If you've followed me for a bit, you may know that one of my guilty pleasures is a "Modern Shooter." Your Battlefields, your Calls of Duties, your Titansfalls. If I can play Team Deathmatch and get a progression/XP report after that match that's ticking up on some sorta level up experience, I'm there.

One of the wild things, to me, about a game like Modern Warfare III (2023) is how wildly the experience swings depending on map types and modes. For instance, smaller maps like Shipment is like... peak Modern Shooter Nonsense. You spawn, sometimes into immediate death, and then run around a small square hoping you can at least take down one person before things go south. It's probably my favorite small map design, the only thing that sucks is killstreaks are extremely overpowered in such a small map, but even then it's still fun. Despite some clear design issues, it's largely more fun than it isn't, if that makes sense.

Then you take a map like Estate and it's like... horrifically unfun. Despite knowing that this is a largely 6v6 game, the map is too big for a 6v6 game mode like Team Deathmatch. I had a match earlier today where I circled the perimeter of the map twice before I saw (or was shot at by) a single enemy. If this was a map made for their 12v12 modes... keep it there! It's simply not a good time to play with a smaller player count.

Speaking of a completely unfun experience, I don't know about you but I cannot stand the "standard" experiences anymore. It feels like I'm often dumping bullets into a guy, and they get one shot off on me and I'm done for. Everyone else feels like they have a billion hitpoints, and if my character so much as even thinks about bullets they ragdoll to the floor. However, "Hardcore" mode feels so much better. On the off chance someone hits you, but doesn't kill you, that health doesn't come back. Additionally, almost every weapon is one or two shots to take down someone, so you learn to be accurate and quick. This combines into some fun experiences where for example you are able to take out a group, but not without damage, so now you have a permanent on-screen reminder of that damage (colo9rs washed out, red on the sides of the screen) until you're taken out. There are also XP bonuses for one-shot kills and long distance kills, which means you can go through the XP grinds faster just by playing normally.

The swings are wild. It's nice that you can essentially make your own experience, but I'd rather all the experiences just be.... good?