The latest edition of the ever popular game Call of Duty finally concluded the Modern Warfare trilogy. Modern Warfare 3 maintains the same level of exciting action, realistic characters and thrilling plots revolving around terrorism and military unrest.

COD: MW3 v older versions

Since the beginning of the Modern Warfare series in 2007, COD has more or less maintained its entertainment factor paired with realistic gaming. Although there aren’t many noteworthy differences from the last installment, MW3 definitely competes neck to neck against Battlefield 3, one of the most anticipated games of 2011.

The latest addition to the Modern Warfare series begins exactly where Modern Warfare 2 finished. Exuding a movie trilogy like feel, the previous installment stopped with a cliffhanger where Russia was at war against the US and Makarov still out of reach. This post apocalyptic war game delivers an excellent storyline and finishes up the trilogy in an impressive manner.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Modern Warfare 3 is almost identical to its predecessors where each player carries two weapons of choice in addition to grenades. Unlike other fps games, COD captures a realistic view of the action hero. Instead of taking dozens of bullets, the heroes of COD are injured fairly easily. If the player is hit a few times, it is imperative to hide until full recovery. MW3′s single player campaign lasts an average of six hours and takes you on an exciting journey from the United States, to Germany and Africa.

This short campaign promises excitement and loads of action as a majority of the game is spent on foot. Occasionally, you will get a chance to steer armed vehicles and drones into enemy ground and open fire. The linear gameplay of Modern Warfare 3 starts with a firefight where the enemy has higher chances of spawning than you. This level of the game could get a little frustrating as it is predictable yet never ending. You can also opt to play special missions alone or with a partner. Unlike the main campaign, these extremely short missions come with varying difficulty levels and time limits.

Single player v multiplayer

The single player mode of Modern Warfare 3 is predictable as it is very similar to the campaigns in previous versions of COD. The multiplayer experience however, is worth mentioning. With a plethora of additional customization options, Modern Warfare 3 allows players to create their own class with weapons and other capabilities. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes with over a dozens variations of cooperative games while its competitor Battlefield 3 is equipped with only six.

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5. Dead Island

I think that this game will be a winner with many RPG fans who want to try something different instead of fighting dragons and surviving after an apocalypse. The graphics of this game are of a high standard and the storyline is very well written. The game is set on the fictional island of Banoi in a hotel called Palms Resort. You can choose between 4 characters: Xian Mei, Logan, Sam B and Purna. From reading reviews I would play as Logan as he is the leader of the group and renowned for his strength.

4. Madden 12

I am looking to play something different at the moment so I thought I might get Madden 12. It’s a game about American football and you basically play against other teams. It’s a bit like Fifa but with a different sport. They also have the Hall of Fame edition where you get some extra All Star characters. Overall I think the graphics look good and this is a very good game. I do think eventually that I would lose interest in this game and I will be trading it in for something better.

3. Gears of War 3

I think that this game will be one of the most played games coming out this year, as everyone with an Xbox loves Gears and I really enjoyed playing 1 & 2. This new one has amazing graphics and really cool new guns especially the gold retro lancer you get when you pre-order. But I highly recommend buying the Gears of War 3 Epic Edition, as you get lots of artwork and a Marcus Fenix statue which I would love to put up in my flat. I will definitely get this game and probably never sell it and play it all the time.

2. Modern Warfare 3

This game is going to be a big hit with all platforms because everyone loves Call of Duty (COD. Many people have said that Call of Duty is dying out but I disagree with that statement. I will never stop playing COD. Anyway I think the graphics for this game are excellent and look really realistic. The game will start where Modern Warfare 2 finished off. At the end of Modern Warfare 2, Russia was invading America and the two main characters Soap and Price, were running from the American government. I would recommend Modern Warfare 3 to anyone who has played the other Call of Duty games and thought they were really good and enjoyed them.

1. Skyrim

I think Skyrim will be one of best games coming out this year and will look really good and everyone will love it. It is not a direct sequel to Oblivion as many people believe. Skyrim is a new chapter in The Elder Scrolls game series and the beginning is similar to Oblivion as you start off in a prison cell. I have read some reviews and magazines that have stated that Skyrim will feature a skills tree with special extra skills and you will level up in a similar way to Fallout. Skyrim is the game I am most anticipating the release of this year as I am a big fan of the Elder Scrolls Series. I would recommend Skyrim to anyone who loves RPGs.

Liam is a legendary gamer looking forward to Gears of War 3 and Modern Warfare 3.

Modern Warfare 2 is the follow-up to the massively successful Call of Duty series. Ever since coming out, the game has built up to the top of the ladder of online shooters, and still ranks #1 in terms of players online at any time. This huge success came despite some negative backlash from the community against the way the servers were structured in the new version – it seems that people have calmed down with time and have came to terms with the new rules (more on that below).

Gameplay

The game features a rather short single-player mode, which managed to stir up some controversy due to the depiction of a group of Russian terrorists slaughtering an airport. The selling point of the title isn’t the single player though – its power lies in the online play, managing to gather together thousands of players every day. You can unlock various new weapons, tools and ranks as you progress through the RPG-like levelling system, giving you access to a very powerful arsenal on the battlefield.

Some of the criticism from the community came as a response to the removal of dedicated servers – in other words, you can’t host your own private game, you need to rely on the IWNet (Infinity Ward Network, the game’s centralized account system) to connect to other players via “lobbies” – which, while convenient for newcomers, precludes more advanced players from customizing their gameplay to greater extents.

Graphics and System Requirements

The game uses the newest version of Infinity Ward’s proprietary engine, and it performs excellently for the task of giving you tons of eye candy – the game looks spectacular, and the graphics combined with the rest of the effects really make you feel like you’re in the center of the action. The system requirements scale appropriately though, and you’ll need a powerful machine to run the game with everything enabled – at least a GeForce 6600GT or Radeon 1600XT, or any other DirectX 9-compliant card; and a 3.2GHz processor if you’re using a single core.

Other

An underrated aspect of the game’s multiplayer is its cooperative mode, which allows you to play with your friends in a variety of exciting situations – so if you’re getting MW2, make sure you give that one a try, if you manage to find any lobbies for it. Also, since the game was released, more content has been made available for it in the form of DLC map packs (one released so far and more coming up), though you’ll have to pay for those as they’re not free.

Conclusion

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 managed to become one of the highest-ranking games of its time, and we’re yet to see anyone take the crown from it – and despite its occasional flaws and hiccups, it deserves its popularity in all aspects – so if you want a refreshing shooter, give it a try.