User Score
3.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 8685 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Nov 11, 2011
    4
    When first reading these reviews I thought there was some sinister campaign behind them. Then I played the game and realise that although they are unfair- they do have merit. I love the Call of Duty franchise and it is perhaps the most played game on my console by a long way. I had been looking forward to this for some time and couldnt wait to really get into it. It is indeed just like theWhen first reading these reviews I thought there was some sinister campaign behind them. Then I played the game and realise that although they are unfair- they do have merit. I love the Call of Duty franchise and it is perhaps the most played game on my console by a long way. I had been looking forward to this for some time and couldnt wait to really get into it. It is indeed just like the last one. The minor changes do not warrant a new release and a $100 ad campaign. I think my expectations were too high, but I really feel let down. I was not a fan of Battlefield 3 either, but at least they have taken steps to move forward. I hope Activision takes note of what the fans have said and put something new on offer next time around. If they want to keep the old- then by all means just release more map packs and content. But there is nothing to differentiate this from the last. Poor effort! Expand
  2. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    It doesn't take the most powerful game producer in the world to repackage the same old game, all it takes is the will of blind console gamers. It is a marvel that this game generated 1.1 billion, or rather is expected to. The very same lines remain in objective based game modes, those from Black ops, however now a new voice is pronouncing them. It is a disgrace to modern day gaming. WhatIt doesn't take the most powerful game producer in the world to repackage the same old game, all it takes is the will of blind console gamers. It is a marvel that this game generated 1.1 billion, or rather is expected to. The very same lines remain in objective based game modes, those from Black ops, however now a new voice is pronouncing them. It is a disgrace to modern day gaming. What was once a great COD game, has tnow turned to a cow being milked by the greed of Activison, but helped in their cause by idiots who buy repackaged games. I felt like it was MW2 again, which in itself was overshadowed by MW. PLEASE di not feed greed. Managers and directors are laughing at how easy it is to sell old games to consumers. Do not become part of the laughing stock. Expand
  3. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    Battlefield 3 is far more superior to any Call Of Duty game in every way. It really makes me sad to see people are still feeding the biggest cashcow of all time. Skyrim I can tell you is probably one of the best games Iâ
  4. Nov 11, 2011
    2
    The makers of MW3 should be hanging their heads in shame for hyping this game up so much. I have read all the trash talk between the MW3 makers and Battlefield 3 makers saying that each game will out do the other but in all honesty MW3 has let me down beyond belief. It feels like a DLC for MW2, there is certainly nothing new to this title. The only thing I can notice is survival mode andThe makers of MW3 should be hanging their heads in shame for hyping this game up so much. I have read all the trash talk between the MW3 makers and Battlefield 3 makers saying that each game will out do the other but in all honesty MW3 has let me down beyond belief. It feels like a DLC for MW2, there is certainly nothing new to this title. The only thing I can notice is survival mode and weapon progression which is nothing but mediocre at best. I am a fan of both franchises but I have to say Battlefield has won this round. On another note, I find it very pathetic and outright embarrassing to be asking us gamers to post better user reviews and scores on metacritic. We are the fans and we support these works of art that you give us but when we find that we have been let down by you then and even though it may be a tough pill to swallow you must gulp down the criticism because we the consumers have definitely taken the loss of our hard earned cash like champions. No one likes stepping in the **** but hey it happens. Expand
  5. Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Game so well enjoyed Mhaksnn felt like I was really well done story of the game creators worked hard to give us a good indication! Good game continue to make more such games is worth the money! Successfully
  6. Nov 11, 2011
    3
    This game is fun, real fun and frustrating. Nothing new but game modes a couple of new guns and slightly different maps. Even though this game is fun its not worth the $60 maybe $40. I've been a fan of IW since cod 2, but this time they let me down maybe its activisions fault I don't know but.... I think Treyarch did a better job this time with Blops. Structure InfinityWard I soil beThis game is fun, real fun and frustrating. Nothing new but game modes a couple of new guns and slightly different maps. Even though this game is fun its not worth the $60 maybe $40. I've been a fan of IW since cod 2, but this time they let me down maybe its activisions fault I don't know but.... I think Treyarch did a better job this time with Blops. Structure InfinityWard I soil be taking your posters off my wall now and changing my Blops emblem.....I will also be playing BF3 till Skyward 7Sword is out.... Expand
  7. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    I grew up in the 80's and I used to love Police Academy movies, then they released Police Academy 4 - Citizens on Patrol, which tried a bit too hard, but was still entertaining. As a stand alone product, it would have probably been taken much better, but us fans were hoping for a lot more. After that, there was absolutely no point to those movies, except to make money.

