The folks at Kotaku have got their grubby mitts on a boatload of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 info for your consumption.
Be warned though, the site has blown the game’s story wide open, so expect major spoilers ahead.
Sources close to the site have claimed the military blaster – which has still yet to be officially announced by Activision – will “reshape the landscape of the Call of Duty franchise,” and promises a host of new settings, a story that will tie up any loose ends as well as reveal the final moments from key characters from the series’ history.
As frequently rumored, the game is being developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. Kotaku notes that the following info may be subject to change come release, though for now, this is what we can expect:
“The game opens moments after the cliffhanger ending of Modern Warfare 2 with the US struggling to stave off a surprise Russian attack. The single-player campaign will ping-pong players around the world as they take on the multiple throwaway roles as a Russian Federal Protective Services agent, SAS Operative, tank gunner, and AC-130 gunner as well as key characters from previous installments and new recurring characters. The game will feature about 15 missions, kicking off with the invasion of Manhattan by a Russian force and wrapping up with a final encounter in Dubai.”
In addition to wrapping up any unanswered questions from MW1 and MW2, the game’s single-player campaign will also introduce two fresh faces in the form of Delta Force grunts “Frost” and “Sandman.” Meanwhile, the multiplayer will boast two types of Special Ops modes – Survival and Mission.
MW3 will signal the return of popular characters Captain John “Soap” MacTavish and Captain John Price, as well as Vladimir Makarov and Russian informant Nikolai. The game opens up as North American troops are battling Russian ground forces on U.S. soil.
Soap, Price and Nikolai are laying low in a safehouse in Dharmasala, India, where they are set upon by Makarov’s men. Here, players hop into the boots of Yuri, a loyalist working for Nikolai. The safehouse is compromised, however, and the men are extracted via chopper.
The action then transitions to Manhattan as the Russians are busy pushing the attack with ships in the Hudson River. In retaliation, the U.S. calls in Delta Force and the player assumes the role of the aforementioned Frost.
Following this, you’ll board a Blackhawk and fly over the skyline blasting enemy choppers before approaching the Hudson River, where you must sink the Russian submarine “coordinating the attacks.”
After this, you’ll fly over the city in a Blackhawk, gun down enemy choppers, and fly out to the Hudson where you must sinka Russian sub that is “cooredinating the attacks.”
Locations in the game include:
* Dharmasala, India
* New York, New York
* A plane transporting the president of Russia
* A town in Sierra Leone
* London, England
* Mogadishu, Somalia
* Hamburg, Germany
* Paris, France
* Prague, Czech Republic
* A castle in the Czech mountains
* Berlin, Germany
* The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Washington. D.C.
In addition to the above, gamers will also control a Russian agent tasked with protecting the Russian president on his journey to sign a peace treaty with the U.S. However, the plane is attacked resulting in the kidnapping of the president, though his daughter ultimately escapes. Unsurprisingly, Makarov isn’t keen on establishing peace between the two countries, and so grabs the launch codes from the President and attacks the U.S.
The action then shifts to Price and co in Africa, where the trio deal with a South African arms dealer before heading to Sierra Leone. We’re then put in control of an SAS chap tasked with stopping the delivery of weapons of “mass destruction” over the London docks.
MW3 depicts several European cities coming under attack, including Hamburg, Germany, where gamers control a tank gunner in an attempt to drive back the Russian forces.
Things come to a close in Dubai, where Yuri, Price and Sandman corner Makarov in his hotel hideaway where the unscrupulous fellow finally meets his maker. A “post-credits level” is apparently also featured, depicting the burning of Washington, D.C.
Finally, the report states that the game will indeed be released on November 8, 2011.Stay tuned for more info as it breaks.