*Edited 12/13/2023 changing from a cautiously-recommended review to a non-recommendation due to the game running far more poorly after the Season One update and a competitor coming out within a month that's been far more worth my time than this.

Bottom line, Modern Warfare 3 (2023) is patch content other games would include for free or maybe for a ~$30 expansion/DLC being charged for $70. There are far better games that came out this year worth $70 and even some are completely Free to Play that are more fun, more original, better optimized with better production value, and most importantly, wasn't forced by a publisher to come out in 16 months. Show some solidarity to Sledgehammer because they tried but I can't in good consciousness recommend this game in spite of the hours of fun grind that can be found in the MP and Zombies despite that.

Here's my thoughts in bullet-point form:
- The Campaign is awful and basically asset flips Warzone maps with a cobbled-together and poorly-written storyline.
- The positive MP tweaks including much better movement, punchier gun feedback with better-feeling recoil and visibility, Loadout systems & (untimed) Perks are something that should've been changed in a patch like most other live service games would do.
- MW2's good camo grind is back but so is the awful UI, optimization and other holdovers felt in last year's guns and plethora of bugs.
- Playing 2009's MW2 maps is nostalgic and just fresh enough to play thanks to MW2019's mechanics and style, but the novelty wears off after a while and some of the maps are really bad stinkers, especially because of the tweaks (looking at you Sub Base, Derail and Favela).
- Zombies is just MW2 DMZ with extra Cold War Outbreak mode additions mixed in. It's fine, I enjoy it sometimes, appreciate something different with the Zombies formula compared to the 30 other games we already played, and it's a chill way to grind weapons outside of MP's sweatfest, but it lacks polish, originality and could use some design overhauls to fit in this iteration's framework.
- I don't really like how everything is homogenized to be more like Warzone in every mode. Warzone's okay (even thanks to S1's overhauls) and can be a lot of fun, but the experiences are starting to blur everything together making other modes start to stand out less and less.
- After Season 1 launched, my game gets constant Packet Bursts that drop frames or even freezes the game often getting me killed unfairly during normal play in either MP or Zombies. It ran a whole lot better back in the Beta and even pre-S1.
- This game feels like trying to justify/milk the $70 value through chores and camo grinding in these two modes and hardly feels genuinely fun thanks to SBMM creating unwinnable games that just waste your time. It's exhausting and the mood fades fast.
- I feel really bad for Sledgehammer not getting to make the games they want to make. They've been forced to crank out WW2 to chase the "back to basics/boots on the ground" trend, Vanguard in barely 2 years due to mismanagement with them and Black Ops Cold War while also chasing the same trend, and then forced again to make this in such a short period just so Activision can make one more batch of money before the Microsoft deal closes. On top of all that, Activision's clearly making them a scapegoat, having them put out public announcements contradictory to the facts of the game's development and probably won't learn their lessons from this game's failures.
- Lastly, The Finals came out just a few weeks after this game did and it's completely Free to Play. I've had a lot more fun just playing that game and experiencing something fresh, new, far more polished, and most importantly, confident. I can even say the same for an Indie multiplayer spy game Deceive Inc. that costs less than half of this game and there's more rewarding things to do and earn. With CoD I feel like I'm in debt to try and have fun, versus The Finals which I feel like I'm profiting more fun than the game asks me to invest.

*Edited 12/13/2023 changing from a cautiously-recommended review to a non-recommendation due to the game running far more poorly after the Season One update and a competitor coming out within a month that's been far more worth my time than this. Bottom line, Modern Warfare 3 (2023) is patch content other games would include for free or maybe for a ~$30 expansion/DLC being charged for $70. There are far better games that came out this year worth $70 and even some are completely Free to Play that are more fun, more original, better optimized with better production value, and most importantly, wasn't forced by a publisher to come out in 16 months. Show some solidarity to Sledgehammer because they tried but I can't in good consciousness recommend this game in spite of the hours of fun grind that can be found in the MP and Zombies despite that. Here's my thoughts in bullet-point form: - The Campaign is awful and basically asset flips Warzone maps with a cobbled-together and poorly-written storyline. - The positive MP tweaks including much better movement, punchier gun feedback with better-feeling recoil and visibility, Loadout systems & (untimed) Perks are something that should've been changed in a patch like most other live service games would do. - MW2's good camo grind is back but so is the awful UI, optimization and other holdovers felt in last year's guns and plethora of bugs. - Playing 2009's MW2 maps is nostalgic and just fresh enough to play thanks to MW2019's mechanics and style, but the novelty wears off after a while and some of the maps are really bad stinkers, especially because of the tweaks (looking at you Sub Base, Derail and Favela). - Zombies is just MW2 DMZ with extra Cold War Outbreak mode additions mixed in. It's fine, I enjoy it sometimes, appreciate something different with the Zombies formula compared to the 30 other games we already played, and it's a chill way to grind weapons outside of MP's sweatfest, but it lacks polish, originality and could use some design overhauls to fit in this iteration's framework. - I don't really like how everything is homogenized to be more like Warzone in every mode. Warzone's okay (even thanks to S1's overhauls) and can be a lot of fun, but the experiences are starting to blur everything together making other modes start to stand out less and less. - After Season 1 launched, my game gets constant Packet Bursts that drop frames or even freezes the game often getting me killed unfairly during normal play in either MP or Zombies. It ran a whole lot better back in the Beta and even pre-S1. - This game feels like trying to justify/milk the $70 value through chores and camo grinding in these two modes and hardly feels genuinely fun thanks to SBMM creating unwinnable games that just waste your time. It's exhausting and the mood fades fast. - I feel really bad for Sledgehammer not getting to make the games they want to make. They've been forced to crank out WW2 to chase the "back to basics/boots on the ground" trend, Vanguard in barely 2 years due to mismanagement with them and Black Ops Cold War while also chasing the same trend, and then forced again to make this in such a short period just so Activision can make one more batch of money before the Microsoft deal closes. On top of all that, Activision's clearly making them a scapegoat, having them put out public announcements contradictory to the facts of the game's development and probably won't learn their lessons from this game's failures. - Lastly, The Finals came out just a few weeks after this game did and it's completely Free to Play. I've had a lot more fun just playing that game and experiencing something fresh, new, far more polished, and most importantly, confident. I can even say the same for an Indie multiplayer spy game Deceive Inc. that costs less than half of this game and there's more rewarding things to do and earn. With CoD I feel like I'm in debt to try and have fun, versus The Finals which I feel like I'm profiting more fun than the game asks me to invest.