Modern Warfare 3 Preview

By Christian Donlan Published 26 May, 2011

‘Till I collapse.

So, where were we?

Oh yes. Russia has invaded the continental United States. An armada has arrived on the shores of the eastern seaboard, battles have been fought around strip malls and fast food joints, and gunfights have torn up the White House lawns.

All of which means that Modern Warfare 3 isn't just the first Call of Duty Infinity Ward – now in conjunction with Sledgehammer Games – has made since the legally complex departure of West and Zampella. It's the first Call of Duty Infinity Ward has made that begins at a point that has no connection to any kind of reality. The franchise has kicked itself loose from Planet Earth one plot twist, one nuke launch, and one snow-covered skidoo chase at a time. The series that was once so eager to tell the story of the everyday Joes at the sharp end of each global conflict is now heading towards what entertainment historians might refer to as the Late Brosnan period of its creative development.

That said, it's not looking half bad off the back of it. A recent reveal of the single-player campaign – arguably not that close to being the most important part of a COD release – shows that the franchise's spectacle engines are in robust Late Brosnan health. Watching developers walk through brief – and enormously loud – sections of New York and London levels suggests that the guiding principle for the latest game has been More of the Same, and Bigger Helpings. That means more set-pieces, bigger explosions, and another thick layer of scripting just to make sure that every last element goes according to plan. It's Call of Duty: Shut Up and Hang Onto Something, and if you're weary at the prospect of funfair ride mechanics – enemies that won't die until the script renders them vulnerable, barrels which will explode wedged in with barrels that are just scenery – it's worth remembering that we're promised more Spec Ops and more Multiplayer too. Come release day, there should be lots of twitchy tactical freedom in the box, ready to work alongside the on-rails carnage of story mode.

It should be a game of extremes, then. A trip into the Lower Manhattan level certainly hints that, come November, you'll be moving through a single-player campaign in which almost nothing is left to chance. Every waypoint marker leads you past pretty destruction, each plot beat calls for bespoke - possibly one-off - animations from your team-mates as they nervously lean against walls or tap each other on shoulders to issue frantic signals. As a player, it's weird to have this much care and attention lavished on you: this is a game that never sends you up a ladder and onto a rooftop unless you're going to glimpse a bomber going overhead at just the right second as you emerge, and which will never let a pranged chopper lazily spiral down from the sky unless it will knock against your chopper as it falls, sending you into a world-jumbling spin until your pilot rights everything at the last moment.

The developers have done an excellent job of ensuring that this clockwork world at least looks like chaos. Between the echoing skyscraper battlements of Wall Street, there's a real sense of being in the middle of a massive conflict, even as the game's unshakable pacing mechanisms dole out a mere handful of enemies for you to fight at each turn. New York's occupied by the Russian army at this point in the campaign, leaving you on a mission to trek through Manhattan, gathering delta team stragglers, and fighting into a wind that's already thick with ash and burning wreckage: crazy as it seems, the design renders it fairly convincing.

We've been here before, of course – most recently with Crysis 2 – but COD still manages to make New York feel like an event. On your way to a rendezvous with other resistance fighters, you'll battle the enemy both in the streets themselves, pinned-down by gun trucks and hunkering behind chunks of concrete as the metallic chattering of weaponry fills the air, and inside shattered buildings, working your way through offices, once plush, now carefully trashed, taking it one door, one artfully exposed staircase, and one flashbang at a time.

You may not have a great deal of control over how to approach many of the encounters – at least not in the sections Activision's currently unveiling – but Modern Warfare 3 certainly mixes up its target ranges for you fairly regularly. Enemies pop up first in the foreground and then in the distance, while the campaign sends you through the trading floor of Stock Exchange where you have to inch from one piece of cover to the next (it's a close-up, low visibility battle that brings back plenty of memories of the first Modern Warfare's TV station assault) one minute, and then upwards onto the overhead gantries to whittle down the ranks of enemies spawning below the next.

It mixes up weapons too – Manhattan includes everything from standard assault rifles to the AT4 and that lovely grenade launcher - and keeps the objectives ticking over nicely. Meet the team, flank the Russian forces, head to the rooftops and take out a radar jammer. After that, there's just time for a quick – and tightly choreographed – buzz through the skyscraper canyons of the island while you take down a few rival whirlybirds. Up here you can see that New York's a wreck, but it's nowhere near as artful or meticulous a wreck as Crysis 2's take on the city. Instead, texture and detailing has been sacrificed for a rock solid 60 fps, and it's a trade that makes a lot of sense. This is a busy world that moves past you at great speeds, and it would be a crime to see it halt or stutter.

London, meanwhile, offers a change of scenery, but refuses to release the firm grip on pacing. Dropped into the shoes of a gruff Statham type named Burns, you're on a night mission in dreary British rain, sent in with your team to take a peak at a supply depot where the Russians are moving something unpleasant around in a convoy of vans.

The level kicks off in a semi-Dickensian warren of alleyways and dead ends as your squad moves into the facility, clearing out buildings before heading to the target. There are plenty of people for you to shoot with your silenced P90 – "silenced" is a relative term in the COD fun park, mind – but the real pleasure lies in seeing your partners neatly taking out their targets around you, too: sniping through windows from a distance, or killing up-close. It's a beautiful piece of atmospheric theatre, and the kind of thing that COD games excel at.

