Modern Warfare 3. Is the Campaign Any Good?

Readers beware. There be spoilers lurking in this here blog post.

A confession. I'm a big fat loser who likes to play single player games on my own. Pathetic? No more so than the millions of adults who read Harry Potter books by themselves. Happily, Modern Warfare 3 caters for socially retarded hermits like me who shun all human contact. Yes, the single player campaign is really very good.

Love it or loathe it (I stand somewhere in the middle), no one does bombastic set pieces quite like CoD. The opening level is relentless, a breathless dash through the streets of New York, pushing back the invading Russian forces. It's true, you're still just shooting faceless bad guys while stuff explodes in the background, but no other war shooter does it better.

It looks gorgeous too. The panoramic vista of New York's under siege skyline is breathtaking. I literally had to stop and stare while the bullets whizzed past my head. Better yet is the fact that CoD still has the ability to surprise you with sights you've never seen in a FPS. There's a moment in the game that draws its inspiration from Inception's zero-gravity punch-up. Only this time you've got guns. Those who accuse Infinity Ward of simply rehashing the same old shit are doing the franchise a massive disservice.

Any complaints? Yes. Things get confusing as you constantly quantum leap from one character to another. One moment you're a yank soldier fighting on home soil, the next a Russian bodyguard protecting your President from terrorists. Each individual level is a perfectly paced, action packed romp. Unfortunately they don't form a cohesive whole.

I completed MW3 in just under 5 hours. It's short but it packs an almighty wallop. If you're like me and you buy games mainly for the single player, you'd be better off renting. Although I enjoyed MW3's heavily scripted campaign I have no desire to revisit it. Then again, maybe I'll give it one more go, just to see the Eiffel Tower come crashing down again.

Just one more thing. You may be wondering which game has the better campaign, Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3? The answer is, unequivocally, MW3. BF3's campaign is shit.