Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

I am among the worst people to talk about "Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3". Actually that isn’t really true, I have played the story of all of the previous MW releases, and Call of Duty: Black Ops, but my knowledge of the multiplayer and other game types are limited. So, entering the busiest booth at GamesCom and sitting down in front of one of the Spec Ops maps, I had to struggle to keep up.

 

Thrust into the hands on demo I was lucky at least that my experience with the previous titles had made me competent with their tight controls, because there was no time to become accustomed to them as the action began. Also in my favour was the fact my guide through the demo was partnering me from an adjacent system, little did he know as I sat down that his primary task for the next ten minutes was to be resuscitating me.

 

Running around a maze like section of map that seemed to be part of a Middle Eastern town, my partner and me were attacked by wave after wave of militia in a game style comparable with Gears of War’s Horde mode or (if you are more classically educated) Space Invaders. Between rounds points/cash accumulated by killing attackers allowed us to purchase new weapons, support or if the need arose simply ammo, from a number of terminals around the environment. Through out this process the pressure of time remained constant thanks to a countdown timer that ticked down to the next wave. I had to prepare before the next assault. This timer made both the process of finding the terminals for upgrades and making choices a harassed affair. And it was a decision made no easier when my cohort asked me for money to help better equip themselves, but diminishing my own ability to improve my arsenal making for an interesting trade off.

 

If you were to meet me and really get me going on the MW franchise I probably wouldn't have many nice things to say about it, but playing this short segment, devoid of the usual hype and bravado that accompanies each games release I have to confess I have not given the series enough credit. Battling through the increasingly difficult waves I confess to being impressed. Starting with regular troops before escalating through attack dog, helicopters and infantry with state of the art armour and weapons. Each wave was preceded by radio reports allowing equipping my self appropriately. The final battle saw my partner and I, along with my two-sentry guns decimating all in our path. It was incredibly satisfying.

 

Minor tweaks to the already responsive controls, backed up by the series incredible visual fidelity, made for a play experience even more exciting and intuitive than previous instalments. While it may not be top of my Christmas list, it will remain a game I will be playing this holiday season after it releases this November 8th on PS3, PC and 360.