New York makes for a looming presence, even after it's been kicked around a bit.

Once the mission turns hot (I felt a little like Statham myself just using that term) it's back to painstakingly-crafted panic, as you race through an industrial estate ducking bouncing concrete pipes that have come loose before leaping into a pick-up – manning the turret, obviously – to chase after a runaway tube train. The game's budget is being spent everywhere you look – before a truly mesmerising crash, you zip through stations where individually animated commuters wait on the platforms, and out into a huge rain swept skybox, dominated by Canary Wharf - but while it's a classic Modern Warfare moment, it can feel, just a little, like something Nathan Drake should be doing rather than the hardened realists of the SAS.

COD just can't resist the lure of cinema, then, even when subsequent playthroughs will potentially mean that the cinema you're getting is the bank truck robbery scene from Groundhog Day. One, two, three, dog bark. Five, six, seven, air strike. It's elegantly done though, and the best scripted sequences out there, like the building collapse from Uncharted 2, and the plane hijacking that caps the first Modern Warfare, proves that there's a real Time Crisis thrill to memorising spawn patterns and tightening your racing line through a level. What's more, it's hardly easy to pull off, either, as Homefront, with its cut-price theatrics, has already made clear.

Talking of rivals, is Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3's big competitor this Christmas, likely to make the same choices? Will it match this campaign, or counter it, exchanging scripted thrills for something a little less linear? Can't wait to find out: November is going to be pretty interesting.

Picture of Christian.

About Christian Donlan

Chris Donlan writes about games for Eurogamer and some magazines. His heroes include Eugene Jarvis, Errol Morris, and Linus Van Pelt.

Read more articles from Christian by visiting the Christian Donlan archive page.

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Comments (124) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • coolbritannia #1 1 year ago

    But COD's single player is an illusion.

    "Every waypoint marker leads you past pretty destruction, each plot beat calls for bespoke - possibly one-off - animations from your team-mates as they nervously lean against walls or tap each other on shoulders to issue frantic signals. As a player, it's weird to have this much care and attention lavished on you: this is a game that never sends you up a ladder and onto a rooftop unless you're going to glimpse a bomber going overhead at just the right second as you emerge, and which will never let a pranged chopper lazily spiral down from the sky unless it will knock against your chopper as it falls, sending you into a world-jumbling spin until your pilot rights everything at the last moment."

    = no replay value for campaign. And I am pretty fucking bored of CoD multiplayer these days.

  • nickthegun #2 1 year ago

    Looks fantastic!!!

  • berelain #3 1 year ago

    looks fan- well, no, it looks like more of the same, really. Quelle Surprise.

  • telboy007 #4 1 year ago

    It'll be fun, until you play on Veteran - then it'll just be a hideous chore for the gamer points.

  • arcam #5 1 year ago

    Any ideas how long the London section will be?

    Is it just a single level or a significant portion of the campaign?

  • Moonprince #6 1 year ago

    "firm grip on pacing"

    COD has pacing?

  • geeza2020 #7 1 year ago

    "– but Modern Warfare 3 certainly mixes up its target ranges for you fairly regularly. Enemies pop up first in the foreground and then in the distance"

    Wow, revolutionary stuff here Activision, good to see you putting those billions of dollars to good use.


    Fucking hell.

  • TruWari3r #8 1 year ago

    So where's Dave?

  • richarddavies #9 1 year ago

    @nickthegun

    Well that fad fizzled out fast didn't it?

  • TeeHee #10 1 year ago

    Still think this should be banned.

    not because it's offensive, but for the good of the industry as a whole.

  • geeza2020 #11 1 year ago

    "It's a beautiful piece of atmospheric theatre, and the kind of thing that COD games excel at." Shame its so rubbish as a game then really.

  • AliRay #12 1 year ago

    More Spec Ops = more co-op fun with mates. Sold.

  • acuratebob #13 1 year ago

    If this is what Battlefield 3 has to fight. Then it's gonna win. End of the day the COD players will play COD. Not because it's better. But because it's the new COD game.

    I prefer Battlefield simply because is actually tactical and challenging. My job as an Engineer will be handy in BF3.

  • Daeltaja #14 1 year ago

    So this is basically the epiphany of "on-rails-shooter"? Sounds seriously boring. I wonder how Manhattan will stack up against Crysis 2 and the beautiful looking BF3. Not that the masses will care!!

  • sfp_noodle #15 1 year ago

    It's now got to a point where both bitching and defending the bitching about a COD game has gotten boring. Just let it go. I do take issue with the franchise myself, along with EGs annual COD masturbation week where they can't stop posting pointless story after story about it, but I'm done complaining. It's not going away that's for sure. Just don't buy it if you dislike it. That's what I intend to do. Plus I'll be staying away from EG for a week beginning 8th November since it shall temporarily be CODgamer. There won't be another story on here.

  • Arsecake_Baker #16 1 year ago

    I won't be taken in by Activision this year, the franchise has gone on long enough now and is beyond tedious.
    Edited by Arsecake_Baker at 26/05/11 @ 13:48

  • TipTop #17 1 year ago

    Has the underlying game engine changed?

  • P1GEONPOO #18 1 year ago

    COD games have been shit since cod 2 at launch. imo

  • arcam #19 1 year ago

    @TipTop

    There are small changes with every release CoD (this one will add some scenery destruction), but no, generally speaking the engine is unchanged.

