[/caption]THE blockbuster shooting series returns with a slick campaign and the most accessible multiplayer modes in the business.
Eight years ago Call of Duty was a moderately successful first-person shooter set during World War II and only available on PC.
Today, Call of Duty is a phenomenon. It’s a brand name synonymous with video games - up there with Mario, GTA and Warcraft when it comes to mainstream appeal, and thus each annual update brings with it enormous expectation. Happily, Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t disappoint.
Its expertly directed single-player campaign surges from one spectacular set-piece to the next, with a breakneck momentum that never dips over the course of its eight-hour completion time.
Does it live up to the hype? Watch a review of the video below
Commencing with a New York-based assault in which you literally have to occupy Wall Street (by force), Modern Warfare 3’s campaign shunts the player between various conflict hotspots around the globe, turning landmarks into landfill under a relentless cacophony of gunfire and explosions.
Yet long after the dust settles from the last explosive detonated in the story mode, Modern Warfare 3will endure thanks to its exceptional multiplayer component.
The game’s makers have become experts at crafting persistent levelling-up systems that have proven all too addictive for shooter fans, and now those hooks are going to be even harder to evade thanks to the new Call of Duty Elite service.
Essentially a bespoke social network targeted solely at Call of Duty players, Elite is accessible from your console, PC or smartphone, and allows players to track their stats, schedule matches, form clans and more whether they’re on the couch, in the office or on the go. If you’re already a Call of Duty addict, then your favourite drug just became intravenous.
Rounding out the package is the return of the co-operative Spec Ops mode which consists of a series of intense missions designed for two-players, as well as a new Survival mode which, while not entirely original, is nonetheless an entirely welcome and enjoyable addition to the package.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent the military first-person shooter formula; it just executes it better than any other game. Last year’s Black Ops broke more records than a turntable during an earthquake, and Modern Warfare 3 should by rights keep the Call of Duty franchise on top of the heap.
