Modern Warfare 3: The Burden of Success | A Campaign Essay
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- čas přidán 2. 05. 2024
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 had an impossible job. Its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, cranked every emotional notch up to ten, delivering both the biggest, most exciting moments and the worst horrors. MW2 rode the knife’s edge, taking the action and intensity as far as it could go while not diving into the absurd. For some, even, Modern Warfare 2 went too far.
Modern Warfare 3 had to follow that game up. The conclusion of a trilogy is expected to ramp up the stakes even higher, but where do you even go after MW2? How do you make a setpiece bigger than watching a nuclear explosion from outer space, or conjure a scene with a bigger gut-punch than No Russian or Loose Ends?
Modern Warfare 3 is a brilliant game, but it can’t escape this sense of excess. So, we’re going to dive into Modern Warfare 3. We’re going to look at both the good and bad. Join me in this retrospective video essay.
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What is your favorite MW3 level?
Operation Kingfish was the codename for a joint operation that occurred on October 8th, 2013, which saw the joint collaboration of both the Task Force 141 and Delta Force. Taking place between the events of COD 4 & MW2 which involves Price, Soap, Ghost, Sandman hunting down Makarov.
Oh interesting! That explains why Price trusts Sandman in MW3. Thank you for sharing!
@@calvinfishermedia No prob buddy BTW this is where Price was captured and became prisoner 627
There is a short film for it on youtube
@@calvinfishermediathis also explains how Price became Prisoner 627, as it was assumed Price died the day it happened
I agree, MW3 is my favorite game as its the first video game I ever played. The mission set of this game is insane. Playing as Frost, Yuri, Burns, the FSO agent and Price was incredible.
The game felt big, fighting in the streets of New York to Africa and Europe really finished off the immersiveness of a global war. The images of MW2's invasion of America was incredible, but the MW3's settings expanded on a war between two superpowers.
I also love how Makarov's whole plot really falls in line, while TF 141 is humanized a lot more in their pursuit for revenge against Makarov. The ending is perfect as you're playing as a warrior who's lost countless brothers to Makarov.
I think you explained the game’s appeal really well! It really has some of the most memorable levels in the series due to the scale and imagery. One of my favorites in the series! Thanks for watching!
Now do you know what's REALLY different? COD on DS.
I think I played one of the DS mw games when I was younger and had a rough time lol.
Yea, it has flaws but the ending is arguably the best the franchise has ever had…
After a badass final kill, everything is somber for a moment, especially the music, as Captain Price and the player realize that it’s over, and reflect on the heroes that were lost getting here. But then the score turns triumphant as Price knows his fallen friends can rest easy, now that Makarov has finally met his end.
Thus, Captain Price brings the modern warfare trilogy full circle-just as his first mission in MW1 began with him smoking a cigar, throwing it away and getting to work, MW3 ends with Price’s mission complete, and him lighting a cigar to celebrate his victory.
I didn’t think of it coming full circle with the cigar, but that is a great point!
The ending was the most satisfying I've got until I finished The Witcher 3. Anyway, had me shed a tear that I've been living on a great time with one of the best game trilogies of all time.
I don’t seem to see a lot of people say this, but I think call of duty campaigns were a lot better when they used to be unrealistic in their action
This game showcased a whole lot of it lol and I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s so good to me
Some of the more modern campaigns have tried to be a little bit more realistic and tactical, and I think after one game it got a little stale
I agree! The newer games feel like they have far fewer straight up firefights which bums me out. I also miss the larger scale war that the OG trilogy presented. The newer games do have great presentation and good pacing though!
@@calvinfishermedia that is true the older games campaigns feel like they have wider scale conflicts with bigger steaks as opposed to the newer ones where it feels like you’re just following seal team 6 trying to take down a single terrorist threat
@@OrionInSpace that’s a good way to describe it! Also I really enjoyed your Infinite Warfare retrospective! Are you planning on doing any longform critiques like that for the other COD games?
@@calvinfishermedia tbh man I am in limbo right now with CZcams. I might return to COD in the future but right now Halo is the focus. I finished Halo 2 a few weeks and still haven’t started my script. I’m just so inconsistent and distracted. I hate it lol…😅
@@OrionInSpace I get that man! It’s hard to consistently put out content. I’m having trouble getting started on my next game, I’ve put it off for a week. Just part of the process I think. You’ll find your groove!
I really like how you analize story, thematics and characters of a game using your writer perspective. I also like that you dont analyse only complex games too.
If you ever cover Legacy of Kain you are gonna have a blast.
Thanks for watching! I appreciate your kind words. I haven’t heard of Legacy of Kain before! What do you like about it?
@@calvinfishermedia as you i am a writer but an amateur one. Gothic stories are some of my favourites, which is captured in this series since the main characters are vampires (although with a twist). Legacy of Kain has an incredible atmosphere and has very well written dialogues. Unfortunately its a very dated game (ps1) but its story can be milked for good videos and analysis.
