Akom of Cazic Thule

Got it yesterday. As a fan of the MW Series, I am very happy with it. Bear in mind, therefore, that I am a bit biased toward the MW series and have been a fan of each one, even with some of the negatives.

Pre-release I read some chatter online that, since it uses the same engine as MW2, it's pretty much just a map pack. I fully disagree with that sentiment. The gameplay is exactly the same as MW2, yes.. but I find that to be a good thing. It allows a veteran player to just hop right in and get going. But enough is different to make it a new, refreshing experience. Also, if your system ran MW2, it should be able to handle MW3 fine (unlike Black Ops).

Some of my favorite changes are the little things; stuff that the players wanted to see and they listened to. For instance, on the bottom right of your screen you have bullets that show how far along on your killstreak you are and how far you have to go. Next to that is a little bar where you can see which killstreak you're working on. Also, you don't have to use killstreaks in the order you earned them anymore, there's a bar and you just press the corresponding number for it. Also, now killstreaks are handled within the create-a-class classes. This allows for customization of your killstreaks based on how you're going to play that class. If you're going sniper, maybe you'll go for higher killstreak rewards. If you're doing run and gun and will likely die a lot, configure accordingly.

Speaking of killstreaks, there are now 3 killstreak trees (they're actually called Strike Packages now, but I'll just call them killstreaks since everyone knows what those are):

Assault is the first tree and it works like the killstreaks from MW2. The friends I was playing with last night stuck with Assault cause it felt like home and they tend to be a little more camp-ish in their playstyle. There is no longer a game-ending killstreak (nuke), but apparently there is a hidden 25 NATURAL kill killstreak called the Mother of all Bombs (MoaB) that you do not have to equip, you just have to be in the assault tree. It kills the entire enemy team and EMPs them, but does not end the round. The air support killstreaks are good, but (from what I've seen) are a bit tuned down from MW2. There's also more Anti-Air options, so air support is now just that.. support rather than a game changer.

Support is the second killstreak tree. When I first read about support I loved the idea, but didn't think I would use it. I was wrong. This killstreak tree was designed for people who play the way I do: run and gun. I love to grab a SMG and get into action. I usually get 2-3 kills, then die.. sometimes more, sometimes less but my ratio is usually around 3:2. What this meant in MW2 was that I had to change to a different play style than my preferred in order to get any meaningful killstreaks. Support doesn't have as heavy-hitting rewards as assault, and the rewards are generally more expensive (killstreak wise) than Assault, tending to be more supportive / helpful to the team rather than offensive. The major difference, though, is that Support killstreaks don't reset upon death. So if I get 3 kills, then die, I'm still 3 kills in toward my 5 kill killstreak. And not all of the killstreaks are strictly supportive either. My 5 kill reward is a decoy care package that explodes when you open it (pretty much a guaranteed kill; I've gotten double kills off it a couple times), my 12 kill is a remote controlled turret (think stationary Helicopter Gunner, though much easier to kill) and my 18 kill is a chopper that comes in slowly and drops 5 care packages, but also shoots at approaching enemies. There's a LOT of options, though. If you want to be fully support, there's some great ones for that.

The third tree, Specialist, is interesting as well. Like assault, it resets on death. Instead of unlocking care packages, air support and the like, it unlocks perks. Now, on the surface this doesn't seem that great, but when you think about it, Perks are balanced so that you have to choose between some pretty powerful upgrades. The specialist tree allows you to unlock a new perk for every two kills, and when you hit 8 kills, you unlock all 15 perks. If you're a player who depends on skill and survival more than standard killstreaks, this would be a great option, I think. I have not used it, yet.

See all of the strike packages here: http://www.themodernwarfare3.com/mw3...rike-packages/


On perks, IW has done a pretty good job of removing perks that no one really used and balancing the three perk options against each other. One change I really like is Hardline Pro: Every two assists counts as a kill toward your killstreak reward.

Check out the perks here: http://www.themodernwarfare3.com/mw3/perks-list/


Weapon leveling is interesting. My UMP45 is now level 21.. as you level your gun you get new proficiencies (things like lower kick, longer range, etc). Interestingly, having multiple attachments has been moved to a proficiency, so it no longer eats a perk, but you do sacrifice having a proficiency bonus. Well balanced, IMO. You also earn new reticles for your scopes. It definitely makes using your favorite gun all the time feel less stale.

The maps are a nice change-up, with a good variety to fit all playstyles. Now, instead of being assigned a map and people voting on doing it or not and getting stuck with whatever comes if the vote passes, there are now two possible maps listed on the left between rounds and everyone votes for the map they want. A small change, but nice.

I really like the new Kill Confirmed game type. Instead of playing to X number of points, you play to a number of confirmed kills. Whenever someone dies they drop floating dog tags. It doesn't get counted as a kill to the other team until someone on that team grabs the dog tags. The team mates of the person who died can recover the dog tags and deny the confirmed kill. The round goes until a team reaches 65 confirmed kills. It's a nice change of pace from standard TDM, especially if you have a group of friends you play with with voice chat.

I haven't done any of the co-op multiplayer yet, so I can't rate that, but I am happy to see something other than the standard PVP. There are co-op missions and a survival mode.

As to negatives, I really haven't hit any yet. If you disliked MW2, chances are you'll find a reason to dislike this. One thing I will mention: while the game supports dedicated servers, I don't believe it uses these when you go through the standard motions of hitting play and find a match. Once last night the game had to pick a new host. I don't know how the dedicated servers work yet.. if the exp you get counts toward your character, etc. But hey.. at least there's the option.




TL;DR

fildien

Played it last night for about 2hrs and it felt just like every other COD game I've played. I did like the menu navigation but I am glad that I personally did not purchase it... I find the COD franchise lacking. BF feels realistic and not all based on twitch play. Driving tanks, helis, boats, jeeps, and jets is just damn cool. To each their own, I converted after Black OPS, that is around the time I played Battlefield BC2; I never touched COD again. We are a split household, Leah loves her COD and I love my Battlefield

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Nurta <Shark Baby>
Mind Trick - Empire

Akom of Cazic Thule

Yeah... that's what I generally see... you love one or the other. Personally, I'm a MW guy and the review was mainly geared toward fans of the series.