"A Remaster When Renovation Was Needed"

After the disappointing launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign, players hoped the multiplayer modes would raise the title to new heights, but unfortunately, even the multiplayer feels dated. MW3’s multiplayer includes a visually updated collection of beloved maps and an entirely new open-world Zombie mode. Still, any player hoping the latest installment would revolutionize the series will be disappointed with a package that feels more like a remaster of content that’s already been played for thousands of hours.

CoD: MW3 has now fully launched with its multiplayer modes and expanded zombie mode called Operation Deadbolt. The new mode recycles CoD’s Warzone Battle Royale format by placing a squad of 3 players in a large zombie-infested Urzikstan map. Long 45-minute matches center around finding increasingly stronger weapons to combat zombie hordes whose health and ferocity increase depending on zones.

Related: Get Ready To Uninstall All Your Games For Modern Warfare 3

CoD’s Open World Zombie Mode Often Drags Its Feet

Screenshot from CAll of Duty Modern Warfare 3's Open-world Zombie mode loading screen from the back of a crashed car with zombies wondering around it and a destroyed city cast in a red and orange light in the background.

Call of Duty zombie modes have garnered a devout following of players who look forward to the extra offering whenever a new game is released. MW3 has taken the fast-paced and rewarding zombie mode and stuck it into a vast level, which unfortunately removes the charm previous incarnations had. Previously, the option to play the arcade-y modes and learn the ins and outs of each stage was a nice touch. Earning enough credits to unlock another area or choosing to fortify the location someone is familiar with made the zombie mode feel accessible. Instead, MW3’s Warzone-sized zombie map feels like a chore to navigate, even with side mission contracts to complete and mystery boxes to find.

Screenshot from MW3 Zombie mode shows a large field populated by a scarce amount of trees and communication towers with around a half dozen zombies shambling around while the player holds a large machine gun.

A squad of three players can team up and drop into the zombie-infested Urzikstan. From there, players must hunt for higher-tier weapons and gear and survive long enough to reach an extraction zone. Rounds can take up to 45 – 60 minutes, which feels 50% longer than they should be. Operation Deadbolt contains three tiers of infected zones, with the highest tier containing more significant numbers of zombies, with so much health that high-tier weapons become a must. Wandering too far into a highly infected area before a squad is adequately equipped can quickly spell disaster with hordes of bullet-sponge zombies appearing from nowhere.

Screenshot from Call of Duty Modern Warefare 3 Zombie mode shows a mimic boss running towards the player with a bring glowing light in it's center and fleshy tendrils outstretched.

Besides earning low amounts of currency for destroying zombies, players can complete side-missions called Contracts. Meeting special objectives like hunting down a particular target, defeating a group of NPC mercs, or clearing out an invested building’s puss nodes award bonus experience and large amounts of zombie mode currency. Like previous CoD zombie modes, currency spent at mystery boxes and pack-a-punch stations can yield increasingly powerful weapons. Still, the cleverly crafted zombie stages from previous CoDs have been replaced with a sprawling open-world map, so the fun of planning new strategies to reach personal record zombie waves with friends is gone.

Multiplayer Feels Like A Remaster When The Series Needed A Revolution

More than ten years ago, the original Call of Duty Modern Warfare titles became massive hits with the help of their incredible multiplayer maps. Stages like the skyscraper rooftop Highrise, the tranquil Estate, and the fan-favorite stage Rust are just some iconic, memorable enviornments. Activision’s choice to focus solely on remaking beloved maps instead of devoting resources to creating something new feels underwhelming for Call of Duty’s 20th mainline title in the franchise. CoD veterans mastered these stages long ago, so any new players will, unfortunately, feel alienated against those who’ve spent hundreds (possibly thousands) of hours in each returning map.

Screenshot from MW3 multiplayer map Rust shows the small desert arena with a large oil extractor in the middle with fire erupting from the top.

Any long-time CoD player will have difficulty not smiling while playing on a classic map perfectly recreated with MW3’s impressive visuals. However, much like the multiplayer’s weapons and upgrading systems, nothing in MW3’s multiplayer feels refreshing, causing its gameplay to feel like it has refused to grow or improve in the 10+ years since the maps debuted. With so many other multiplayer shooters working to push the gaming medium forward, MW3’s multiplayer’s lack of innovation will disappoint players looking for something new.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

Now that the entirety of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been released, it’s hard not to be disappointed in the anticipated title. For a franchise that once innovated and drove other shooters to be better, MW3 feels devoid of fresh ideas. Even the Warzone-like zombie mode feels like several good ideas smashed into a mode that doesn’t click. Unfortunately, much of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 feels like a game stuck in the early 2000s, and players looking for something actually modern will need to look elsewhere.

Source: Call of Duty/YouTube

Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 code for the purpose of this review.