A corridor, a scripted explosion, and that adrenaline tuned to the exact second.

Picked on gut feeling, Modern Warfare 3 lands ahead of 74% of games, the sheer intensity connects on instinct. The feel in your hands follows, ahead of 65% of titles, fun above average too. But the real contrast is elsewhere. The wish to experience it for the first time again sits at the very bottom, ahead of barely 1% of games, and on enough votes to trust it. As if the effect works once, full blast, then burns out. Art direction sinks too, right at the bottom, and it would take almost nobody to a desert island. You love the jolt in the moment, but nothing makes you want to come back to it fresh.

Against the shooters of its era, it ticks the sensation and spectacle box, less the one for a world you keep in memory.

So who's it for? For you if you want instant, twitchy shooting with no downtime, an efficient rush. Much less if you're after a game that leaves a lasting mark or whose surprise you'd dream of finding intact again, because there it falls short.