    BLOPS was a lot
    I grew up in the 80's and I used to love Police Academy movies, then they released Police Academy 4 - Citizens on Patrol, which tried a bit too hard, but was still entertaining. As a stand alone product, it would have probably been taken much better, but us fans were hoping for a lot more. After that, there was absolutely no point to those movies, except to make money.

    BLOPS was a lot like police academy 4 - the start of on the fence, derivative, 'lets do this for the money' kind of stuff. Even if the COD series hadn't been to vietnam before, others had (many years before) and they'd done it better. And now we have MW3. Which, is entertaining for sure. A solid COD game. And its always nice to get new maps for multipalyer. And if MW3 had only been the 5th game in the series and the year had been 2009, then I'm sure it would have been considered one of the greatest FPS's of all time. But its not. Its been 2 years since MW2 and we the same thing with slightly different environments and new singleplayer. Imagine if Apple re-released the i-phone 3 in 2011 with 2 new case colours...

    I've got enough COD games in my closet andd on't get me wrong, I love dusting them off occasionally, but this game is the 7th in the series and it brings nothing. In my opinion, its time for the series to die.
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  8. Nov 11, 2011
    10
    ik vind het een goed spel ik kijk er na uit na de volgende cod als je er niet te vrede mee bent verkoop je game dan aan iemand anders en maak dan zelf eens een mooie game
  9. Nov 11, 2011
    9
    Great good campaign, better multiplayer very balanced but the ump45 and the type 95 seem to be over powered probably the best cod to date far superior black ops
  10. Nov 11, 2011
    10
    There is one thing I never understood. That would be people telling others not to purchase something simply because it's the "same" as the previous entries. In my opinion, they kept everything the same because it "works". It's either you like it or don't like it. And I like it. -My opinion.
  11. Nov 11, 2011
    9
    I reall do not understand the hate for this game. I completed the game in just under 6 hours but thats because my hand was glued to the controller- it was that good.
    The single player kept you engaged throughout-predictable yes but fantastic all the same. The multiplayer is the most balanced it has ever been and having been turned off my MW2's multiplayer i am now back in the game
    I reall do not understand the hate for this game. I completed the game in just under 6 hours but thats because my hand was glued to the controller- it was that good.
    The single player kept you engaged throughout-predictable yes but fantastic all the same. The multiplayer is the most balanced it has ever been and having been turned off my MW2's multiplayer i am now back in the game enjoying every moment.
    I question when people say "its the same game as the previous two.... the graphics are the same" but this is nearly always the case in most games out today. Look at the Elder Scrolls Skyrim, a great game but hardly any great graphical improvements but yet everyone is raving about it (to me it looks no different to Oblivion). The same can be said about the Mario games. Yes the story may change slightly but the bad guys are the same, the graphics are generally the same but that doesn't make it bad does it?
    All i can say Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer games, thank you for making a fun filled singleplayer and fantastic Multiplayer.
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  12. Nov 11, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hi I have read a lot of damaging reviews on this game and a lot seem written by anti cod gamers, and fanboys of other games, (not mentioning names)

    Firstly, The graphics are great, sure its no frosbite 2 or cry engine 3, but honestly bf3 doesn't look mindblowing on console, I own it for xb360 and pc, and its worthy of all titles on pc, on xbox howerver still a great game but nowhere near polished as pc,
    Back to cod, the engine may be old, but it works, 1080p 60fps and looks and moves great, better than other games in the fps genre on xbox,
    The story is among the best out there with Michael bay levels of cinematic action, sure its a little on rails and sure enemies spawn like mad, but still entertaining and fun, not as long as I'd of hoped for but good noneless with some amazing scenes like the airplane level, sheer brilliance.

    Spec ops play is cod's answer to horde mode, adding another layer of depth to an exiting mode from mw2 so another plus, But the multiplayer is where it is shining, quickscoping makes a frustrating return, some dissconnection issues but infrequent enough to pose a problem, sure the kids who ruin cod are back with rapid fire controllers jump drop shot mods, and I'm sure iv seen one hacked player on launch night with 8th prestige at 00:15 from the UK! But as in black ops we have the means to report players for these things and vid capture is the evidence needed, I'm sure after 1 or 2 updates this game will be perfect, its amazing as it is now, I like the smooth but fast pace to the game, guns feel dangerous, and killstreaks are now availible in different guises thanks to strike packages such as support mode, never again will a camper ruin your stealth bomber! Because all actions from assists and captures count and roll over to your support streaks! New modes like kill confirmed add some fresh fun to the stacked playlist as well as all your favourite hardcore varients, It would have been nice to see the return of 3rd person modes as they allow you to appreciate the great detail and animation of the game.
    Levelling up is not a chore no more, your weapons have profficencys which adds to your persistence too.