    Makes sense really as this has been a rock-solid engine that has produced 4-5 of the best-selling games this generation. Makes a lot more sense to update the engine when the new consoles come along in a year or two.

  • Hughtendo #20 1 year ago

    @sfp_noodle, a fair point, but I'm just annoyed at how much consumer spending this tired series absorbs. It's damaging the industry.

  • fletch273 #21 1 year ago

    CoD is becoming to the games industry what the X Factor is to the television industry. Pretty much the same every year and leaves no competition for Christmas top seller.

  • patriot #22 1 year ago

    I Prefer BF Series
    COD Sucks

  • LHH #23 1 year ago

    Fuck me look at them screens. Pushing the genre forward, eat your heart out Carmack

  • KTroopA #24 1 year ago

    that came across as a bit pooh tbh. destruction...pfff we all know it will be faked. enjoy 60fps - tho im bored of the theatre of war angle. isnt this game just World at War all over again with a black ops skin. pretty lazy

  • andywilkie35 #25 1 year ago

    Ah this is good, a preview already! I'm surprised as it was leaked by mistake the other week, with four ready to go trailers leaked before it was ready apparently! Activision are not cynical cunts!

  • darkos87 #26 1 year ago

    Eh, whatever people say, Call of duty's campaign is batshit insane and bonkers and totally incomprehensible and you might get a heart attack playing through the first hour, then get bored watching yourself nearly die for the rest of the 4 hour campaign, but Spec Ops is good, Multiplayer is good.

    And the game is overall entertaining. So let's give it a rest alright? :) It's going to sell 40000000 billion copies anyway

  • TeeHee #27 1 year ago

    I'm willing to bet five pounds that in during the level in Paris one of the americans makes a joke about liberating France again.

    In fact i might start a pool in work for accurately guessing how many times a key character gets killed off.

  • rudedudejude #28 1 year ago

    Looking forward to the Spec Ops more than the single or multiplayer campaign stuff tbh.

  • ubergine #29 1 year ago

    No mention of engine / graphical changes?

  • LHH #30 1 year ago

    No mention of engine / graphical changes?

    hahahahahaaaaaa

  • inutaihanyou #31 1 year ago

    With more than 45+ members gone, its no wonder the rest of IW and Sledgehammer played it safe with the small amount of time that Activision gave them. But really, you can tell that the talent for evolution left with West and Zampella, hope to see Respawn's new game eventually.

    For what its worth though, this MW3 effort looks a lot better than BO and Treyarch's efforts in WAW and Black ops.

    I enjoyed COD1,2,4 and 6 over any of Treyarch's "me too" additions to the series.
    Edited by inutaihanyou at 26/05/11 @ 13:42

  • spekkeh #32 1 year ago

    Looks great. And who cares for replayability. The time spent playing the same game again could be better spent playing other games.

  • PcPlasticfuzz #33 1 year ago

    CoD maybe scripted yes, and it may use essentially the same engine from Call of Duty 2, however I would really love to know where all the people saying I prefer Battlefield 3 have got their copies from because I havent played it yet ? Have you ? Or do you base your opinion on the video's released by DICE/EA? I seem to remeber some fancy videos of Medal of Honor being released before that came out, and lets face it, it was ok, but it wasnt all that.

  • NHDavid #34 1 year ago

    looks shite

  • Badassbab #35 1 year ago

    The plot of Modern Warfare is becoming too unrealistic. How the hell would Russia invade the US, the country who's navy has the combined tonnage of the worlds next 13 navies and spends more on it's military then the rest of the world combined? I'll still play it as COD is fun but man if they aren't careful Battlefield will dethrone them commercially.

  • MrBill #36 1 year ago

    CoD haters, go fuck yourselves. If you don't like Call of Duty games then DON'T BUY THEM and STOP COMMENTING ON THEM. Also, LOL at the moron who called this an on-rails shooter. Linearity does NOT equal on-rails.

    Edit after reading coolbrittania's post: I don't even have a mic. Stop making baseless accusations.
    Edited by MrBill at 26/05/11 @ 15:06

  • TeeHee #37 1 year ago

    @pcplasticfuzz: I'm gonna go and assume that those people, like me, are yet to play a BF game that they havent enjoyed.

  • schnide #38 1 year ago

    High production values, which might be something. I'd like to know if the London levels will be vaguely recognisable and allow you to play in real streets, or if it'll just be tacked on as "somewhere in London." Either way, quite where they can take the series after this is anybody's guess.

  • PcPlasticfuzz #39 1 year ago

    Thats a fine point, however its no guarantee that the next CoD will be bad or the next Battlefield will be good is it ?

  • WiseNail #40 1 year ago

    Based upon that preview I already expect Eurogamer to give this an 8 out of 10 review. Things that would be faults in the sequel of another franchise are constantly overlooked here:

    “That said, it's not looking half bad off the back of it”.

    “it's worth remembering that we're promised more Spec Ops and more Multiplayer too”

    “Come release day, there should be lots of twitchy tactical freedom in the box, ready to work alongside the on-rails carnage of story mode”.

    “We've been here before, of course – most recently with Crysis 2 – but COD still manages to make New York feel like an event”.

    “You may not have a great deal of control over how to approach many of the encounters – at least not in the sections Activision's currently unveiling – but Modern Warfare 3 certainly mixes up its target ranges for you fairly regularly”.

