Staying Frosty - MW3

Since 2007, FPS gamers have had something of an annual event to look forward to, every November, with the release of a Call of Duty game. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare started this tradition, followed by:

World At War
Modern Warfare 2
Black Ops

This years' offering is Modern Warfare 3, the final part in an impressive series of games from Activision and Infinity Ward/Sledgemhammer Games (more on this later). The game picks up where MW2 left off, with series protagonists Captain Price and Soap McTavish on the run and wounded, before the player is immediately launched headling into WW3, while at the same time attempting to stop the war, kill the bad guy and clear their names. Phew!

Impressive stuff indeed, made all the more impressive by the 18 month turnaround of the game following the ructions at Infinity Ward in late March 2010. Gamers across the planet waited with baited breath regarding the future of the franchise, which is when Sledgehammer Games stepped up to the plate to deliver...

...and deliver they have! IGN commented on the game, saying it had a largely forgettable plot, but I beg to differ; the reason they couldn't remember the plot is probably because of the sheer enormity of it.

Taking in New York, London, Paris, Prague, Berlin, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Middle East and Siberia and featuring setpiece highlights such as storming a Russian submarine in the Hudson River, NYC, to battling terrorists on the London Underground, providing aerial cover from an AC130 for ground troops fighting their way out of Paris and fighting through the streets of a decimated Berlin, no one can deny the ambitious size and scope of this game - it's massive and stuffed full of more than just the setpieces mentioned above.

Throw into this heady mix of violence and awesomeness an interesting story (not forgettable!) that draws the series to a close, including a killer twist in the tale as well, and you have a great game. Sure, it's a little short; I finished the game on Regular mode in 6 hours and 3 seconds, but it's one hell of a thrill ride and it has the wow factor for replay as well.

Playing throught the first two acts again over the weekend gave me a fuller apprecation for the game. I must admit, the first time I played the game I was slightly overwhelmed - the 'shock and awe' factor of the game is staggering. It's less mental than MW2 but is far more intense.

And it's not just the campaign that offers replay, as once again the fabulous multiplayer returns; retweaked, retooled and rejuvenated - if you can get to play it, that is. Due to the sheer overwhelming numbers of people playing the game, the multiplayer is jam-packed to an extent it's nigh-on unplayable. As in, you can't play a game. At all. Bit of a poor show really, considering the makers were aiming for a bug free game - this major glitch has effortlessly pissed all over that ideal.

It seems a major mis-step to me to fumble so badly on the really the most popular part of the COD experience - I've got mates who buy COD simply to play online and have barely touched the campaign at all. When, a week before launch, you openly brag on your official Facebook page about the 3.5 million preorders for MW3, you hope in some way the developers are prepared for a significant portion of that audience to want to play online. So, when the game is released and thousands of people are having problems with multiplayer, the excuse "we were swamped by unprecedented demand" just doesn't cut the mustard - as you've already TOLD us how many people you're expecting!

And it gets worse, people who are on Orange broadband are having to adjust the settings on their router, just to get onto the Acitivision servers. I've heard it's something to do with the way the Elite information is gathered, though I don't recall having to fiddle with my router for Black Ops and was able to see my Playercard in quite some depth. I'm hoping there's a better reason, but Activision/IW et al are curiously tight-lipped about the whole situation, I'll stick with them fishing about on my PS3 for Elite details. For now,at least!

Thank goodness then for the welcome return of Spec Ops. This has been also been retooled to include the now seemingly obligatory 'horde mode' as featured in Treyarch's games, this time round called Survival. However the main difference here is, just for a change...it's not zombies!

Another new feature has been unveiled, incorporating a new ranking system that lets you advance in a similar fashion to multiplayer, unlocking various weapons, perks and special features that helps make things a little more interesting in the Survival mode. You can also play online with anyone in the standard Spec Ops missions and Survival as well, and jolly good fun it is too, as playing with a partner makes getting those three precious Veteran stars that much easier.

Standout missions for me in the 2011 Spec Ops include:
* Toxic Paradise - Juggernaught suits for all! Highly enjoyable level, stuffed with carnage of all kinds.
* Firewall - 2 player minigun mayhem
* Hostage Taker - the trickiest and most infuriating annoying of them all. 65 seconds on Veteran - it's actually more fun if you take your time!
* Resistance Movement - an excellent level. 160 seconds on Veteran
* Invisible Threat - Also a great level, on the same map as Little Bros. Another round in the Juggernaught suit, with Predator missiles for good measure.
* Fire Mission - 2 player mayhem, one on the ground, one in the air - raining fire from an AC-130. Easy on regular, incredibly annoying on Veteran - especially if your partner on the ground is rubbish.

In summary then, the campaign is excellent. Visual, visceral and great fun to play, it's an engaging and immersive experience. The multiplayer is good, when you can get online to play it and the changes made have been pretty beneficial. The ever-reliable Spec Ops is better than ever, and serves as a worthy replacement while the MP servers are fixed, and is something I will definitely be coming back to in the future.

Despite the glitches, it's an essential purchase. You know you want to.

Update: a series of patches have been released, at least two in December alone, which have improved the online experience considerably, though I stand by my original comments - there shouldn't have been a problem to begin with!