Call of Duty: MW3 lives up to avid gamers’ expectations

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" (COD: MW3) is the latest installment of the critically acclaimed first-person shooter series from developers Infinity Ward. Through the course of the past several years the "Modern Warfare" franchise has continuously broken sales records with a growing popularity, including this edition of the game.

The single-player game takes off like a freight train right out of the gate, violently throwing you into a world where the very future of America is in your hands. It seems you are always teetering on the brink of death in each level's beginning, whether by surviving helicopter crashes, collapsing buildings or the double cross of a rogue agent.

"COD: MW3" is a visceral experience where most of your fighting is done from your stomach while copious amounts of bullets are flying overhead

in every direction. As damage is incurred the screen reflects it by becoming opaque with the cracking of glass, providing a wonderful sense of realism.

The single player experience of this game is truly superb. At times the lines of reality begin to blur because the game feels so genuine. The environments are painstakingly crafted to perfection, combined with one of the most solid game engines ever created. The "Modern

Warfare" series is a large reason why first-person-shooters still reign in popularity, and this game will lure even more people to the franchise.

The variety of weapons in "COD: MW3" is abundant. You get to choose your desired weapon in multiplayer modes, giving a greater sense of detail. The player has the options to choose assault rifles, sub- machine guns, light machine guns, sniper rifles and shotguns with options for at least five different firearms for each category.

As you venture further into the multiplayer experience, more weapons become unlocked in addition to features such as kill streak reward.

The more experience points you garnish, the more truly rewarding the endeavor is.

The player has the option of choosing many different variances of multiplayer choices as well. You can choose formats such as team deathmatch, free for all, capture the flag and domination just to name a few, making the online play anything but monotonous. There is even a special features menu on the main title screen that takes you to an online co-op gameplay mode which provides hours of entertainment.

For the extreme "Call of Duty" fanatics there is an option to purchase the "Call of Duty Elite" package for around $50 which lasts the duration of year. This online based function boasts some amazing features such as free downloads of map packs, year round competitions for real prizes in addition to digital trophies and recording your live gameplay into streaming video.

While the single-player experience is wonderful, the multiplayer format is what is heavily invested upon the most. There are weeks upon months worth of gameplay to try and tire from. The pay option for the elite status seems a risky venture to lure diehard fans, but after spending a small amount of time in this virtual world purchasing it should be simply a no-brainer.

"COD: MW3" is the most solid release in the franchise's history. The environments are immersive, enemies are challenging, single-player experience is compelling and the multiplayer format should be the industry standard of what a successful first-person- shooter online experience could be. While the single player game can be beaten in a few days, the online gaming is an example of sheer beauty, exceeding expectations of what they have done in the past.