    “Instead, texture and detailing has been sacrificed for a rock solid 60 fps, and it's a trade that makes a lot of sense”.

    “This is a busy world that moves past you at great speeds, and it would be a crime to see it halt or stutter”.

    “London, meanwhile, offers a change of scenery, but refuses to release the firm grip on pacing”.

    “It's a beautiful piece of atmospheric theatre, and the kind of thing that COD games excel at”.

    “the best scripted sequences out there”

  • coolbritannia #41 1 year ago

    "CoD haters, go fuck yourselves. "

    Yeah, you're the perfect representation of the kind of mouth breathers you find on live playing CoD.

  • Zaiz #42 1 year ago

    @Badassbab

    Because the russians surprise attacked the US by disabling a spy satellite...which disabled all of the spy satellites? They also conscripted their entire population, sold half their landmass to China, and returned to evil communism. All because a US agent was involved in a massacre.

  • bodypopper #43 1 year ago

    BF3 will be the best of the two for sure but as someone who can afford both, Battlefield and CoD still compliment each other for me.
    I can handle 'on rails' but the single player storytelling was poor in MW2.
    That said, CoD multi has always been good for a casual hour's blast when you don't want to have to think about teamwork too much. There will at least be new toys to play with this year - as long as it doesn't feel too much like a mod of previous games.

  • Geordiemp #44 1 year ago

    COD has a single player ?

    Just hope they keep the balance of blops multi and dont go down the comando knife lunge, and noob tube grenade spam that was MW2.

    I liked how they balanced snipers in BLOPS, lets hope it transfers to MW3.

    Just my opinion, but I think BLOPS is one of the best balanced multiplayer ever - noob tubes = flack jacket, Ghost = noob tubes, FAMAS = strafe with MP5K (win every time LOL)...
    Edited by Geordiemp at 26/05/11 @ 14:34

  • ichobi #45 1 year ago

    Warning, the below conversation is real, I shall refrain from naming names for the safety of personel involved.
    In the morning conference between IW project manager and Activision suits right after West and Zampella debacle, it went like this

    IW rep: Boss, we have exhausted the idea for COD now. And the best guys on the project all left!!!
    AC suit A: What? Since when do you need ideas for COD.... get back to work kid, I don't have time for this.
    AC suit B: I'll take haddock, crispy pretty please...
    AC suit A: Don't interrupt Mr. B, so what's your plan then mr. manager?
    IW rep: I think the fan are pretty tired from out repeatedly use graphic and game engine, unlimited respawning enemies and all that scripty events. I think it's time to invest in some new game engine. We look so 2006! We need lvling system, inventories and open world maps, that's gonna make it best FPS of the year!
    AC suit A: Blah blah blah That is going to cost £££££
    AC suit B: And that's what we DON'T do.
    IW rep: .......
    AC suit A: Look, you don't need new idea kiddo. Listen, your last game sold billion copies. That's a business winning formula right? You did right stuff so people bought it. So why not do more of the same, add some more hollywood splosion and shit k?. Who cares right? Kids can't see graphics anyway. That's all we need of you kay? You got everything right so don't mess it up by making new stuff.
    IW rep: But boss..... Crysis 2 is so prettyyyy.
    AC suit B: Cry what?
    AC suit A: WHATEVER. Our meeting is over, if you want some buzz make it look like internal leaks 6 months before release. Show the friggin trailers for god sake. Kids will be all over it (as usual). Do it right and get your fat pay check in Nov. Then do another one next year. Kthxbye.

    IW rep: Fucking prick. (in silence)
    Edited by ichobi at 26/05/11 @ 14:14

  • Physically_Insane #46 1 year ago

    @coolbritannia

    Are you blind? Honestly, are you actually blind? Let's run through some of the comments made on this article:

    "looks fan- well, no, it looks like more of the same, really. Quelle Surprise."
    "Wow, revolutionary stuff here Activision, good to see you putting those billions of dollars to good use. Fucking hell."
    "Shame its so rubbish as a game then really."
    "COD games have been shit since cod 2 at launch. imo"
    "I Prefer BF Series COD Sucks"
    "Looks craptastic"
    "looks shite"

    I'm getting really sick of all these BF fanboys trolling every single CoD article. At least the CoD fanboys don't troll all the BF articles. Seriously getting sick of this now. Hopefully there's a decent MW3 group made after release on the forum so I can avoid all of the hate and talk with people who actually enjoy the game. Although, knowing BF fanboys, they'll probably join the group just to talk shit about it anyway.

  • joelstinton #47 1 year ago

    @Coolbritannia - fair point, but what about every COD article on here that gets filled from anything from 75 comments to 200 comments of Elitist bullshit and pure hate from Battlefield players. Every single time. Its got to the stage where they both bad as each other.

  • LHH #48 1 year ago

    I reckon that if you got the campaigns from cod4, mw2, black ops and this; mw3 and stuck them all together end to end you have a sp campaign as long as sp campaigns used to be

  • Dave52 #49 1 year ago

    It's got Christmas preasent written all over it. There's no point pretending I won't buy it.

  • KayJay #50 1 year ago

    It's Hollywood. I like Hollywood.
    I like Die Hard, I like Terminator. I like Mission Impossible.