@@SIGNOR-G that sounds super interesting! Thanks for sharing. I hope to check it out when I get time!
@@calvinfishermedia then if you are interested check out the first chapter of the trilogy called Soul Reaver.
Also Price is the only MW playerable character to speak in gameplay.
This is an interesting detail to point out! I think it helps the last mission feel even more personal
My first COD game was this on the wii.
Nice!!
Honestly, I liked the Delta missions more than the 141 missions in MW3. Not because they blew up more stuff, but because at the moment, I was more invested in the war effort than the hunt for Makarov. I didn't truly care about getting Makarov until after Soap's death. I will admit I am quite biased as I am an American.
Also, the MW3 Spec Ops Survival needs to be returned.
Same here! I think overall the Delta missions were my favorite. And I agree on survival, such a great mode that I would love to see return.
Your analysis of this game made me think of a lot of the issues Halo 3’s narrative has where it’s a mess. Some of the events feel like natural progressions of what came before and drive the plot, while others just kind of feel there and like the devs didn’t care about how they’d connect the dots. MW3’s shocking moment that ends up feeling contrived is like Miranda Keyes’s death in 3 where it’s abundantly clear they just did that to make the story feel more emotional. As far as gameplay goes they’re both really good and have a lot of awesome memorable set pieces, but the stories are a mixed bag at best (I wish that for your H3 video you would’ve looked into the terminals and watched C3Sabertooth’s videos animating H2’s storyboards so you would’ve been able to better articulate why H3’s story falls flat, and how various aspects would’ve been handled better in H2’s third act. It’s still a good video. It just would’ve been better if you had looked into that, and talked about what did and didn’t work in the terminals. The Mendicant Bias parts were INSANE, while the parts Frank O’Conner wrote that went against Bungie’s vision for the Forerunners being ancient humans were a mess).
The thing you said about the characters in your books (haven’t read them so I can’t speak on them) having to wear gas masks because the atmosphere is toxic makes me think of Half-Life 2’s Beta where the Combine were terraforming the planet and making it unlivable for earth life.
It’s such a shame CoD has fallen off. Now it’s the embodiment of greed and each entry gives less content with the base game. One thing I will say is if Activision made an Operator skin for WingsofRedemption I’d buy that yesterday😂. Can you imagine just how funny that would be? I’d die laughing if that were the case🤣
With the original MW trilogy we’re one step closer to the rest of the Killzone games, along with Resistance (the weirdest thing about that series is how instead of building on the foundations of the original they’d change up the way the weapons and health functioned. They also scrapped vehicles. Sure, they looked half baked, but I’m sure if Insomniac stayed the course they could’ve refined them in the sequels and used them to mix up the gameplay). What other games do you think you’ll cover?
I can definitely see the parallels between Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 3! I think it just goes to show how hard it is to nail the third entry in a trilogy. I am looking into Destiny next!
Man this is my favorite cod game campaign after the og cod2
cod2 is amazing as well! So many great missions. The Russian ones were my favorites
@@calvinfishermedia oh definitely man and also the British battle in the Middle East where we could control a tank that was mind blowing to me back then , and the health regeneration system was revolutionary compared to medal of honor where they stuck with a health bar which wasn’t as fan sometimes back then
This was the one I played the most in my life for sure, I remember I got it for Christmas the year it was released and after that I got hooked hahaha, I spent hours on multiplayer training, and even though it's the least fan favorite I really enjoyed it and had lots of emotions in the campaign, wow, killing Makarov at the end, how beautiful the price was, as well as seeing the Eifel Tower falling hahaha great video, do of the black ops to !!
Such a great game, I’m glad you have such great memories of it! I hope to cover Black Ops eventually, but I have some other videos I want to make first. Thanks for watching!
I have to disagree on the gas attack opinion it fits right into the "flashy tragic attack" that makarov does in every game but changes the formula by giving you the pov of literal helpless civilians instead of being competent soldiers it adds a level of helplessness watching something unfold and being completely unable to act with the nuke you never knew what hit you with the airport you could've acted but didn't for story reasons with the gas attack there was nothing you could do
That’s definitely fair! I see where you’re coming from. The civilian POV definitely adds to the helplessness. Thanks for sharing!
The London scene just feels super forced, and they wanted to get more sales from controversy I honestly felt nothing from them dying
Definitely agree with you there. Feels like it's there for ulterior reasons, not because it's best from a storytelling perspective. Thanks for checking the video out!
I just finished the campaign. And man there were some silly Cutscenes that happened that shouldn't have happened but did happen because of the plot. But besides that bro the campaign was just as phenomenal as I played it before. And it's even better understanding the story of MW3.