    Overall its level design and fast pace lend back to the the best cod ever cod 4! But with fresh ideas better graphics its a massive improvement from Cods of late, Don't get me wrong I loved black ops, loved WaW until hackers ruined it, I loved mw2 but my favourite was still cod 4! Now obvious comparisons to battlefield are ineviteable but pointless, they are 2 different games, they look feel and play different but are equally as good in my opinion but for different reasons, Realistically this has more to keep you playing than bf3 due to spec ops and a addictive levelling system

    My only downpoints are Quickscoping! Get rid of it or make a specific game mode for it!
    I'd like to see what is possible from activision sledgehammer etc with a new engine, as good as this is, it will begin to fall behind! Get elite fixed as I purchased the hardened ed!
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  13. Nov 11, 2011
    8
    Une copie de MW2 ? Beaucoup parle de ça, il en est très inspiré c'est normal c'est MW3. Il a pris tous les bons côtés du jeu pour les remodeler et donner quelques chose d'encore mieux qu'avant ! Les fans ne seront pas déçu et ceux qui découvrent cette licence ne sont pasUne copie de MW2 ? Beaucoup parle de ça, il en est très inspiré c'est normal c'est MW3. Il a pris tous les bons côtés du jeu pour les remodeler et donner quelques chose d'encore mieux qu'avant ! Les fans ne seront pas déçu et ceux qui découvrent cette licence ne sont pas prêt a la lâcher. Une campagne très explosif et très intense malgré qu'elle soit un peu courte et un peu "couloir". J'ai passé 5 heures à me dire "après cette mission c'est sur je vais me coucher" sans vraiment y arriver... Expand
  14. Nov 11, 2011
    5
    I will start off by saying i enjoy call of duty and battlefield. i ALWAYS buy both to fill the voids that the other game creates. my review is based equally off online and campaign. call of duty clearly has the dominant campaign, but the online play goes to battlefield. That aside, the main reason that this game got a 5 is the story mode. if the online play was better, i would have noI will start off by saying i enjoy call of duty and battlefield. i ALWAYS buy both to fill the voids that the other game creates. my review is based equally off online and campaign. call of duty clearly has the dominant campaign, but the online play goes to battlefield. That aside, the main reason that this game got a 5 is the story mode. if the online play was better, i would have no issues giving this game a higher rating; the fact is that the online is unacceptable. the re-spawn algorithm/coding is quite possibly the worst that i have ever seen, in any FPS. the graphics are poor, the game engine is recycled, and the audio is garbage. I have enjoyed CoD since the beginning, but this game feels stale. The movement animations are still fluid and crisp, but the entire game platform is simply a rinse and repeat. This series peaked at the original modern warfare and has been slowly declining since. the campaign has the feel of last-nights-leftovers, but in this day and age, originality and creativity are gone. As for the online play, there is always a xbox error, host migration, glitch, etc, that is hindering the online. if you want a better campaign, buy this. if you want better online. buy battlefield. Expand
  15. Nov 11, 2011
    9
    OK....so yes it's the same as MW2....because this is a series!! It's all about character/ antagonist progression within the storyline, and the back references allow you to relate to previous encounters in CoD4 and MW2. I was hooked on the campaign because it was an interesting storyline. As far as the reviews on here saying it's a Ã
  16. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    Massively disappointed with this game. To get straight to the point, I picked the game up on tuesday, and I am trading it in at Game today for Skyrim.

    Although some of the features of the previous game have been "tweaked", I find that the overall multiplayer experience is nowhere near as good as black ops. The gameplay is still quite borked, and every map is the same "run and gun"
    Massively disappointed with this game. To get straight to the point, I picked the game up on tuesday, and I am trading it in at Game today for Skyrim.

    Although some of the features of the previous game have been "tweaked", I find that the overall multiplayer experience is nowhere near as good as black ops. The gameplay is still quite borked, and every map is the same "run and gun" style with very little variety between maps.