    Balls out "I don't care what you think about me" fun.

    Granted it's not for everyone. I will enjoy it and I will also be enjoying Battlefield too... Go figure eh!

  • Geordiemp #51 1 year ago

    Makes you wonder who are the grown ups and who are the foul mouthed kids.....

    People coming on here dissing COD, grow up, its a game some of us like.

    Get foul mousthed kids on every game in multiplayer, thats what mute is for,

  • Moonprince #52 1 year ago

    I'm not sure its elitest BF players but rather gamers recognising a shit game that doesn't change year on year.

  • NunianVonFuch #53 1 year ago

    If we could see some actual console screens ideally from when you're actually in control that'd be great. These bullshots are for PC players only, and even then they're taken from in-engine cutscenes rather than gameplay.

    Also reading the rest of the review in "The Stath"'s voice made it very entertaining!

  • coolbritannia #54 1 year ago

    "@coolbritannia

    Are you blind? Honestly, are you actually blind? Let's run through some of the comments made on this article:

    "looks fan- well, no, it looks like more of the same, really. Quelle Surprise."
    "Wow, revolutionary stuff here Activision, good to see you putting those billions of dollars to good use. Fucking hell."
    "Shame its so rubbish as a game then really."
    "COD games have been shit since cod 2 at launch. imo"
    "I Prefer BF Series COD Sucks"
    "Looks craptastic"
    "looks shite"

    I see you quoting people's critique's of a game, they are not telling you as a fan of the game to go fuck yourself. YOU'RE the one getting personal. People on the internet have an opinion different from your own, so what?

    I'm more than happy for you to post "I love call of duty" without being offended, you should extend others the same courtesy. It's not like Eurogamer comments are going to dent the superiority of CoD is it?

    It'll be Battlefield 3 that does that....

  • drhickman1983 #55 1 year ago

    I'm actually looking forward to the campaign, where as the multiplayer (beyond split screen co-op modes) is something I couldn't care less about.

    Yes, it will be linear. Yes, the replay value might not be that high (that said, I've played through MW2s campaign several times). But sometimes I just want some well choreographed set pieces set to a ludicrious storyline, which it seems like MW3 will provide in bucketloads. Maybe not a purchase, but certainly a rental.

  • Architect_z #56 1 year ago

    Why is Russia always the enemy?

  • Physically_Insane #57 1 year ago

    @coolbritannia

    Yeah, you know why I'm taking it personally? Because I'm sick of reading the same shit ove r and over again. The BF fanboys are ruining this website for me. It's like I've just bought a nice big cake that I want to share with all my friends who love cake, and then loads of people have just spat all over it because they don't like cake and they must show everybody who does like cake how much they don't like cake.. I get that people don't like it. I get it. But why do the same people have to consistently tell us this in every CoD article. It's teh ultimate form of annoying trolling. It's like you've all got something to prove. You need to prove to yourselves that BF is the better game so you ram it down everybody's throats. Basically - I'll try and put this nicely - if you're not going to buy this game fuck off out of these CoD articles.

  • Architect_z #58 1 year ago

    Have they got rid of Commando Pro?

  • schnide #59 1 year ago

    @Architect_z

    Homefront and Operation Flashpoint would beg to differ..

  • MrBill #60 1 year ago

    Coolbrittania, it's fun making baseless assumptions, isn't it? I don't even have a mic. Like Physically Insane, I am utterly sick and tired of all the hate Call of Duty gets. I'm fine with people not liking CoD but it's simply jarring to see people hate and hate on CoD time and time again as if it's their sworn duty.

  • jablonski #61 1 year ago

    @ichobi

    If you're going to go to that much effort, at least make it worth reading

  • Collymilad #62 1 year ago

    I'll take BF3, ta.

    I only bought Black Ops (pre-owned) because my brother kept pestering me to get it.

    Not giving Activision any more money.


    About the trolling. The fact is that CoD fans take a comment like "I feel BF2 is the better game" as trolling. But then you guys all act like children anyway, so there's really no reasons to expect that you would take a negative comment about a game you like in any other way but the way a child would.

    Haha, negged within 1 minute. See above.
    Edited by Collymilad at 26/05/11 @ 15:04

  • johnson81 #63 1 year ago

    I don't understand all the hate COD gets. I like loads of online games that are similar, COD, BF2, MAG etc. I think the reason most people hate on COD is that they've played it to death over the years and the experience is all too familiar for them. I've still not managed to prestige any of the COD games as I don't have time to play it. This is probably why I still enjoy it occasionally. So I understand why people are bored with it but does that make the game shite, no. Just because the game has been played to death doesn't mean it's bad. In 4/5 years time when Battlefield 6 is out, the same people will be saying the exact same thing.

  • WiseNail #64 1 year ago

    I have no real issue with the Call of Duty games, they’re not particularly inspired nowadays but the multiplayer is built around a solid template that is good fun. It’s generally the only game most of my mates will pick up each year, and seems to be becoming as much a social thing or online sport as a gaming thing in some ways.

    My issue is that it’s overwhelming popularity gives Activision the muscle to write the future agenda of gaming as they see fit (£10 map pack, £5 on the RRP etc). I see it as exactly the same as me liking Premiership football but hating Sky TV.

  • WJF #65 1 year ago

    There's a distinct lack of quasi-religious ramblings from the BF fans in this thread so far, disappointingly.

