By Matt Shatos 
The release of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” in November marked the largest entertainment release of all time. With 6.5 million copies sold in the first 24 hours, it left its predecessors, and even movie titans such as “Titanic,” in the dust.  The game is a direct sequel to the hit “Modern Warfare 2,” which has reached the hands of millions of gamers. It features the main campaign, a two-player cooperative mode called spec-ops, and the infamous, love it/hate it multiplayer.
The game overall compares very well to the previous versions, although it does nothing to innovate the genre. The story mode is spotted with developer Infinity Ward’s signature blockbuster moments, which break up the pace quite well. However, the main story plays out in a brief eight to 10 hours. The spec-ops mode adds some extra co-op time, but most gamers will simply skip over these “side dishes” and go straight to the main course – multiplayer.
The multiplayer, as mentioned above, is definitely where most players will spend most of their time; new maps, weapons, killstreaks, and game modes have been added in an attempt to add a new feel to the genre.  The newest, and probably most welcome, addition is the new game mode titled “Kill Confirmed.”  This game mode adds a new twist on the classic “Team Deathmatch” gameplay by forcing players to grab the dog tags of their enemies after taking them down.  While this may seem to be a simple addition, it adds the frenzy of leaving cover to run into harm’s way to grab an enemy’s dog tags for extra points. 
New support killstreaks have also been added,  giving the more team-oriented players and beginners access to defensive killstreak rewards – which continue through death. 
Weapon leveling has also changed, giving players the ability to level up not only their soldier, but also the weapons that they choose to use individually.  This allows players to customize their weapons with unlocks and upgrades specific to only the weapons they use.
Overall, “Modern Warfare 3” definitely delivers the experience its fans were hoping for, with only a few faults to be found.  One of these faults is simply the outdated graphics.  With high-resolution games such as “Battlefield 3” and “Skyrim” so close to its release date, it’s a shame that more effort was not focused on the graphical capabilities of the game. However, most gamers will simply overlook any lackluster graphics and the somewhat lacking campaign, and will simply enjoy the game for what it is – a great multiplayer experience.
The game is available for $59.99 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.