.

Modern Warfare 3 completely drops the ball with its campaign, but some redemption is found in its multiplayer action and Zombies experience. While these are the two most enjoyable modes in MW3, technical issues will often frustrate you. There is also an inescapable sense that this was a rushed game, due to its over-reliance on reused assets and a lack of fresh ideas.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t come close to the quality you’d expect from a franchise with this sort of reputation celebrating its 20th year. The campaign is too short (especially at $70), which undermines what could’ve been a great story, and lacks any standout moments or compelling reasons to revisit it. The new Zombies approach has potential but isn’t quite there yet. There’s still fun to be had, especially given how little we’ve seen elsewhere in the genre this year. A solid multiplayer foundation can’t support the weight of everything else that’s been piled on top in an attempt to legitimize what is, unfortunately, one of the worst entries we’ve seen.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 makes mistakes in practically every possible aspect, from the campaign with questionable design and shallow story, to the uninteresting zombies mode and even its classic competitive multiplayer mode, delivering much less than expected. Little is really original and the game looks more like a reuse of parts from Warzone to create a new product to be sold at full price.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is a low point for series. A passable multiplayer suite can't prop up the uninspired campaign, and dreadfully dull zombies mode. The series needs to take a break from the annualised release schedule, and inject some much needed creativity into the legendary franchise.

Despite one-third of the game getting a passing grade, the rest falls short of meeting even the lowest of expectations. Clinging to the coattails of its predecessor, the reboot fails to capture the essence of what made the original Modern Warfare games so iconic. From its lame excuse for a campaign to its redundant multiplayer, finding redeeming qualities in Modern Warfare 3 has been nothing short of challenging. The game amounts to little more than half-baked expansion disguised as a full-fledged title, and the whole thing feels like a slap in the face to consumers. The most disappointing part is that it doesn’t even matter how much we can see through the ruse, because profits will always speak louder in the end. While there still may be new MM3 content on the horizon, it will likely arrive too late to make a difference.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 isn't an outright bad game, but it's also not a particularly good one. Taken on its own, it's a slightly above average first person shooter with a poor campaign, but in context, you can see how hurried and limited in scope this game really is. The multiplayer is effectively a classic map pack, Zombies and Open Combat Missions are game modes built within the existing Warzone map, and the campaign's pacing and story come up short. It all adds up to a lacklustre experience and even a sense that Call of Duty is at risk of losing its identity.

If you're a super-fan of the franchise, you might be able to get something out of this package. It's more than clear that this is a rushed product that was supposed to be DLC for last year's game and not a full-priced "new game" - so it's up to you to judge whether it's worth your money.

The gameplay is enjoyable as always, and the return of classic maps is a nice reunion. At the same time, Activision did make it very easy on itself by recycling a lot of content, adding older maps and more. This makes it not a new game, but simply downloadable content. Moreover, the amount of bugs that have been present for a long time is ridiculous and the menu is a mess. The shooter has potential, but it's time to consider the community as gamers, not cash cows.

This year’s COD is a threadbare expansion masquerading as a sequel and an embarrassing way to mark the series’ 20th anniversary.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 might just be the series' worst installment yet.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is one of the worst games of this year and proof that Activision really needs to give it a long break. A real shame that a series with so much history is being treated like this.

Sometimes words are not enough to describe how bad a game is. If Modern Warfare III had never been released, we could say a lot more good things about it. Call of Duty 3 gave birth to a legend like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We don't know what this game will lead to in the future.

The more you play, the more it becomes clear that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 should not have been a full-fledged title. If it had been released at a lower price as an expansion for Modern Warfare 2, there wouldn't have been so much going on, it would probably even have been sufficient. Yet other choices have been made and that ensures that this title will go down in the history books of Call of Duty, but not for the reasons you would like.

The snowball that started rolling in Black Ops: Cold War has reached its biggest form, which is basically its lowest point yet. A game that's good on the surface but is laced with the constant feeling of disrespect to its fans and consumers. How the mighty have fallen.

An exercise in extracting value from its players rather than providing it, the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is what happens when this industry is at its worst.

Shooting, sprinting, and tactically maneuvering across the playing field to cunningly (or flashily) kill other players: it is and always will be addictive. And as ever, the game also tickles your reptilian brain with sounds and messages - Killstreak! Payback! Savior! + 120 XP!!! This works so effectively that a slot machine in Vegas could learn a thing or two from a console game. But when after two addictive hours the fog of war has cleared around your head, you have to conclude: actually, I've played this thirteen times in a dozen. It looks better than it did in 2010, but in essence it is unchanged, just like that fast food burger that has also tasted exactly the same for years.

"We need a new Call of Duty game every single year," the Activision executives bellowed, and out popped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after the development times caught up with them. A truly anaemic release, there's never been a surer sign to press pause on the series. 14-year-old content is the best thing about this year's entry and if that's not enough of an indictment of where Call of Duty is at in 2023, we don't know what is. A franchise in serious need of a complete reboot, Modern Warfare 3 has to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III recycles old ideas in a stale package that is a downright slog for most of the experience. It commits the ultimate sin of being boring, and it does not bode well for the future of a franchise that, for the last 20 years, has been the pinnacle of popular FPS games.

The best frag grenades are cooked and as such, Modern Warfare 3 needed a lot more time in the oven to create something explosive. This is the series at its lowest point with uninspired missions on repurposed maps and a story that feels moot after the conclusion. Not to mention an online mode that feels closer to a DLC pack and a Zombies mode that whilst in theory was promising, overall feels incohesive and lacking a stable direction. There’s no bad luck, only bad plans and this one was operating without a blueprint.

Part DLC and part Warzone knock-off, this is not only the worst Call Of Duty ever made but one of the most cynical video game releases of all time.

A Call of Duty game of this low quality released a decade ago would have been a scandal. Now, it's emblematic of an approach to a franchise that's in desperate need of a reality check.

Modern Warfare III feels like a content expansion for Call of Duty: Warzone, and if it were sold as that, at a lower price, it could’ve been justified. But by selling this as a premium experience, and crunching developers to create the game in just 16 months, Activision has shown its hand. This game shows that the publisher doesn’t care about its staff, and evidently, doesn’t respect its consumers.