    Here's my fav from another MW3 story: 'I guess that whilst DICE came equipped with sword and shield for the war Infinity Ward (or what''s left of it) came equiped with words, and these are words without meaning.'

    C'mon guys! Can someone segue something about the graphics engine into a prayer to the mighty EA soon, please? The thread feels bare without such madcap fun.

    Edit: On topic - sounds like more of the same, but I've yet to see a game do this sort of scripted FPS as well as COD. Will be getting both this and BF3 (another series I love).

    Edited by WJF at 26/05/11 @ 15:11

  • dangermouse81 #66 1 year ago

    Last time I bought MW2 and this happened - http://chriswrites.net/2010/07/07/xbox-w...

  • jablonski #67 1 year ago

    Do you also sell lady items?

  • patriot #68 1 year ago

    @Physically_Insane

    well spoken mate. I was actually one of the people who said COD sucked. I just wanted to see if i typed that how many people would give me thumbs up. I did this cause I wrote a previous comment when the first video was released about how anxious i was for the game and 18 people down ranked the comment. I don't understand peoples hate for COD. Some of the comments really are mind boggling.

    Does this happen in the BF comments? Do the COD players go in there and say "BF LOL". I've never seen this hate between 2 games before on this site....




  • linea #69 1 year ago

    (BFBC2 campaign spoiler within) Isn't Russia invading the United States the exact point at which BFBC2 ends? Are we seeing some kind of series crossover here?

  • mixmasterfestus #70 1 year ago

    Well it's another one anyway

    *shrug*

  • des #71 1 year ago

    Sounds great,BF3 annihilated.

    /will play both

  • Felwyn #72 1 year ago

    love the "late brosnian" references in the article

  • coolbritannia #73 1 year ago

    "Does this happen in the BF comments? Do the COD players go in there and say "BF LOL". I've never seen this hate between 2 games before on this site.... "

    Forza v Gran Turismo

    Killzone v Halo

    edit: Rock Band v Guitar Hero

    It's nothing new. Honestly, if you're a CoD fan and a PS3 fan right now, you must think the internet is gunning for you the way both groups are acting. Grow a pair, let people neg you, so fucking what?
    Edited by coolbritannia at 26/05/11 @ 15:44

  • Felwyn #74 1 year ago

    "I was actually one of the people who said COD sucked. I just wanted to see if i typed that how many people would give me thumbs up."

    Oh lord look who's the subversive now...what's the next step, planting bombs in buildings and claiming it was the BF crowd?

  • Bartacus #75 1 year ago

    All the moaning here, some comments come across as petty, maybe it's too realistic looking for you & you should all go play on the Wii (Call of Duty on the Wii is fucking woeful) as the graphics are terrible, with poor controls & frame rate.

    COD games are good value if you like on-line shooters. The graphics are nice on 360 I only wish the excellent sound from BF could be incorporated, as the sound effects are far better in Battlefield games.

    If you are a PC gamer moaning on COD then you have a point as PC games are being held back by PS3, 360 but on Console these are fine games.

    I'm looking forward to this game, as I would an action film like a Bond or Bourne. I'm also looking forward to BF3 as I would a war film, & I have high hopes that will deliver too.

  • TeeHee #76 1 year ago

    The only place where BF3 and MW3 will be comparable is going to be the single player because their multiplayers splinter off into two completely different genres.

    COD is for those who prefer a mindless run and gun romp and tends to be skewed towards the individual

    BF is favoured by those who want to play a game with a bit more strategy and tact-- team work is essential.

  • ozzzy189 #77 1 year ago

    Yawn. Wake me up when something interesting happens to call of duty. Same old shooting gallery.

  • Shinetop #78 1 year ago

    "War! It's fan-tastic!"

  • Kikizosan #79 1 year ago

    WOULD YOU BLOODY W3LL JU5T ST0P 1T!

  • bluem4gic #80 1 year ago

    Same Shit, Another Year

  • Ahskay #81 1 year ago

    What's this "Modern Warfare 3"? I thought it was irrelevant with Battlefield 3.

  • Killerbee #82 1 year ago

    I'm certainly tired of CoD multiplayer and imo Spec Ops is a poor substitute for a proper co-op campaign, but I will very likely still end up getting this at some stage. One thing CoD has always done well is set pieces. The story might be nonsense, the characters stereotypical army bods and the locations chosen to generate plenty of Daily Mail controversy, but it's true that making this sort of thing work takes a good degree of skill and design ability.

    Playing Crysis 2 recently - it's got a fabulous engine and the suit gimmick, but beyond that it's a fairly average shooter. It tries hard at set pieces, but they just don't seem to come off in the way CoD manages to nail them (almost) every time. I think the biggest signpost is the "press F to look" message - if you can't design your levels in such a way as to make the player naturally look at whatever it is you want them to see, something's wrong.

    So I will be getting BF3 on release because I'm pretty sure the multiplayer will be far and away better than MW3's (personal choice - I preferred Bad Company 2 MP to any CoD game MP ever), but I'm still interested in this as well.

    Surely any shooter fan - even Battlefield die hards - should at least be following its progress?

  • maler23 #83 1 year ago

    Late Brosnan. Love it. Could never get into the scripted "pacing" of the COD series though. Always felt like the only choices were to hang back and get overwhelmed by infinitely spawning baddies or throw all tactical movement to the wind and run around shooting and cursing my controller for not being a mouse. Still died either way. Much more a Battlefield guy myself.. blow a hole in a wall, create a new avenue, flank, much more fun for me.