Also I didn't realize how quick the campaign was. I swear it felt longer when i first played it😂😂
I’m glad the campaign held up for you too this time around! And I totally agree, it was way shorter than I remembered it feeling haha
This was the only game i never completed, I've gotten more than halfway multiple times but never completed it. I think last time i played these older cods was 2019-2020 or so. I played mw1 and 2 back to back but didn't playthrough 3. Time to see what i missed (also I can't give enough praise for these videos bro, you're very very good at this)
Edit: I was 2 missions away from completion... Sigh
I’ve had games like that too, where I’ve gotten about halfway through multiple times. I think Mass Effect 2 I got halfway through three times before finally beating it. Games are like that sometimes haha. Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
Thanks for videos!)
Do you also want to go through the remakes of Modern Warfare I-III?
Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it! I do plan on going through the remakes at some point. I have a handful of other videos I want to do first though, so it may be a little while!
23:26 that whole mission (including the one where Soap bites the dust) takes place in Prague not London. apologies if i misunderstood but the way you worded it makes it sound like it takes place in London the whole time lol
Oh you’re right, I think I messed that up! Thanks for the correction!
Great review. Are you considering reviewing the MW reboot trilogy in the future? It'd be great to hear your thoughts on those.
And will we be getting Storm Warning on Audible soon-ish?
Thanks for watching, and for asking about Storm Warning! I am hoping in the next two months for the audio book, I’m working with voice talent now to make it happen!
@@calvinfishermedia That's great! Looking forward to it.
Is Vincent doing the narration again?
@@tylermounsey he is not able to this time around unfortunately! I am auditioning with new actors to hopefully keep the feel consistent though. Also, sorry forgot to respond to your first question! I plan on getting around to the reboot trilogy, but I have a few more videos planned first.
@@calvinfishermedia This all sounds great. Lots to look forward to!
Thanks for replying, Calvin. It's much appreciated that you engage with your community.
@@tylermounsey I appreciate your support, it truly means a lot!
I never actually ended up finishing the story of this game, I think I was too burnt out from playing too much COD from the previous entries. I definitely enjoyed what I played, but I think I only did the first 3 or 4 missions. Now that you've finished this trilogy, are you going to look at the newer trilogy? I've only played the first two, but I think they were actually pretty good story wise.
That makes sense! I want to cover the new games, but I’m going to take a little break and cover some other games first. I liked the first two of the reboot, haven’t played 3 because of all the bad reception its campaign has gotten. I think it would be interesting to compare the old vs new. Thanks for watching!
I think 3 did well making it more personal between price and makarov
Definitely! I think it really drives home why makarov and price despise each other so much. I think Yuri is a great inclusion for that!
Oh boy! The one I have on wii!
How was it on the Wii? I’ve always been curious how the Wii versions played!
@@calvinfishermedia Neat. The motion controls give some smooth aiming. Although it probably isn't as smooth as on PC. Sniping is annoying on the wii though.
Yo this vid is cool, i clicked on it expecting the latest MW game, even though the old trilogy is 100x better - i think maybe the title should be Modern Warfare 3 (2011)?
That’s a very valid point! I’ll be more mindful of that in the future for sure. Thanks for watching!
I think at least 2 things this game could've/should've done differently: 1 - More creativity, 2 - Colors and visual aesthetics.
1 - Not purposely repeating a lot of moments and sequences from previous two MW games. Some of those re-uses are straight up baffling to me (like the moment with a dead guy lying between elevator doors that are endlessly closing in the Prague mission, which is ̶s̶t̶o̶l̶e̶n̶ copy-pasted right from the Washington mission in MW2). This really doesn't do good for the game. It just makes it feel like a second-class knockoff and injects it with mediocrity, instead of being more creative with stuff like this, to have more of its own personality and make it stand out from the other games even more.
2 - They should've paid more attention to color scheme of each location and overall visual appearance of the game. MW2 has a warm and pleasant color tone to it, as well as unique color tones for each location in the game - (the sky-blue tone of the snowy woods, the orange tone of the Washington missions, the yellow and sunny tone of the RIO suburbs, etc). It's what adds visual aesthetics to the game, gives it vibes, atmosphere, and makes it memorable. But MW3 is almost entirely robbed of it. It seems there are still some "slight" attempts to make color tones for certain locations (like the "Turbulence" mission, I suppose) but for the most part, the game descents into nothing more than grey and white tones for everything. And as a result, it makes the game visually and aesthetically dull, bleak and unpleasant. Whether it was an intentional choice or not. If it was intentional - it wasn't a good choice. So they could've definitely done a better job in that regard.
Definitely agree with both of your points! Especially on the color, you described it perfectly. Thanks for watching and sharing!
it has the same curse as the Godfather 3
I’ve only seen Godfather one, but that’s what I have heard about 3 as well!
It’s my favorite of the trilogy. People can suck it
Mw3 is great! Hope you enjoy the video!
Bro chill out no one is saying that you can’t enjoy it man
🙂↕️
Halo 3 didn't fail, just sayin'
Thanks for checking out the video and commenting! I’m a bit confused, what are you referring to? I don’t think I mention Halo in this video.
me and my adhd were so happy bc i clicked on this one, no regrets
Thanks for checking out the video! I am glad you enjoyed it.