The title is kind of insane, really.
How on earth did Modern Warfare 3, the latest installment of one of the most popular gaming series of all-time, flop?
And flop, it did, having found it on massive discount for Black Friday like dated Chromebooks.
It all began when it was released and Metacritic nailed it with a bludgeoning 55 review resulting in its worst ever Call of Duty franchise game review. And that’s just the start.
So what went wrong? Or is it even wrong?
First, we begin with how Modern Warfare 3 got landed. Originally, the idea was to make Modern Warfare 3 and extension of 2. It wasn’t originally set out as a new game entirely. And according to Activision, there’s more engagement this year than for 2’s launch in the year prior; hence, there way of saying, reviews may suck, but gamers actually don’t loath it in the same way.
Lower user scores, however, are troubling regardless of what Activision says. Lots of reviews don’t appreciate the game’s shorter version. But again, that’s explained by creators launching a stand alone game that was originally just an add on to Modern Warfare 2.
Moreover, when reviews began on November 7th, multiplayer mode wasn’t ready. That became ready on November 10th. So all the haters, as the cool kids say, went town on those three days beating the game down in wildly negative reviews.
But reviews aren’t limited to lapses in multi-player world or misconceptions regarding the game’s original point and goal.
Nope.
Some people feel the zombies don’t work in an open world. Some reviewers feel the game is entirely forgettable. Other gamers feel this was simply a cash-grab by Activision.
What’s completely absurd is that the low Metacritic review makes Modern Warfare 3 the worst (reviewed) game of the year. But as we all know, that can’t be true. But bad reviews make it difficult to push a $70 game.
But it should be noted, not everyone despises Modern Warfare 3 – not by a long shot.
Aaron Halon, head of SHG, doubled-down on Modern Warfare 3, saying he’s “incredibly proud” of the release.
“We’re incredibly proud of Modern Warfare III – both the full game experience at launch and the upcoming year of content we have planned for the community. On behalf of the extremely talented team across Sledgehammer Games and our…— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) November 9, 2023
Graphics
The graphics are clean and crisp and detailed, as you’d expect from any Call of Duty installation. The desert scenes offer a sunny brilliance that’s vivid and immersive.
Conclusion
Modern Warfare 3 is one of 2023’s worst reviewed games. Some of this is due to poor user reviews which happened during the interim period where multiplayer mode wasn’t available. The game isn’t as bad as reviews suggest, although it does feel like an abbreviated version of 2, which was the original point.
As the game evolves, we expect it shines brightly. There’s little reason to think that Modern Warfare 3 won’t pick up steam going into 2024 as more people ignore reviews which likely weren’t always reasonable.