  • Golgo #84 1 year ago

    Don't understand the CoD hate. Just don't buy it if you don't want it. I've bought and lost enjoyable hours to MW1, MW2 and BLOPS, but I'll be giving it a miss this year as I'm getting a little bit fatigued with it. More excited about Rage than either of the big two modern military shooters tbh.

  • P1GEONPOO #85 1 year ago

    @Physically Insane

    Someone touched a nerve son. Its only an opinion, get over it.

    By the way ive bought all COD games and ive never played a BF game before so your argument is flawed.

  • mAc062 #86 1 year ago

    COD sucks, they should just kill it off. There were 2 good games the pc orginal and modern warfare all other iterations were unoriginal crap, the morons don’t realise they are buying the same game every year and EA will take advantage of their stupidity, you know who you are.

  • metalangel #87 1 year ago

    That Tube sequence is going to be laughed at by anyone who's ever taken the tube, it's unreal to the point of ridiculousness.

    A bit like CoD, I suppose.

    I'd hate to be an NPC living in the US in a game. You've got the Koreans in the West and a radioactive Mississippi if you try to go through the Midwest (Homefront), Russians in the eastern seaboard (MW2 and 3) and arguing with the Chinese over who gets Alaska (Fallout and Bad Company 2) while the Mexicans are getting shirt south of the border (GRAW2). All that remains is north, and, well, we're too polite to get involved in crap like this so we've closed the border (Homefront again).

  • irrelevanthuman #88 1 year ago

    Tuned out of this franchise quite a while ago, thank fuck I have free will and don't have to buy the latest iteration. As for those who like call of duty, hope you enjoy the new one.

  • layleeloo #89 1 year ago

    Oh, nodded off after about 5 sentences.... zzzzz

  • coolbritannia #90 1 year ago

    "maybe it's too realistic looking for you"

    Sorry, did you just say that about a CoD game!?

  • asphaltcowboy #91 1 year ago

    So not really pushing the genre forward at all as they claimed a few days ago?

  • ronuds #92 1 year ago

    Not exactly a gushing endorsement for the game this preview. Did I read it the wrong way, or did they seem to take a shot at its same-ness quite a lot?

  • Freakachuu #93 1 year ago

    Why don't they just make a fucking film and get it out of their system? Games are supposed to be interactive. I thought that was the whole point. This sounds like first person cinema.

  • orangpelupa #94 1 year ago

    from reading the article, it seems mw3 will be the usual CoD experience. intense battle and awesome scripted event in SP.
    i just hope there more mission like "all ghilied up" in CoD4....


    hmm about the game between bf and cod....
    i play BF series and CoD series (since edition 1)

    for SP experience, i prefer CoD. (the momen on "pegasus bridge" in CoD1 and CoD4's "all ghilied up" is unforgetable..)
    for MP experience, i was prefer CoD but after come BFBC2 i prefer BF.

    playing MP in BFBC2 is awesome, its big but still can be as "intense" as CoD. Also not limited in infantry, i can fly, i can drive, i also can blow down a building :D :D

    and this is just my personal opinion...
    but why i felt that i will get negatives.....

  • xandaca #95 1 year ago

    'Late Brosnan' is a great expression. Kudos.

    This sounds OK, just the usual escalation of what has gone before. Something tells me there won't be a Wii version of this one...

  • TheEnforcer000 #96 1 year ago

    What a tired formula

  • harryriedl #97 1 year ago

    Like the comment about it being late bronsen as COD dose sound like some of those stupid bond plots I still buy it though it seems fun in its own way

  • harryriedl #98 1 year ago

    Like the comment about it being late bronsen as COD dose sound like some of those stupid bond plots I still buy it though it seems fun in its own way

  • peppergomez #99 1 year ago

    I predict that BF3 is gonna eat this for lunch

  • Kamata #100 1 year ago

    Respawn Entertainment FTW

  • dean0null #101 1 year ago

    Why did they have to go for a more scripted environment? If they wanted it to "look cool" they could have just created an interesting skybox.

  • charming_fox #102 1 year ago

    Late Brosnan

  • Sunyavadin #103 1 year ago

    "Hey, let's copy Homefront! Because that was such a successful game!"

  • niteninja #104 1 year ago

    Call of generic first person shooter number xxx.
    FPS bore the shit out of me.

  • Svalbaard #105 1 year ago

    Well at least you can be certain that resistance on the French levels will be minimal.

  • Subdominator #106 1 year ago

    So what might be that big multiplayer secret that they talked about at the event but is still under NDA? Cross platform multiplayer? Activision got Microsoft to pay them part of the gold subscription fees, so anything is possible. And they will probably do some community building like Bungie did with Halo Reach. Web integration for stats and stuff.

  • apoc_reg #107 1 year ago

    They know about Battlefield 3... and they release these screen shots! Someones a little comfortable....

  • lockload #108 1 year ago

    I think most will buy COD and then trade it in for battlefield3 when they see how similar COD is to the previous games, if you look at the xbox live play charts there is already a fragmentation of COD gamers

  • CamberGreber #109 1 year ago

    EG What's with all the SPOILERS?

