Call of Duty fans rejoice at recoil changes in the Modern Warfare 3 campaign

The Modern Warfare 3 (2023) campaign is out in the wild, finally giving Call of Duty fans their first taste of the upcoming blockbuster first-person shooter (FPS). Released as part of a week-long early access period, this single-player portion of the game could offer a small insight into what the multiplayer mode might hold when it comes out this Friday (November 10).

While reactions to the story content and mechanics found throughout the campaign have certainly been very mixed, some of the changes to weapon handling compared to the previous entry, last year’s Modern Warfare 2, have been met with plenty of praise.

Going hands-on with the campaign ourselves, it is very apparent that weapons have been made far easier to control. With greatly reduced visual recoil (the degree to which your firearm appears to move on the screen while shooting) things feel a lot closer to the point-and-click bullet hoses found in earlier Call of Duty games.

It also appears that the amount of smoke and muzzle flash produced by weapons has been toned down, making landing accurate shots much more straightforward. As one of the most requested changes for the multiplayer mode, players have been reacting positively over on social media after trying the campaign for themselves.

“It’s like they’re completely new guns,” remarked user Shaka_Walls on Reddit, “very excited for multiplayer!” 

“MW3 guns performed better and were easier to control,” added Alex0842. Echoing a similar sentiment, ilikeburgir said: “[Shots] could easily be on target. Felt good.”

Some, however, have been a little less enthused with one user cynically commenting “so this is what it feels like to be handed an ice cold glass of water while burning in hell.”

Personally, I was a huge fan of just how punchy a lot of the weapons felt in Modern Warfare 2 so am not quite sure what to make of these changes so far. While firearms still felt enjoyable to use when I went hands-on with the campaign’s opening hours, I’m going to reserve my judgment until I have spent a little more time with the multiplayer mode.

For more Modern Warfare 3, read our interview about how the campaign's open combat missions change the rules of engagement. Alternatively, see what the team behind the game learned from indie development.