Everyone is no stranger to the highs and lows of popular series, and Call of Duty has had its fair share of both. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 marks a notable low point for the franchise. This latest release grapples with unusually harsh critiques, setting a new precedent for the series regarding critical reception.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has received a Metacritic score of just 50 after 33 reviews, a jarring figure compared to its predecessors. This score positions it as the lowest-rated mainline game in the franchise’s history. Even on OpenCritic, it fares similarly poorly, scoring 56 after 30 reviews. This contrasts sharply with even the second-lowest-rated main game, Call of Duty: Ghosts, which scored 68.
Considering all titles under the Call of Duty umbrella, Modern Warfare 3 still ranks unfavorably, being the second-worst reviewed game in the entire series. It only fares better than “Call of Duty: Black Ops – Declassified,” a PS Vita title from 2012.
So, what’s gone wrong this time? Well, reports suggest that Modern Warfare 3 was a rushed job. Initially planned as an expansion to the previous game, it was later developed into a full title, completed in just 16 months amidst a significant crunch. Sledgehammer Games, the lead developer, has pushed back against these claims, but the game’s quality seems to reflect these challenges.
So, what would you say about this? Do you believe that the Call of Duty franchise is on a solid path, or will it continue to descend in the future?