  • molekiller #110 1 year ago

    "there's a real Time Crisis thrill to memorising spawn patterns and tightening your racing line through a level"

    Great definition, that's why I don't like it... maybe with a light gun would improve...

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #111 1 year ago

    Its a shame that two games known for their scripted elements turn out to be biggest selling and highest regarded games of last year (COD and UC2).

    They've obviously tapped into something that the majority of gamers (not necessarily the sort that visit games sites) really really enjoy, namely, being part of an action movie. Unfortunately whilst that is the holy grail of gaming, currently it's just a facade.

    Even though I know all this, I still get pumped looking at that trailer. :(

  • carlitoswagon #112 1 year ago

    Cod will be a solid game with a solid mp as usual. It's just getting slated because people have grown tired with the whack a mole approach to the campaign. Oline is now dominated by complete assholes who are a mixture of high pitched mouthy kids and complete racist/bigots. I might be one of the few who actually find these people funny due to their complete stupidity.

    Cod is just a victimof it's own success. Not a shit game but needs a change in formula.

  • Douche #113 1 year ago

    The comments directed at every MW article are utterly laughable. 100+ comments mostly about why the game is shit or BF is superior.

    Fucking yawn.

    How about letting people who enjoy and are interested in COD comment on the game instead of just posting the same tired, old shite every time.


    If not, the comments are always so high on these articles that there is going to be a deluge from now until release so enjoy!

  • Douche #114 1 year ago

    @carlitoswagon

    I think the 'COD is played by complete assholes' is another issue that is completely overstated. There is certainly the odd idiot, but you mute him and move on.

  • JensonJet #115 1 year ago

    No offense to whoever wrote that piece, but how naive do you sound?

    Have you just become aware that games rely on scripted events to play through their respective stories? Come on, it's not amateur hour, every gamer on the planet knows games are scripted. Equally poor, and naive, are the comments on the story. From my recollection games such as this have always taken liberties with the action a soldier would see and the battles they encounter. The alternative would have guaranteed a much stronger negative reaction I'm sure.

    I'm seriously disappointed with this effort. It seems to have been written specifically with the type of gamer in mind that's quick to post about how bored they are with the series, how rubbish the games are now and how multiplayer is full of kids/chavs/Americans, or whatever other type of gamer they choose to dislike.

    Anyway, I'm looking forward to the single player game. Not interested in multiplayer. And certainly won't be buying the game as there's no co-op campaign and for me that means no replayability. But I'll happily rent this, or better yet, hopefully get to borrow it.
    Edited by JensonJet at 27/05/11 @ 14:59

  • carlitoswagon #116 1 year ago

    @Douche

    Agree, it's not everyone and it's not a cod only problem.

  • obscured021 #117 1 year ago

    I like COD, the first one on the pc was the best then modren warfare after that, but the graphics are still stuck in the stoneage because of the ps3 and 360 hardware they need to move on, all the last few games looked the same like expansion packs for the first modren warfare.

  • zedzee #118 1 year ago

    "The series that was once so eager to tell the story of the everyday Joes" - if that was the case, they would've done (at least) a DLC episode about British troops, rather than just on American troops and stop re-writing history to make themselves look good.

  • GitSomE_UK #119 1 year ago

    I like COD but then I like BF.... There's only one way to find out..... FIIIIIGGGHHHHHTTTT!!!!!

  • GitSomE_UK #120 1 year ago

    @ZedZee

    Ummm just about every country attempts to re-write history to make themselves look good. The UK are no angels in this respect.

  • frazzl #121 1 year ago

    I hated the first Modern Warfare. Playing through the game on veteran was a hideous chore, not because the enemies were smart, but because of dreadful design decisions. Infinitely spawning enemies along with timed sequences meant plenty of sections in the game came down more to luck rather than any skill (even if you memorized spawn points, and no that's not a skill!). Naturally I was late to jump on to the MW2 bandwagon but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised (in a guilty pleasure sort of sense). It was loud, obnoxious, stupid, but fun. And IW wisely removed infinite spawns.

    Unfortunately Treyarch has seen fit to go back to the wretched MW design with BLOPs and I am honestly not going to touch MW3 until it is confirmed that shit decisions like infinite spawns are not included. What really surprises me though is that I have yet to see a review that has commented strongly on this issue. Either reviewers are masochists or played the game on casual :S.

  • kwospecialk #122 1 year ago

    I don't care about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. All I care about is Call of Duty x Guitar Hero: Warriors of Milking. Two of the biggest franchises join forces to defeat the evil comsumers who refuse to buy their products. It sounds amazing!

  • cairbre1977 #123 1 year ago

    I woudnt even steal it.

  • mizcicz #124 1 year ago

    i love shooters so i wont be able to resist and will buy both anyway..if i had to choose between the 2 i´d take bf hands down. i´m a gamer for ages. i like cod as well...it became same same fast. true. but still it´s an awesome fast paced arcadish gameplay beast and sheer fun. a great competitive mp. it´s perfect to have em both...it´s just bad timing this year. can´t buy them both at the same time. not a money issue but i need to take some time for a game to fully enjoy it...having anotherone this caliber lying around or to play them at the same time is just not how i roll. i´ll definitely get bf first and then a month or so later cod. perfect shooter world. you wont hear me complain...
    Edited by mizcicz at 29/05/11 @ 18:18