Corey Adams
Business Manager
The most anticipated game of the year was released on November 8, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. It is the third installment in the Modern Warfare series, a direct sequel to 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. Activision reported the sales figures for Modern Warfare 3 in the US and UK grossing $400 million in the first 24 hours of the game release. Activision President and CEO Robert Kotick said, “The launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories.”
The most inexpensive edition is the standard that consists of just the game and a 2-day Xbox live subscription for a total of $60. The hardened edition, comes with a steelbook case with the game enclosed, a Call of Duty Elite one year subscription, in-game emblems, playercard, weapon camouflage, clan XP boost, and a collectable field journal for a total of $120.
The critical acclaim and widespread popularity begin with the campaign. Throughout the campaign, the player assumes the role of various characters. From a visual standpoint, many new modern-looking settings set MW3 apart from its predecessors such as Black Ops and MW2. Many new characteristics throughout missions in the campaign such as debris, smoke, and fire add a whole new perspective to the game. Infinity Ward made the character more mobile, so to counteract this they created many difficulties that hinder the character’s total dominance in the campaign.
Now let’s take a look at the most dominant multiplayer game of the year. Modern Warfare 3 had high expectations due to its high demand and its predecessor’s positive feedback. Many new multiplayer additions were implemented in Modern Warfare 3 such as the dedicated gun levels to unlock attachments, enhanced perks and new killstreaks. Some of the new killstreaks include juggernaut, remote sentry guns, AH-6 overwatch, Strafe Run, and the end-all-be-all of killstreaks, the hidden M.O.A.B. at an impossible 25 kills. Also new in the multiplayer portion is the prestige shop. The prestige shop rewards dedicated players who intend to conquer all 10 prestiges. You receive one prestige token each time you prestige. Some of the rewards the prestige shop has to offer are Double XP, Double gun XP, reset all stats, create a class, and others. These tokens offer incentives to play through the envied 10th prestige. Also new to multiplayer is a sort of 4th perk. It’s called proficiency and its purpose is to make your gun more efficient. Whether it’s more bullet impact or double attachments, proficiency helps you draw more kills, which means more experience.
What about that Call of Duty Elite subscription? Call of Duty Elite gives players the upper hand when it comes to the game. For $50/year it grants access to tournaments and post-match analysis of game play. With the purchase of Elite, many features such as all future map packs, clan exclusivity, and extended HD game play recording are included. Elite has proven to be a no-brainer buy for the extreme enthusiasts of Call of Duty.
Finally and obviously, the in-depth campaign and the multitude of multiplayer features are the backbone of this game and what put it way above any other video game of its genre. Modern Warfare 3 outdid all predecessors and competitors.
