The much-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has officially arrived and game maker Activision last night celebrated the release with launch parties at 13,000 retailers worldwide.
Players can team up online, locally, or play solo. The $59.99 game is available for PC, PS3, and the Xbox 360; $49.99 Wii and $29.99 Nintendo DS options are also on sale. An Xbox 360 Limited Edition console package is also available for $399.99, and that includes the game, an Xbox with COD:MW3 artwork, a 320GB hard drive, two wireless controllers, customer MW3-inspired audio.
"This watershed launch extends the legacy of the franchise like no other previous release," Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, said in a statement. "Combining the narrative punch and gameplay innovations of the next chapter in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series with the unique services of Call of Duty Elite will bring Call of Duty gamers together in a cohesive, fan-focused environment like no other."
As noted by PCMag's Jeff Wilson, the latest Call of Duty, which Amazon said was its best-selling video game pre-order of all-time, is a first-person shooter that puts players in New York City, Paris, Berlin, and other global locations.
"COD:MW3 features a new progression system that lets gamers earn experience and increase their ranks," Wilson wrote. "The higher the rank, the more weapons, air support, and gear armories they will have available to customize, which will let them change their tactics on the fly. A cooperative Survival Mode also serves as an effective training tool for competitive multiplayer action."
The updated game includes 16 new objective-based missions and a new Survival Mode, as well as a "gun progression system" that evolves your weapon over time.
In a new infographic (below), meanwhile, Visual.ly pits COD:MW3 against Battlefield, which recently sold five million units on a worldwide basis within its first week, the fastest-selling game in EA's history.
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