Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

WOW! For newbies, here's a full explanation of game modes. There are three modes of game play for this first person shooter style game where you are soldier. Single player (Campaign) , Spec Ops fighting against the computer (CPU) online, (although it is not necessary to go online with the new feature you can get online with anyone, where before you had to have a friend or go in on your own) and multiplayer (where you play online against other people to play things like team death matches).

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Campaign - Single player
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This story is continued from Modern Warfare 1 (Call of Duty 4) and Modern Warfare 2 (Call of Duty 6) following Soap MacTavish and Captain Price of Task Force 141 behind enemy lines. The Russian president is seeking to depose Vladimir R. Makarov the leader of the terrorist faction - the Inner Circle, and their adventures take you to some exciting new places to `play' - London, New York, Paris, Berlin and other attack sites across the globe.

The length of game play in Campaign is still shorter than playing online, but if you are anything like me you'll not spend as much time on this anyway unless you cannot get online for any reason. Of course, if you want the game to last, play it first time round on the hardest difficulty.

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Spec Ops Survivalist mode
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Played on the multi-player maps by yourself or with a friend on or offline. Includes 16 new objective-based missions and the all-new Survival Mode which is utterly brilliant. Now you can purchase and customise weapons, equipment, perks (air dropped by helicopters), air support and even call in support troops from armouries. On top of that you get new leaderboards just for this mode. Watch out for the air-strike! Nearly killed myself with this, the first time I tried it, because it blows up where you throw the marker, and it doesn't drop a crate!

There is a new progression system, which helps to earn experience and rank up XP to increase the amount of weapons, air support, and gear armories available to customize so you chop and change to what you need quickly. This is great practice to improve your skills for the multiplayer action and it's good fun. I play this almost as much as the multiplayer mode.

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Multiplayer mode - Played online
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There are 16 maps and enhanced private match customisation, for the most intense and rewarding experience ever. You can also check and compare the stats of your weapons to help you create better customised classes. There's a gun progression system to change and improve your weapons over time. This is like levelling up, but for your guns and you unlock camouflage, attachments and special perks for your guns such as `kick' (reduced recoil). Love the new red dot sight and its customisation!

Killstreaks:
Have been redesigned as point streaks - so there are more ways to unlock rewards, other than just kills so every type of player benefits. In addition the support point streaks do not reset when you die although the assault and specialist does.

New game modes:
Team Defender (defending the flag) and Kill Confirmed (dog tag drops) have been introduced.

The new Prestige Shop:
This is a great feature were you receive tokens to spend when you prestige. After you prestige you can now unlock a new weapon you want to keep, so you don't have lose it and have to unlock it again.

As for ease of play, it does still drop the connection from the server at times, but doesn't seem to be any worse than normal. But booby-trapped care packages do prevent players from picking them up - slightly annoying! Maybe this will change over time when people get more used to playing this version.

The teams include factions such as: the elite Russian Special Forces the Spetsnaz, the SAS, the African Malitia, the Inner Circle, the PMC, the Delta.

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The Hardened Edition Extras
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It comes in a very smart, decent sized, black box with green trim.

The actual disc is encased in another `Steelbook' (TM) Case - just like the last Hardened Edition was, only with a new front and back design.

I'm officially now a founding member of the Call of Duty Elite with a cool membership card and get all the future map pack and other cool downloaded content free for a twelve month period (basically until the next edition comes out). However, when I say free it is kind of built into the price of this Hardened Edition, but does work out cheaper than buying separate downloads through the PS Store.

Not only do you get the code to log into the 1 year Call of Duty Elite membership, you also get the code for extra downloads - the exclusive PlayStation Network animated theme.

My favourite addition, though, has to go to the awesome black `Field Journal', which is an absolutely cool addition and I love things like this. It really looks authentic. On the outside it's creased, the pages are crumpled as though it has been out in all weathers in a soldiers pocket in battle. Inside it is full of realistic notes, drawings, photos, even a Russian newspaper clipping. To top off it's beat up and used effect, some of the pages are splattered with mud and smeared with blood for that uber "I've-been-out-on-the-front-line" look and feel. Yeah, it's totally useless, but makes for a great collector's item for this Hardened MW fan!

Overall, the graphics may have improved a touch, but it looks very similar and there are some spectacular, breathtaking sequences (in Campaign), which really feel well choreographed and action-packed. It's like watching and taking part in a Hollywood movie, where we really care what happens to our two favourite star leads, MacTavish and Price as their character arcs deepen along with the storyline. For this Brit, it's also nice to be able to `play' multiplayer in London among the tube stations, red buses and phone boxes! All in all, I loved this and (almost) everything about the new game and there is still so much more to try out, which I will be adding to this review when I discover them! WOW! Just WOW!

Same old Same old, this edition does nothing for the franchise that a few downloadable maps wouldnt do but at 10 times the price.... Simply too much money for not enough product. At £10 it would be 3 and 1/2 stars, at £100 I wish it could be Zero...

Fortunately recieved game one release date via HDNL amazon never let me down.

This is the best Modern Warfare so far! After MW2 I thought they had peaked... After playing Modern Warfare 3 they have surpassed them selves. Special ops is just wonderful and never gets boring.

The game is simply brilliant.