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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Modern Warfare Looks to the Future

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Call of Duty series has become a signature franchise for this console generation. It has sold the most units, is almost synonymous with online gaming, and has garnered a following that can’t be rivaled with anything else we’ve seen thus far. With that in mind, we look to the third iteration of Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare series to bring us a cinematic style of gameplay that will hopefully move the series forward with amazing gameplay, visuals, and, of course, an unforgettable multiplayer experience.

We recently got the chance to preview some early gameplay footage behind closed doors at a press-only Activision event, and we can definitely say that from what we’ve seen, Modern Warfare 3 is going to live by the mantra “Bigger is Better”.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

The Modern Warfare series has always taken place on a global scale, and this trend is certainly continuing in Modern Warfare 3. We were able to watch a playthrough of two early levels—one in the United States, and one in England—and were told that there would be many more locations revealed at a later date. If you want to do some virtual globetrotting, it looks like Modern Warfare 3 will help you do just that. The game takes place directly after Modern Warfare 2, and the gameplay we saw in the American location takes place very early in the game’s timeline. It’s pretty intense. The player’s objective is to get across the streets of New York and into the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. However, with the city burning around you, it’s easier said than done.

The landscape we saw was extremely detailed, giving us an absolutely beautiful view of war-torn America. As the player was dropped into battle, the action picked up immediately. Enemies came from behind nearly every corner, and the player had to keep alert at all times. The game’s pacing is impeccable. Even though there’s rarely a moment where the action lets up, it doesn’t just feel like you are moving from firefight to firefight. There’s some real content in between battles, and everything flows in an intelligent manner. After getting through several moderate action pieces and firefights, we saw a scripted event that involved taking a helicopter ride. But as Modern Warfare 3 is set to do everything bigger, this wasn’t going to be just an ordinary chopper ride. Both friendly and enemy choppers crashed around the landscape, and there were so many explosions you might think this was a Michael Bay film.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

The next area we saw was London. Unlike the scene we saw in New York, London was covered in darkness and there were a lot more possibilities for stealth gameplay than there was in the first stage. Of course, that went out the window as our team fought their way down into London’s famous Underground, getting into an amazing chase involving a pickup truck and several Underground trains. The animation was fast, and the action was relentless. Keeping the pace frantic seemed to be a big goal for the Modern Warfare 3 team (which includes Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Studios) and from what we’ve seen, that is one goal that is certainly going to be accomplished in Modern Warfare 3.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see much else at the event, and we weren’t able to pick up a controller to play the thing ourselves. However, we did learn quite a bit about the single-player campaign just by looking at these few stages. First up, the main shooting mechanics haven’t changed. Why mess with a formula that works? Secondly, all these rumors about an outdated engine and sub-par visuals were completely false. The screens we saw the game on were ridiculously large, and the detail we saw in the visuals was impeccable. Animations and framerate all stayed consistent throughout, and there were no breaks in between combat and triggered events.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

From what we’ve seen, it looks like Modern Warfare 3 is firing on all cylinders and is poised to break its own records when it releases this November. We actually know a bit more about Modern Warfare 3 (specifically, the multiplayer aspect) but we’re going to have to keep our secrets for just a little bit longer, so make sure to check back once E3 rolls around for the latest news on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Game Features:

  • Fifteen brand new missions.
  • Global in scope, with scenes that unfold everywhere from Brooklyn to Africa.
  • Special Ops and standard multiplayer return on twenty new maps.


  • Duty Calls Again

    It’s an odd-numbered year, and that means it’s Infinity Ward’s turn to release a Call of Duty title in November. This time, they have help from Sledgehammer Games (a brand-new Activision studio) and Raven Software (the solid but unremarkable team best known for making lackluster sequels to Id Software games). The game will reportedly be called Modern Warfare 3, and the developers are aiming for a “bug free” release with Metacritic scores above 95.

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

    Just this weekend, the first significant details about the new title surfaced. Much as the last Modern Warfare title stoked controversy by asking the player to gun down innocent civilians in an undercover terrorist mission, Modern Warfare 3 is going to hit close to home. The antagonisms between Russia and the U.S. have spread, and through various characters, you’ll fight in what is essentially World War III.

    In what is either a coincidence or a sign that the leak contained very, very recent additions, SEAL Team Six—the team that (apparently) killed Osama bin Laden—is mentioned in the game. But that’s far from the only reference that bears on current events. In a scene that’s sure to evoke memories and protests, one mission involves a Russian invasion of Manhattan that starts at the Hudson River and culminates in a firefight outside the New York Stock Exchange. The U.S.S. Intrepid might even be destroyed during the battle. London, which like New York has been the target of terrorist attacks in real life, will also be the scene of a battle.

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

    New York won’t be left alone in the multiplayer, the area Raven is developing, either. One map has you fighting to the death in Brooklyn. All in all, there are about twenty maps, according to the leak, though some may be eliminated or packaged as DLC instead of sold with the game. Besides Brooklyn, they include Mogadishu, Paris, and Lambeth (a district in London).

    While the most controversial elements will probably take place in the U.S. and U.K., Modern Warfare 3’s fifteen missions will be truly global in scope. The single-player mode takes you through Russia, India, Africa, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the United Arab Emirates. You’ll play a variety of roles: protecting a top-level Russian official during negotiations with the U.S., gunning down enemies from a tank, and bombing ground targets from the eerily quiet safety of an AC-130 airplane. We hear that this story might be the last one for at least one major character, and that there will be a new U.S. character named Sandman.

    Special Ops will make a return as well. As of now, there are five maps for the “Survival” mode (think horde mode): “Carbon,” “Dome,” “Seatown,” “Radar,” and “Village.” There are also seven missions: “Civilian Rescue,” “Flood the Market,” “Invisible Threat,” “Little Bro’s,” “Out of Africa,” “No Fly Zone,” and “Wing Man.”

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Screenshot

    Aside from the recent leak, which is admittedly extensive, there isn’t much information available on the game. We’ve heard rumors of more destructible environments, but we’re not sure to what extent yet.

    It’s unclear whether Modern Warfare 3 will look dramatically better than previous entries in the series. What few screenshots have been released have inspired some disappointed reactions—and some unflattering comparisons with, for example, Battlefield 3. While Battlefield 3 uses the new Frostbite 2 engine, Modern Warfare 3’s developers have continued building on Infinity Ward’s IW engine, a modification of Id Tech 3 that was first used in Call of Duty 2 six years ago. Texture streaming and other features were added by the time Modern Warfare 2 came around, and while the developers claim that more improvements have been made for this iteration, the early screenshots of MW3 don’t seem to showcase any of them. We’re hoping that these leaked pictures aren’t indicative of how the engine will be performing when the final version hits stores this holiday season.

    The Call of Duty series has a whole lot of momentum behind it, and a lot is riding on this forthcoming title. Activision and Infinity Ward are taking some risks here, not only in courting controversy, but also in giving so much control to an untested studio (Sledgehammer) and a studio that has spent most of the last twenty years remixing Id Software games (Raven).

    Will this be another record-setting title for the franchise? Sledgehammer certainly seems to think so. It’s exceptionally gutsy to announce that you expect your game to get a 95 on Metacritic, especially when the insanely popular Modern Warfare 2 came in slightly below that. We hope they can reach the bar they’ve set, but if they want that kind of adulation, they’ll need to pull off some true innovation in the crowded FPS field.

    Game Features:

  • Fifteen brand new missions.
  • Global in scope, with scenes that unfold everywhere from Brooklyn to Africa.
  • Special Ops and standard multiplayer return on twenty new maps.

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