Why I Love Call Of Duty MW3 So Much…

I’ve been playing computer games as long as I can remember. Being born in ’82, I am part of the first wave of the digital generation. Ever since I can remember I’ve been on a computer for school, work or play. Television never interested me as much as being on a computer did. The idea of passively waiting for my entertainment just goes against the grain.

So I have a natural love for video games (computer games, whatever…) and I’ve been playing them since long before the first Nintendo came out. By the time gaming consoles came around I was already very comfortable with using a mouse and keyboard to play games so I didn’t buy a console until the first Xbox came out.

I’ve played every type of game from RPG to zombie horror to military strategy to racing games but what I love are the first person shooters. ID Software birthed the first person shooter genre with Castle Wolfenstein for PCs with the simplest of graphics and really only one truly remarkable feature… blood. Finally we could feel like we really were killing stuff in video games. Plus, putting the player behind the eyes of the character for a point-of-view experience enhances the player-character experience. Video game reflexes in the past were only quick thumbs trained for timed jumps and combo attacks. With the first person shooter the player is jumping, ducking, bobbing & weaving, struggling to survive in a far more human and realistic way.

That realism is what makes first person shooters attractive to most players. The quest for realism has driven game technology over the years, but became a cold war of marginal improvements between inherently similar games. Most first person shooters are crap, focusing on cool looking weapons and volumes of predictable enemy characters. Only a few games were remarkable because they offered some major innovation in FPS gaming technology.

Most notably of all, Counterstrike was the first game to pit teams of real human players together online in team-based deathmatch. The game featured Terrorist vs Counter-Terrorist team warfare complete with a modern weapon arsenal, maps to invite all types of gameplay from sniping to run-and-gun equally and realistic (ish) damage. Deathmatch wasn’t just running around in circles shooting anymore… there was strategy and even better, engaging teamplay between humans.

I played that goddamn game to death even long after the newness wore off. For several years there wasn’t anything new and compelling like Counterstrike until America’s Army. Realism got a major bump when the US Army sponsored the development of a first person team tactical shooter. Being good at that game meant being extremely patient, thinking outside the box and dealing with realistic environments. Snow could obscure your vision and one skillful shot from a sniper could have you waiting in the game lobby for a half hour.

Since those days the first person shooter world has expanded significantly and there are various games that incorporate the FPS style with other elements like features common in RPGs or racing games, etc… I’ve played many FPS games since I finally got into console games. The controller for the XBOX 360 is (IMHO) the best-designed controller for console games. The fluid 2-thumb controls and triggers allow for a nice analog-style control over movement and also access to plenty of buttons for complex controls, in game menus, etc… making XBOX 360 the ideal platform for FPS gaming.

There are plenty of Battlefield 3 and Gears of War 3 fans that would disagree with me… But I think that the Call of Duty series has been the only truly EPIC realistic first person shooter series since Counterstrike. Halo was fantastic obviously…but I’m specifically talking about modern-style squad combat games. Each version of COD is more and more realistic with greater granular control over weapons, skill sets and so on. Call of Duty’s latest installment brilliantly enhances the first person shooter experience by forcing the player to upgrade each of their weapons individually, giving different player unique advantages with their weapon of choice.

Your skill level in the game has a greater impact on your ability to play this game and dominate than any FPS game I’ve played before. There are dozens of perks, weapons and upgrades, hidden spots in the map and my personal favorite, strike packages. The strike packages (introduced in the original Modern Warfare and enhanced in MW3) allow players to earn points towards devastating special attacks and advantages for your team. Killstreaks (and now point-streaks) allow players on a roll to call in air strikes, predator missiles, attack helicopters, AC130 Gunships and more.

Click Here To Check Out Call Of Duty, Modern Warfare 3 For XBOX 360 On Amazon

Call of Duty is betting hard on its longevity in the market (which is certainly deserved) by creating a premium package for the hardcore players to socialize, compare themselves to one another and talk smack on a larger scale. The product is called Call of Duty Elite and it works with past Modern Warfare games as well as MW3. By far the packages’ best feature is that membership (an annual fee of $49.99) covers the cost of all downloadable content (DLC) for Modern Warfare throughout the next year. Since COD produces new map games and mini-games about once a quarter (at $15.99) you would enjoy a small cost savings for paying up front. To learn more about this premium Modern Warfare package visit Call of Duty Elite online.

Odds are that most of you readers are already familiar with Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3. Somehow, if you haven’t played this game yet… please do yourself a favor and join the fun. If you are already online with MW3 on XBOX 360, hit me up to join your XBOX Live party.

My XBOX Live username is deadmedia. See you online.