The campaign in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is a disaster. This is a real shame, given that in the ever-evolving landscape of first-person shooter games, Call of Duty has long been a trailblazer, setting the gold standard for intense, action-packed experiences. However, the 2023 instalment is the worst offering seen in years, leaving ardent fans and newcomers alike feeling hollow.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out now and is available on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC.
The Modern Warfare 3 Campaign Is a Waste of Potential
The Modern Warfare 3 campaign treads a thin line between mediocrity and sheer disappointment. What was expected to be a pretty gripping narrative, given the intriguing plot set up by predecessors, crumbles into a narrative mess that is boring, lacks cohesion, and fails to captivate fans in the way that past entries have.
The potentially intriguing web of mystery that was previously set up is completely squandered, with this game’s narrative instead choosing to cling to relics of the past with a painful sense of desperation. Another aspect that only adds to the story feeling underbaked, is the attempt to introduce a new mission type, labelled “Open Combat.”
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Sold as a way to allow for more player freedom, this is in fact nothing more than an excuse for the team to reuse maps and assets from Warzone, saving on the effort and time required to create new content. It just ends up coming across as egregiously lazy.
It isn’t only the Open Combat missions that are to blame though, the narrative takes a nosedive into the nonsensical almost immediately, creating an instant sense of player disconnection. Modern Warfare 3 makes a half-hearted attempt to explore the complex world of current world affairs and politics. The issue is that it feels so surface level and shallow, that it actually comes off as somewhat pitiful and cringeworthy.
This is further exacerbated when the developers attempt to double down during the segment inspired by the infamous “No Russian” mission from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. It was at this point that I really began to question my decision to purchasing Call of Duty games on a yearly rotation, based on the campaign. From this point on, the Modern Warfare 3 campaign feels more and more like a product cobbled together from a mishmash of existing assets rather than an experience crafted with any sort of care.
Also read: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) Campaign Review – A Gun Shy of an Arsenal
A Call of Duty campaign should feel like a somewhat fresh experience, easing players into the new era that the game is set in. Modern Warfare 3’s campaign contains a persistent feeling of déjà vu, given that most missions take place on Warzone maps that players have likely played in time and time again. The stakes immediately feel lowered by reusing these locations, causing the gravity of the current situation playing out to feel diluted.
The Same Old, Same Old
“No Russian” is not the only iconic COD missions that Modern Warfare 3 rehashes in a less compelling way than they played out before. The mission that attempts to homage the classic “All Ghillied Up” mission from the first Modern Warfare game lacks the pacing and tension that made the original so great. Another AC-130 mission is also shoehorned in, just as one would presume and yet again, it feels like little more than a lazy rehash. All of these instances come across as futile attempts to recapture past series glories.
Even in terms of the game’s very few positive aspect, one could argue that the good parts of Modern Warfare 3 are nothing more than carryovers from the previous year’s Modern Warfare 2. The graphics still look amazing, but they benefit from using the same engine and many of the same assets and textures as the previous instalment. The gunplay still feels good, but it felt the same last year.
Generally, Modern Warfare 3’s campaign feels as though it was created in a hurry and would have benefitted from more time in the oven. Despite some graphical splendour and a handful of brief, fleeting moments of adrenaline, the game is let-down when it could have been a robust addition to the Call of Duty anthology. The Open Combat missions feel like a major step backwards in terms of innovation, and plague the campaign with an unrelenting sense of monotony.
2023’s Modern Warfare 3 should be looked at as an example of the perils of stagnation in a franchise that once prided itself on pushing boundaries. The campaign, with its lacklustre narrative and questionable choices, is a far cry from the stellar legacy set by past Call of Duty games.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Campaign – 3/10
