Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has certainly divided fans. Some are prasing Sledgehammer Games’s effort, claiming that movement is ‘back’ and the game feels fresh and faster than Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. During my playthrough of the MW3 beta, I too was pretty impressed – although there are a few gripes that Im hoping will be changed when the full version is released.
That being said, the reaction to the game has seen many claim it’s a ‘rinse and repeat’ and it doesn’t do much to further the series. Sound familiar? That’s because nearly exactly the same concerns were voiced the original game, which launched back in 2011, as highlighted on this dedicated sub-Reddit thread.
That game went on to score a massive 88 on Metacritic and is regarded as one of the strongest entries in the franchise. Have times changed, or are they going to be proven wrong again?
“Bruhh 💀 so surreal. we truly have come full circle,” wrote one Reddit user. “And it was an overreaction back then as well, MW3 was godlike and it was a LOT more similar to MW2 than MWIII is to MWII. MW3 didn’t overhaul and improve pretty much every major gameplay mechanic like MWIII is doing,” added another.
The second comment will certainly ring true with some Call of Duty fans. Modern Warfare 2019 was a big step for the series in terms of visuals and gameplay. But ever since then there hasn’t been that same leap. Does that mean Modern Warfare 3 is doomed to live in its shadows? Probably not – after all, how much can core gameplay mechanics change before it stops resembling the game itself?
“MW3 introduced specialist bonus, support killstreaks and gunstreak only MOAB. That alone did a lot in terms of replayability, it had me absolutely hooked,” wrote one user.
Again, while MW3 2023 certainly doesn’t bring a whole load of drastically different mechanics to the table, there are a few notable additions. For one, there’s the new Tac-Stance which allows players to tilt the gun sideways. This takes some getting used to, but certainly adds a new dimension to the gameplay. There’s also map voting, pioneered by the earlier games but forgotten about for the last few years.
More subtle changes such as Perks being active at the start of match, rather than being activated throughout also change the dynamics. These are all smaller changes designed to improve the game – the question is, are they enough to keep interest?
This is just a section of multiplayer. Add to the mix a host of new maps for both 6 v 6 modes and Ground War, plus a new camapign (I, for one, loved the MW 2019 campaign but felt MW2’s story fell short and was rushed), and it’s not hard to start to see just how much new content is coming this year. And let’s not forget about the seasons…
The beta is just that… a beta. A taste of what things are coming. Yes, there are flaws, but writing off a game after just seeing a small portion of what made the original Modern Warfare 2011 so great could be a mistake. And we could once again come around full circle.
For those wanting to try the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 beta, you can read how you can get MW3 early access, what date the MW3 beta ends and when you can preload the MW3 beta.
