Now for the final part of the reviews for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. It is of course the Multiplayer. When I played the Beta this alone got me aboard the hype train and hoping for the recovery from Modern Warfare II (2022). I don’t know what it was about the multiplayer for MW2 2022, it only kept me hooked for about a month before I got bored of the lack of content, boring maps, and lack of want to play.
However, the beta they put out for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 was a swing in the right direction and yes, this was mainly down to the fact that they brought back classic maps from the series’ best games (In my opinion).
When you get down to it, this multiplayer could have easily been an update or DLC. It didn’t need to be a whole new addition to the franchise. I love the gunplay, and the classic maps but do I need to be paying AAA prices for this?
The progression and grind feel slowed down unless you use Tokens to give you that boost or jump on when they put out a double XP event. You can use the Zombie mode to get weapons quicker which I did for a few of them just so that I can use weapons that I wanted online rather than having to wait to be a certain level.
The gunsmith is still in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and like last year’s installment is a nice feature to have as it allows you to customise your weapons to best suit your player style. The Armoury takes a while to unlock but once you do unlock it, it’s nice to be able to further expand your horizons.
Even though it has current-era COD play the old maps do let me reminisce on the Classic Modern Warfare days which will always be the staple and highlight point for me with the franchise. The current era’s quality of life changes help to make these maps more enjoyable and on a new level of fun. It would have made old and new fans of the series happy to be able to play these maps for the first time or replay them and remember the flow of the maps and the Highrise exploit where you could get onto the crane and building.
The only thing missing was the OG crew from back then who I used to play with but I took my new friend group with me this time around and brought new memories to these epic maps. The elephant in the room though while playing it is the consent feeling of being ripped off for paying all this money for DLC. I know I keep saying it through the reviews I have done for Modern Warfare III but it is a feeling that the whole fanbase feels not just this one reviewer.
I suppose another good thing was the ability to bring your guns from MW2 over with you. This made Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 gun list go crazy and there are so many things to choose from now that it feels overwhelming. The weapons pool is way too high and could be used with toning down.
The available modes are fun, they keep and introduce new modes that help keep me playing for long periods. This multiplayer feels more satisfying compared to last year and I want to jump on and play. There are also new modes on the horizon which again will keep it feeling fresh but this is similar to what they did in MW2 with the timed modes and the same map on repeat. The fact that we got 16 maps at launch with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is already a selling point and a lot better than MW2.
I need to stress the frustration I have with SBMM. Unless I’m playing ranked or participating in a competition it shouldn’t be a standard in core modes. It just means that I constantly get matches with players who are way better than me and make my online gaming experience unenjoyable. Don’t get me wrong there are times when I do feel like I’m in lobbies that are with people who are similar to my level and these games are the best but they are like one in every twenty.
Can we also address the fact that Call of Duty’s microtransactions, skins and packs make online feel like a realistic Fortnite? I booted up Multiplayer and jumping into my first game was in a squad with Groot, Spawn, Snoop Dog, and Nikki Minaj. Why is COD going down this route? If you are going to make skins do decent ones, I’d never thought I’d see the day when COD ventured into collabs but I suppose it’s all about money nowadays.
It makes multiplayer look ridiculous when people are running around with flashing guns and bright green skins. I don’t know if I can say this as I do play Fortnite and by skins and battlepass but this was the first game I played where I invested in this sort of thing and never thought I would see COD do it.
All in all, my time in the multiplayer has probably been the most enjoyable I have had out of MW3 (2023). The 16 classic maps at launch, fantastic gunplay, and pleather of modes have put a good starting point for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3′s multiplayer. If they keep this up and introduce new modes, maps, and guns I think they will be onto a winning formula but one that has had success from going back to its routes and bringing back the Classic. Maybe they should take this as an eye-opener and think about what made those games great and bring that into the new era of COD.
Conclusion
If the current Call of Duty has shown us one thing is that it has become a fraction of the game it was back in the day. Gone are the glory days for this heavy-weight franchise and instead we are just left with this recycled heap of averageness that they charge a premium price for. What made COD great has now become a way for Activision to get quick money every year by copying other games like Fortnite with Battlepasses, ridiculous skins, and forever trying to get you to pay for something via microtransaction.
The one thing that I can’t fault COD for is Gunplay as this is something they have refined and mastered over many years, it does remain a quality FPS experience. The multiplayer this time around is saved by the maps of old and the feel of the good old days when I used to finish school and play all night with my friends but to stick a £70+ price tag on something that could have easily been a free DLC pack or even a paid one over a few months we got it rushed out and slapped on the market and for a fan of the series I couldn’t help but feel robbed and let down.
There are plenty of modes currently available with new maps confirmed to be coming soon but the grind for weapons and the slow level progression (without the use of tokens and double XP) makes for frustration as you wait to unlock everything. One of the main killers for Multiplayer for me is the SBMM, this needs to be one as it makes online multiplayer unenjoyable for the average player. I don’t want to spend my time online going against MLG players or people who live and breathe this game to the point where all I’m doing is spawning and dying instantly.
Spawn points are another issue that needs to be addressed and they need to start thinking about what this franchise needs rather than a quick buck every year. I would be more than happy if COD took four-plus years off if it meant we could get a game in the series that lives up to the Classic Modern Warfare series and World at War.
The last Call of Duty instalment I enjoyed and it made me think that they were back on track was World War II now I don’t even think the publishers and Devs know what they want to do with this once great series. For those reasons I’m giving the Multiplayer a 7 out of 10 and the overall game which includes the Campaign, Zombies, and Multiplayer a mediocre 6 out of 10.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Trailer
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