Modern Warfare 3 Called the Worst Campaign in Call of Duty History
Modern Warfare 3’s campaign begins right where Modern Warfare 2’s ended. You will be on the side of Captain Price and Task Force 141 as they combat Vladimir Makarov, the popular antagonist from the original MW series.
The overall consensus regarding the most recent campaign is that it’s mid. Almost every review of the campaign has it at a very average score. While it has some promise, early players have been disappointed in the campaign due to its troublesome storyline and repetitive gameplay.
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Rough Early Reviews
IGN called the MW3 campaign the “worst” they have ever played. Their critic claimed the campaign was too focused on the past and didn’t try hard enough to make it work presently, citing flat characters that felt “surface level” and open combat missions that felt too repetitive.
“Unfortunately, they’re symptomatic of Modern Warfare 3's flawed approach as a whole, opting for a thin veil of openness and choice over Call of Duty's once-trademark blockbuster storytelling,” IGN wrote.
Added GameSpot: “While it's nice to see an attempt to innovate within the well-established CoD campaign formula, open combat missions offer too much freedom, tanking all the momentum these military storylines typically would build with cinematics and traditional gameplay. Modern Warfare 2 did a much better job of balancing choice while holding on to the action of the story, with missions that let you have more mobility options but never let you lose sight of a mission's urgency.”
Streamers Weigh In
Streamers also chimed in on the Modern Warfare 3 campaign. In a YouTube video called MW3 is the Worst Call of Duty Campaign Ever, Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White said that the open combat missions felt like “DLC for Modern Warfare 2.” He added that it reminded him of DMZ but played on the Warzone map.
Unfortunately the storyline and cutscenes didn’t help. During one cutscene, Moist started laughing and called it “cringe” despite someone dying. The emotion just wasn’t there like in past Call of Duty installments, with the story feeling flat and the characters one-dimensional. The most-discussed example of this was the return of Makarov.
The Game Crater wrote that Modern Warfare 3’s “biggest sin” is the “mistreatment” of Makarov in its review. The critic explained: “Perhaps MW3’s campaign’s greatest sin is its mistreatment of Makarov, the infamous terrorist whose role in the original Modern Warfare 2 mission No Russian cemented his legacy as one of gaming’s greatest villains. Alas, in MW3, he’s relegated to doing little more than pout and angrily spew malicious speech about world domination and how the West isn’t particularly nice.”
Added IGN: “Makarov himself has undergone a reinvention, but not for the better. Forget all you knew about the sinister, layered antagonist of old who possessed an IQ capable of playing nations' governments of one another. This time around he's a thin layer of clown makeup away from jetting off to cause mayhem in Gotham.
“This new anarchic approach to the character is one-dimensional, and though admirably performed by Julian Kostov who musters the occasional chilling line delivery, is unaided by a script begging for nuance. It doesn’t do the once-great villain justice, relegating him to a shallow character who comes and goes in the blink of an eye.”
It’s definitely a huge letdown since the return of Makarov was so highly anticipated by the Call of Duty community. The entire story behind the campaign didn’t have the same zeal and impact of the past campaigns, with Moist noting that it had a “nonsensical narrative” and “no ending.” This made the four-hour trudge through the campaign feel even more frustrating for the outspoken streamer.
Concluded GameSpot: “Although its narrative setup is enjoyable, Modern Warfare 3 can't get out of its own way, with nearly half of the missions being the underwhelming Open Combat style. The bumpy pacing and abrupt ending make Makarov's big return a disappointment, dragging Modern Warfare 3 down as the weakest entry of an otherwise strong reboot series.”
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!