    As for the single player aspect - a 3.5 hour campaign is a bit of a joke for a £40 game, don't you think?
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  17. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    its always the same no new concept. its like im play modern warfare one or modern warfare two. where are the new ideas? this is a copy and paste game
  18. Nov 11, 2011
    9
    This has to be the most thrilling ride ever - no other developer has achieved as many thrills in one video game. A sheer roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Feels a little familiar but its all the better - guns sound better, animation a little smoother and the best effects in any call of duty game. Activision knows what the player wants & on all fronts have delivered the best callThis has to be the most thrilling ride ever - no other developer has achieved as many thrills in one video game. A sheer roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Feels a little familiar but its all the better - guns sound better, animation a little smoother and the best effects in any call of duty game. Activision knows what the player wants & on all fronts have delivered the best call of duty game. The only thing that remains is a revamp of their slightly dated graphics engine. Expand
  19. Nov 11, 2011
    4
    MW3 is such a let down. The single player is more of the same,an over the top cinematic with fast paced gameplay but it was far to short and easy even on veteran. The multiplayer, which is normally the strong point of the franchise was below poor and seems like a step back from MW2. All the maps are small, seem very similar and look bland and boring and it doesn't have the infinity wardMW3 is such a let down. The single player is more of the same,an over the top cinematic with fast paced gameplay but it was far to short and easy even on veteran. The multiplayer, which is normally the strong point of the franchise was below poor and seems like a step back from MW2. All the maps are small, seem very similar and look bland and boring and it doesn't have the infinity ward feel to it, feels more like a treyarch game. The only aspect of the game worth trying was spec ops survival mode which is fun otherwise the game is just average. Expand
  20. Nov 11, 2011
    1
    it's funny that this game has not a single negative critic score but loads of negative user ones. well it's the users who are spending thier hard earned money on this 2011 version of COD 4. i swear i guessed many of the moments in the single player before they happened. yeah the actions ok but it's all the same as before. the multiplayer is still over hyped and buggy which leaves me withit's funny that this game has not a single negative critic score but loads of negative user ones. well it's the users who are spending thier hard earned money on this 2011 version of COD 4. i swear i guessed many of the moments in the single player before they happened. yeah the actions ok but it's all the same as before. the multiplayer is still over hyped and buggy which leaves me with nothing more to say. DONT BUY! Expand
  21. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    Activision can shove mw3 right up there you know what. You have so many fans who love call of duty and you make an identical game because you know it will sell millions of copies no matter what. Activisions Bobby Kotick is a greedy idiot who ruining the game industry. I will never buy another cod game since there are game developers out there that deserve better like Naughty Dog.
  22. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    It's just one big over priced map pack. Overhyped! No quality. Just gimmicks by Activision to get our money! The developers are obviously trying to duplicate Modern Warfare 2 sales by giving us more of the same. Where is the innovation?
  23. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    I pre-ordered both BF3 and MW3... And, i can not see differences between MW2 & MW3... THIS IS THE SAME **** GAME. The only new feature is the system to get screwed in the long term with cod elite...
  24. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    Absolutely disappointed in this game. It is nothing but a recycled game with the same stuff from mw2. Its amazing that activision continues to rob people of their money by creating the exact same crap and charging people 65 dollars. MW3 is basically mw2.5. It is so similar that it feels like your playing mw2. People continue to throw their money away because of the name call of duty.
  25. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks. This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks. This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks. This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
    This game sucks, Activision sucks IW sucks all COD fanboys sucks.
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  26. Nov 11, 2011
    0
    I ws so looking forward to MW3 it was scary... And now that i've played the multi player i wish that i'd bought Skyrim instead and i don't even like RPG's The maps are predictable, the spawning takes the piss and the kill streaks have no imagination what so ever.... It's that bad i don't even want to try the single player game because i dont want to end up smashing my game pad of the wallI ws so looking forward to MW3 it was scary... And now that i've played the multi player i wish that i'd bought Skyrim instead and i don't even like RPG's The maps are predictable, the spawning takes the piss and the kill streaks have no imagination what so ever.... It's that bad i don't even want to try the single player game because i dont want to end up smashing my game pad of the wall I can honestly say that Infinty Ward and Dumbhammer games have ruined the MW franchise once and for all In reality it's just like a movie sequel the 1st one or two are good and after that all the companies are doing is passing out crap to the hard working public.......... DO NOT BUY THIS COMPLETE AND UTTER DONKEY... Expand
  27. Nov 11, 2011
    1
