Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Overall, the Modern Warfare 3 campaign feels like it might have been rushed in terms of new gameplay developments, as well as narrative payoff, although there is a helluva shock in there for fans. It feels like it needed more time to evolve what's there, which is always going to be hard with a yearly franchise, and perhaps not allowing Modern Warfare the customary two years off for development made it harder. [Campaign Review Score = 60]

I give this single-player campaign 3.5 stars out of five, which is the worst score I’ve ever given a Call of Duty Game. I’ll amend the score after I’ve played more multiplayer combat. [Campaign Review]

Regardless of your relationship to Call of Duty, your feelings about military shooters, your investment in the rebooted Modern Warfare saga, or how much or little you like to play the new Call of Duty online multiplayer every year, the Modern Warfare III campaign feels more like an indicator of a series in decline than a misstep. Microsoft, which recently completed a purchase of Activision, is banking heavily on the future of Call of Duty, and the annual release schedule is unlikely to slow down any time soon. As a long-time player, though, I find myself thinking that it might finally be time to step away. [Campaign Review Score = 40]

In short, if boring is one word to describe the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign, “fine” would be another, and only if used generously. If you only buy CoD to play the single-player, don’t spend $70 on MW3. You’ll regret it. [Campaign Review]

Although its narrative setup is enjoyable, Modern Warfare 3 can't get out of its own way, with nearly half of the missions being the underwhelming Open Combat style. The bumpy pacing and abrupt ending make Makarov's big return a disappointment, dragging Modern Warfare 3 down as the weakest entry of an otherwise strong reboot series. [Campaign Review Score = 50]

If there’s anything to take away from this year's disappointing release is that now Microsoft owns Activision, I’d like to think that Microsoft wants better for this series and I can only hope that this is the catalyst for ending Call of Duty annual releases, at least for the foreseeable future. Call of Duty deserved much better than this churned-out disappointment. If you’re desperate for a bit of CoD this year, then you’ve probably already picked this game up. Otherwise, give this game a miss or at least hold out for patches to fix some issues. In a year that has brought us so much joy with some amazing video game releases, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III somehow manages to lower the tone. [Campaign Review Score = 50]

Modern Warfare 3’s campaign commits the biggest sin possible for a globe-trotting action thriller: it's boring. What had the promise to be an intriguingly spun web of mystery instead ends up being a dusty cobweb you'd find at the back of your shed, clinging onto 15-year-old garden toys you once had fun with. It's a pale imitation of the past, made up of underbaked story moments that clash with attempts to introduce new open combat missions designed to encourage player freedom that instead fall flat on their face. Yes, the gunplay is still great and the graphics and sound design are top-tier, but I couldn't help but feel I was playing a shinier, less subtle version of something I've played too many times before. If this is the quality we've come to expect from Call of Duty campaigns, maybe it's for the best if a year or two is taken to reset and raise this low bar back to the heights of old. [Single-Player Campaign Score = 40]

Modern Warfare 3 has finally succeeded in unmooring the series entirely from history and from meaning. It continues the previous games’ practice of adding political texture to explosive ultra-violence, but it has never been more of a hollow shooting gallery, a ghost of a game and a departure from everything that may have once made the franchise compelling to play. [Campaign Review]

Modern Warfare 3 2023's campaign fails to replicate the excitement found in the 2011 original that was released twelve CoDs ago. Players still hide behind porta potties and wooden crates for cover from an enemy with a high-caliber machine gun instead of adapting modern advances like destruction physics, which are nearly nonexistent in the twentieth Call of Duty title. While the series continues to be successful with its multiplayer components, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a clear sign that the series' campaigns are struggling to keep up with the innovation that other modern shooters have accomplished. [Campaign Review Score = 60]