Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Figure out if multiplayer or Warzone is my 2024 jam
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | Target

While I certainly did not enjoy Modern Warfare III’s campaign (though a handful of missions are at least conceptually interesting), the multiplayer has been a different story. To be honest, it’s been hard to get time in on the latest multi offering from CoD, but after a recent trip through some 6v6, Ground War, and Warzone, I’m thinking this game should be in my regular rotation. The problem? I don’t have a lot of time. So this weekend, I’m hoping to figure out if CoD’s gonna be my go-to battle royale, or if I have the appetite for an additional team deathmatch game beyond Halo.

I really appreciate the almost non-stop intensity of CoD’s traditional teams-based multiplayer. It’s a perfect way to just throw on some Lamb of God and enjoy the chaos (though, oddly, I’ve found Arvo Pärt’s music to be unique background material for the ultra violence of CoD). Warzone, however, is very different. A DMZ refugee, I typically play slow and cautiously—and with DMZ-like features joining Warzone next week with Season 1 Reloaded, it’s gonna be a tough call between this or 6v6. War Mode is also calling to me: its key objectives kinda remind me of Killzone’s multiplayer, though sadly without the signature red-eyed Helghast on the field.

Either way, I’m looking forward to finally getting the time to figure out what my go-to loadouts are, make some progress by leveling up new guns, and just enjoying the competitive challenge of a brutally fast-paced, first-person shooter.

— Claire Jackson