    Pretty sad that they barely tried to improve this gaming experience from the previous Modern Warfare. It's basically MW2 with a 65$ map pack addition with some new guns. It's also pretty sad that people at Sledgehammer is asking players to come onto this site to vote higher. Haha.
  28. Nov 11, 2011
    1
    This game is MW2 with a faster framerate that can not be praised because with the amount of lag on multiplayer it is shadowed. Why is the game bad Well for starters Why I am not a battlefield fanboy after playing BF3 I felt that this game Is a dull piece of crap re-imagining of MW2 therfore should not be a stand alone game and is probably the worst in the series Sorry IW, activision andThis game is MW2 with a faster framerate that can not be praised because with the amount of lag on multiplayer it is shadowed. Why is the game bad Well for starters Why I am not a battlefield fanboy after playing BF3 I felt that this game Is a dull piece of crap re-imagining of MW2 therfore should not be a stand alone game and is probably the worst in the series Sorry IW, activision and slegdehammer but you let the fans down and created pure hatred. Expand
  29. Nov 11, 2011
    2
    Spent days and months on online play alone on MW2 and COD4 MW..I knew they were gonna come up something similar with MW3 but i thought the slight changes and tweaks would still keep it fresh. Sad to say, MW3 dissapoints. Its just a stale bread. Dissapointing
  30. Nov 11, 2011
    8
    This is crazy, I can't believe all the disappointed BF3 Fan Boys that came on here to trash MW3. I heard about the incredibly unbalanced user score that MW3 has received on Metacritic from IGN, and decided to create a Metacritic account just to give an unbiased and objective review and score. And to help even out this Very low score for an obviously above average game, I mean sure MW3 isThis is crazy, I can't believe all the disappointed BF3 Fan Boys that came on here to trash MW3. I heard about the incredibly unbalanced user score that MW3 has received on Metacritic from IGN, and decided to create a Metacritic account just to give an unbiased and objective review and score. And to help even out this Very low score for an obviously above average game, I mean sure MW3 is not perfect but 3.1 out of ten is bull***t. First off I would like to state that I am not a COD Fan Boy and not a little kid, I'm a hardcore gamer that has been playing games since the early nineties. I play all manner of games on PC and PS3 and have also bought MW3's main competitor BF3. I have played about 30 hours on BF3's Multiplayer and have a 3.30 Kill/Death Ratio so am no noob when it comes to FPS. Even so I was disappointed with the overall products of both Battlefied 3 (which got boring faster than expected) and MW3. In the end I scored MW3 8 out of 10. It is very similar to MW2 but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Singleplayer was OK, similar to the last two Modern Warfare's (overall uneventfull and boring with only some good bits) Spec Ops Missions are fun and exciting, especially if you have a friend to play them with and Spec Ops New Survival Mode is great addictive fun and a good addition to the series, I would say, and this is just my opinion that this is better than Zombies (playing with a mic is essential). Than you have Multiplayer which love it or hate it is pretty much the same as MW2 but with Strike Pakages, different killstreaks and different variations on old perks, some new guns and some new maps and game modes. Noob tubing, Nuke Killstreak and One Man Army Perk are gone but Quikscoping and Drop Shoting are still the order of the day. Also Spawn Deaths, Hit Detaction and Lag Issues can become a bit annoying. But with a half Decent Connection, a bit of skill and a touch of class you should be able to overcome these shotcomings to have one of the sweetest FPS Online Gaming experiences you can have at this time. I won't lie somtimes the multiplayer can have you screaming at the TV about the injustice of the last 5 Cheap deaths that made no sense whatsoever. But with a bit of patience even without the Elite Functions you get to know the layout of the maps, the spawn points, choke points, best class layouts for specific situations and maps. You will receive better weapons and figure out which strike package work best for you, and then your experience will start getting better. And to everyone saying COD is unbalanced that's BS, because there is a strategy and counter for everything your adversaries can throw at you. So after everything is said and done what it really comes down to is skill (and who has more of it). Overall, taken all the features packed into this one game and the weeks and possibly months of enjoyment that can be had, it's impossible for me to see how this game can receive a score below an 8 let alone a 5. If your a fan of FPS or games in general this a great addition to your game collection. Definately not MW2 DLC, and for only $50 to $100 are you that poor/cheap to complain about purchasing a great game and depriving yourself of fun just because a bunch of pathetic PC BF3 Fanboy Sheep/Followers decided to flood this site with negative reviews. It's Up To You. Expand
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 81
  2. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. Jan 11, 2012
    85
    Ultimately, Modern Warfare 3 feels similar to it's brethren, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great game. The single player element is still exciting, and multiplayer has more options than ever – if you're a fan of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3 is a no brainer.
  2. Dec 28, 2011
    84
    Modern Warfare 3, while still an excellent thrill ride in its own right, feels far too similar to MW2 or even Black Ops for my taste.
  3. I never expected Modern Warfare 3 to go toe-to-toe with EA's juggernaut this year, but it came out of the gates with a tour de force campaign and co-op mode. It loses points with a perhaps too-familiar multiplayer that caters to the juvenile on Xbox Live; though don't be mistaken, Modern Warfare 3 is one hell of a shooter and a highlight for a series that just won't die – no matter how much we wish it bloody would, at times.