Troubled Debut for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Amidst Steam Criticism

A rocky beginning has defined the release weekend for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with players expressing significant discontent. The game, marred by what's been described as a hastily prepared campaign and perplexing issues with its launching system, has come under fire from the gaming community. This wave of dissatisfaction has manifested in a slew of critical reviews on Steam, plummeting the game's rating to 'Mostly Negative' and landing it a spot on SteamDB's list of top 100 worst-rated games on the platform.

Holding a grim 27% approval score at present, aggrieved fans are comparing the latest installment to "overpriced downloadable content (DLC)" and suggesting that Activision might have been better off releasing the material as a more economical expansion to Modern Warfare 2. Reviews take on a scathing tone, with one user going so far as to denounce the game as a "disgraceful rip-off", and another lamenting Modern Warfare 3 as the most disappointing multiplayer title dropped in 2023. A reoccurring critique, bluntly summing up the consensus, labels the game “$70 DLC.”

The backlash doesn't spare the game's campaign either, with many gamers taking issues with its brevity. A longtime Call of Duty enthusiast confessed feeling let down by what was perceived to be the "most dreadful" campaign experienced in 15 years of playing the series. They criticized it for a superficial narrative and laid the failure at the feet of developer Sledgehammer Games, deemed lazy for the output. Another player voiced similarly strong disapproval, admitting to having anticipated an engaging final chapter to the story, only to be met with disappointment and advising outright against a recommendation.

An ongoing source of frustration among players is geared towards the game's armory challenge system. This system, contingent on daily quest completion to access a range of weapons and upgrades, has been unfavorably received, with some describing it as the “most terrible addition” in the Call of Duty franchise. Players are not only finding the revised system worse compared to its precursor in Modern Warfare 2 but are also grappling with technical issues, as challenge progress fails to be tracked correctly — a glitch Sledgehammer Games acknowledges and vows to resolve.

Amidst the discontent, there's a glimmer of enjoyment to be found in the game's Zombies mode, a feature that, while not universally acclaimed, fetches occasional praise in reviews. One gamer finds the Zombies mode entertaining when operational, and another commends it as “quite good.” Yet, the caveat follows that such single aspects of fun aren't enough justification for the high purchase cost of a game that, in many eyes, amounts to DLC.

As the Call of Duty brand faces a challenging moment, longtime fans seem increasingly exasperated with the series' direction. It seems improbable, for now, that player sentiment toward Modern Warfare 3 will thaw anytime soon. Nonetheless, Sledgehammer Games isn't backing down from the issues. They've already begun populating their Trello board with known problems they're committed to amending in an effort to salvage the game's standing and restore players' faith.