Modern Warfare 3: Multiplayer Impressions, Day 1.

"The most anticipated game in history!"

soroboruo: Modern Warfare 3. The next in the line of colossal juggernaut of a series that Activision seems content in running into the ground. Of course, this time, the game is made by Infinity Ward (what’s left of it) and for that reason alone, fanatic aficionados everywhere rejoice.

I spent 5 hours on launch day with the game’s multiplayer, because, let’s admit it, it’s what almost everyone buys this game for.

During the pre-release super duper advertisement and hype building extravaganza, Strike Packages were touted to be quite game changing. They were supposed to make it so everyone could get something cool out of doing something menial, which, let’s face it, is what Call of Duty is all about these days (“Prestige” is a bunch of crap). All in all, it doesn’t really change the game at all. No one really uses the Specialist package. The Support package is just that, support. Most of those killstreaks are non-lethal. So in the end, people will run with Assault if they like the usual MW2 stuff and Support if they like the set-it-and-forget-it style.

The maps aren’t particularly large, cutting down what might be viable use of a sniper rifle under normal circumstances. Most of the maps seem to follow a basic formula. One quarter of the map will be mostly a grid of cross corridors which all almost look exactly the same. One quarter of the map will be fairly open with small bits of cover for snipers/campers. One quarter of the map will be two-level with either structures, bridges, or an overhang of some sort. The map design in the first Modern Warfare game felt pretty distinct. There were clear areas of engagement and when you spawned, you knew exactly where you were and where the danger zones were, so you would turn and check those areas first before moving on. On some of the maps I’ve played so far, those that follow the formula above, it’s pretty difficult to gauge anything before you’re shot.

Granted, the above issue could have to do with the spawn system, which apparently spawned a guy that I just killed, right behind me on a stairway that my teammates were looking down. That seems just a tad broken.

On top of the map design, I think the developers went a bit overboard with the whole “world is being destroyed” motif. There’s just way too much clutter going on with some of the maps. I find myself getting caught on a lot of geometry, stuff that pretty much seems designed to sit outside your peripheral vision and off screen. I’ll sprint or strafe and all of a sudden, I’m no longer moving anywhere, because I’ve gotten stuck on a lamp post. Or a rock. Or the curb of a sidewalk. Or the edge of the banister of a staircase.

The perk setup has been tweaked again, with most of the “good” perks being split into two, probably for “balancing issues” (I’m using the quotes a lot mostly because that’s probably what “Community Managers” and “Creative Strategists” would say about things). Once again, some of the perks seem to be a bit useless compared to the other ones available. After a couple hours of play, I got the pro versions of the perks I was running with, and I haven’t swapped out since. Maybe it’s just my “playstyle” but there really doesn’t seem to be a reason to not want to reload faster or aim down my sights faster.

This may seem elitist, but coming from Battlefield 3, where the sound design is top notch, sounds in MW3 pale in comparison and almost seem cheap and flimsy, like a budget game title would. The guns actually sound like guns in BF3. In MW3, the gunshots sound like airsoft guns, there’s this whistle and whine that follows every report. It’s like every gun is a gas operated gun. The developers clearly just modulated pitch and frequency of a single stock gunshot sound effect, which seems pretty lazy on my part. I think the least they could have done was sample a few guns and record sounds off of that.

The menus, once again, seem like a step backward from Treyarch’s. For example, in order to change the reticule on my red dot sight, I have to select the gun, select the weapon proficiency, select a red dot sight attachment, and then I get to select the reticule. If I already have a red dot sight on there, I have to select the gun, select the proficiency, deselect the red dot, reselect the red dot, and then select the reticule. In Black Ops, I select the gun and then I select the reticule if I already have a red dot on there. It’s pretty straight forward.

Theater mode is back, but hey, you can’t watch it with friends at all, so there’s no real fun to it anymore. For me, that’s typical Infinity Ward. When someone makes an improvement to your formula, you either ignore it completely or cripple it in some way that makes it pointless.

All in all, I think the following graph sums up how I feel about this game. Or games I play in general.

See how there's a sweet spot on there? MW3 is not it.

In the end, I’m glad I wasn’t excited for this game. I’m not disappointed. This game just makes me more excited for Skyrim and Saints Row 3. Because I know that in those games, I’m not going to have to worry about the developers taking themselves too seriously.