Summary
Developers Sledgehammer have made it clear in the rollout forModern Warfare 3 (2023)that their main aim with this new entry in the beloved series is to try and create the perfect blend between modern and classic gameplay. One way they’ve done this forModern Warfare 3is by bringing back all 16 multiplayer maps from the originalModern Warfare 2 (2009)which has undoubtedlysparked a lot of nostalgiafor many fans, but the developers have still been trying to tinker with certain features and design choices to modernize the games as much as possible.
Not all of these changes have been well received though in recent entries, with many fans being very vocal about what they disliked inCall of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022)which,while highly successful, did take a step back in certain areas that dampened the overall experience. Luckily, Sledgehammer seems to have listened to the community as there are some very noticeable changes inModern Warfare 3that help call back to the fast andaddictive gameplay loopthat the series is so well known for.
6Map Voting
At first, the whole feature of map voting might not seem like it would be that noticeable, but it’s actually a huge improvement when jumping off fromModern Warfare 2. In that game, it was all too easy to be stuck with a map that wasdespised by most fansin the community which would ultimately ruin a match, such as the horribly designed Santa Sena Border for example which always felt like a chore to play.
Luckily, map voting has meant that players won’t need toconstantly back out of gameswhen they see a map pop up that they don’t like. This simple feature grants a lot more choice and freedom to the players and means if there are any maps that maybe haven’t aged quite as well, the lobby can simply agree to skip past them.
5Killstreaks
The killstreaks inModern Warfare 2weren’t exactly bad, but they felt pretty bland creatively with many of them simply being rehashes of those found in older games that, for the most part, worked exactly the same. It’s clear that Sledgehammer istrying to be a little more experimentalinModern Warfare 3with the killstreaks they’re offering players, one example being the Mosquito Drone which can be unlocked after scoring 4 kills or 500 points.
Once this little guy is deployed, it will hover around a small area before launching head-first into any enemies that it detects. This is a great way to cover flanks or even just try to score a multikill when the enemy team is bunched up, and it’s just one example of howunique and differentthese killstreaks feel when using them. There’s also the Juggernaut Recon which is a little weaker than its previous iterations but can also be unlocked after 8 kills which is a great way to revamp a fun killstreak that barely anyone could unlock due to how hard it was to get before.
4Perks
Modern Warfare 2had a really strange system where players would earn theirset of perksthroughout the course of a game, something that was clearly meant to ramp up the pace of a match in theory, but that ended up being more of a nuisance than anything. If someone wanted Ghost for example to avoid UAVs, they would have to wait until at least halfway through a match for it to unlock whichcould easily become very annoying.
This has been reverted inModern Warfare 3so that perks will now be available from the start, but they’re actually tied to pieces of gear which is a nice change from the traditional system. Boots, gloves, and vests will all provide their own bonuses which essentially act as perks, and there are even some that can be combined for extra effects. For example, if a player equips both an Infantry Vest and Running Sneakers, they will actually gain the Lightweight perk, so it’s a ton of fun testing them to fit a certain playstyle.
3Classic Minimap
The classic minimap is finally back, and while we all took it for granted back in the day, it feels so good to be able to now see enemy red dots appear when they shoot without a silencer. Removing this inModern Warfare 2was most probably an attempt tomake the game more tacticalas players would need to use their environmental awareness to seek out enemies, but it ended up making the game a little too slow which strayed away from thetwitch-shooter nature ofCall of Duty.
In stark contrast,Modern Warfare 3feels much faster and more hectic thanks to the red dots which force players to think twice before spraying an entire magazine in the hopes of hitting an enemy. It also makes silencers far more useful than they were inModern Warfare 2where they felt more or less useless because of this unusual change.
2Time To Kill
The total HP of all players has now been raised to 150 from 100, and while this can admittedly take a little getting used to, it’s ultimately for the better as it prevents scenarios where someone is getting one-shot as soon as they exit their spawn. It also pairs extremely well with thelightning-fast movementthat’s at the core of this game since it gives people just enough time to react if someone is sliding past them. In a game that’s clearly prioritizing the arcade-shooter side ofCall of Dutymore than anything, having more health also allows long-range gunfights to still occur as players can fire at each other for longer durations which relates a nice blend of fast and more methodical gameplay.
Despite being a much slower and more strategic game, the time to kill inModern Warfare 2was just a little too quick which could easily lead to frustration, especially if someone was on a killstreak. This is a very welcome addition that drastically improves the pacing of matches without making players feel too tanky or overpowered in the process.
1Movement
Ever sinceCall of Duty Modern Warfare (2019), movement has been a very big issue for many fans in the Cod community. In that game, it was very common to see people sliding around and “bunny hopping” to get the drop on their enemies, and because of the fairly short time to kill, it meant anyone who wasn’t playing in this way had little to no chance to deal with this.Modern Warfare 2stripped things back by nerfing the slide mechanic to the ground, making it very clunky and only usable in very specific scenarios.
Modern Warfare 3seems to have finally reached that perfect middle ground where it’s much faster than its predecessor without feeling as fast-paced assomething likeTitanfall 2or going too over the top with previousCodgames likeAdvanced Warfare. While sliding is much better now, allowing players to shoot their weapon while gliding across the floor, it’s still not quite as effective as it was inModern Warfarewhich makes it a lot more manageable. Climbing and vaulting are also much quicker now, making it very easy to navigate maps and reach vantage points without having to go through a lengthy animation. The movement in general also feels just a touch faster which really helps ramp up the pace and excitement of the game, being by far the biggest and most needed improvement overModern Warfare 2.
