History YMMV / CallOfDutyModernWarfare3

** The DLC Special Ops mission "Arctic Recon" has you storming a ''Slava''-class missile cruiser, planting beacons to guide cruise missiles in to sink it. Fast forward to 2022, and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cruiser_Moskva Moskva]]'' (formerly ''Slava''), the lead ship of the ''Slava''-class, was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Moskva sunk by two anti-ship cruise missiles]].

* TakeThatAudience: To the MoralGuardians and other such players, the alternative ending to "Mind The Gap" can be seen as this. There was widespread controversy directed at the franchise after the previous game's "No Russian", and both it and Mind The Gap gave players the option to skip their upsetting content. However, unlike "No Russian," this has an effect on the story--If the skip is chosen, "Davis Family Vacation" does not take place, and [[spoiler: the otherwise empty van which the SAS stopped blows up, killing all but Wallcroft and maybe Burns (you). So in saving a family of 3, including a little girl, you just killed around 10 SAS soldiers instead]]. [[SarcasmMode Well done...]]

** The scenery of the Russian Invasion of Europe--especially the Czech Republic; right down to the execution of civilians and the survivors forming a resistance--now hits much harder in light of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, during which Russian forces have committed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucha_massacre various war crimes resulting in many civilian deaths]] and is generally seen as the first international conflict to hit Europe since the Yugoslav Wars, prompting numerous Ukrainian civilians to join their military and fight off the invasion. Fortunately for the Ukrainians, Russian forces encountered extreme difficulties and failed to subdue its relatively weaker neighbor (with six months and several tens of thousands of casualties having passed without them taking a single major city), while this game has them conquering half of Europe off-screen in a matter of days.

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be [[BadassBoast an overstatement]] which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're shown using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it is implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks their commanding submarine and uses its missiles to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), that still doesn't explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and repress survivors in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, especially given how many of their soldiers you've been killing over the past two games. It also doesn't explain how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]]. WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation in particular had a lot of fun with this:

** Back when the game was new it was review-bombed in Metacritic for being a MissionPackSequel and how a lot of non-fans have been fatigued by the ''Call of Duty'' craze. While the game still rated highly and yet another record-breaking sales achiever. Come 2023, [[Videogame/CallOfDutyModernWarfareIII a game with the same namesake yet set in a different universe]] has been equally negatively received by players and critics alike, [[spoiler: and to boot, that game ends in a SequelHook despite how this game is a proper GrandFinale for the ''Modern Warfare'' sub-story before it was rebooted in 2019.]]
* InferredHolocaust: Russia's [[AssPull miraculous]] performance in Europe - being able to overrun all of the continent up to Paris - is attributed to [[UsefulNotes/ThePoorMansAtomicBomb chemical weapons]] being deployed liberally ([[ArtisticLicenseMilitary never mind]] that modern militaries are [[HazmatSuit equipped]] and drilled against such). Try not to think too much about what happened to the civilians in cities like Berlin, Brussels or Warsaw.

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/BruceGreenwood, who voices Overlord in this game, had previously acted as one of the inept National Guardsmen in ''Film/FirstBlood'', the first film in the ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' films; the ActionHero Rambo himself would later appear as an optional PlayerCharacter in the multiplayer mode for ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' and ''Call of Duty: Warzone''.

* VindicatedByHistory: Upon release, despite beating the record-breaking sales set by the franchise since ''Modern Warfare 2'', a lot of the playerbase had become more vocally fatigued by the traditional ''Call of Duty'' formula--not helped by ''Modern Warfare 3'' [[MissionPackSequel looking and playing too similarly to its predecessor]] while its [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} rival series]] had an [[VideoGame/Battlefield3 installment]] released around the same time which looked like a breath of fresh air by comparison. This left ''3'' with an unfortunate reputation as the black sheep among the ''Modern Warfare'' trilogy, especially when comparing it to the previous games or [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII its immediate successor]] which enjoyed a much more celebrated fan-favorite status. However, revisits to this game in the latter part of the decade--both in its more-or-less immediate aftermath with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' having no returning or memorable characters and [[StillbornFranchise a story cut short]] due to negative fan reception, and especially in the wake of the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] being even ''more'' divisive in its writing and characters--led to renewed appreciation and a more dedicated fanbase keeping its multiplayer alive. It helps that this is one of the few games in the franchise to conclude its plot nicely, rather than continuing the first ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of a DownerEnding, [[AntiClimax unsatisfying ending]], or [[GainaxEnding an ending which raises more questions than answers]], something which was sadly played completely straight with the rebooted threequel, ''VideoGame/ModernWarfareIII'', which is among the most critically panned CoD campaigns in the franchise's history.

* VindicatedByHistory: Upon release, despite beating the record-breaking sales set by the franchise since ''Modern Warfare 2'', a lot of the playerbase had become more vocally fatigued by the traditional ''Call of Duty'' formula--not helped by ''Modern Warfare 3'' [[MissionPackSequel looking and playing too similarly to its predecessor]] while its [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} rival series]] had an [[VideoGame/Battlefield3 installment]] released around the same time which looked like a breath of fresh air by comparison. This left ''3'' with an unfortunate reputation as the black sheep among the ''Modern Warfare'' trilogy, especially when comparing it to the previous games or [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII its immediate successor]] which enjoyed a much more celebrated fan-favorite status. However, revisits to this game in the latter part of the decade--both in its more-or-less immediate aftermath with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' having no returning or memorable characters and [[StillbornFranchise a story cut short]] due to negative fan reception, and especially in the wake of the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] being even ''more'' divisive in its writing and characters--led to renewed appreciation and a more dedicated fanbase keeping its multiplayer alive. It helps that this is one of the few games in the franchise to conclude its plot nicely, rather than continuing the first ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of a DownerEnding, [[AntiClimax unsatisfying ending]], or [[GainaxEnding an ending which raises more questions than answers]].

* DisappointingLastLevel: Though the final level wherein you get to mow down the Inner Circle in a Juggernaut suit is widely considered to be one of the best levels in the entire trilogy, the second half of the campaign is often considered rushed and [[AntiClimax anti-climactic]], as the number of levels which rehash familiar concepts and assets from earlier in the trilogy begin to outnumber those with new and original mechanics (likely a consequence of the game's TroubledProduction). For starters, the two missions set in Germany are highly evocative of the Washington D.C. levels in ''Modern Warfare 2'' (complete with an InMediasRes sequence of the player character looking at their hands in slow-motion), and "Iron Lady" has an AC-130 segment which is widely seen as inferior to that in the first ''Modern Warfare''.[[note]]which is HilariousInHindsight given that the reason ''[=MW2=]'' had no AC-130 level was specifically ''because'' the devs thought it would pale in comparison to that of ''[=MW1=]''.[[/note]] "Eye of the Storm" and "Blood Brothers" are an admitted retread of "All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot, One Kill", but are still positively regarded due to the former's tragic atmosphere and the latter being the game's WhamEpisode. "Stronghold" is likewise seen as an enjoyable, stealth-based remix of "The Gulag", but would perhaps be more fondly regarded had the aforementioned "Eye of the Storm"--which is also stealth-based--not happened ''only two levels ago''. Lastly, while "Down the Rabbit Hole" does provide a satisfactory denouement to the story, the sequence wherein you use a Predator UAV as air support is almost identical to the second half of ''[=MW2=]''[='=]s "Contingency".

* VindicatedByHistory: Upon release, despite beating the record-breaking sales set by the franchise since ''Modern Warfare 2'', a lot of the playerbase had become more vocally fatigued by the traditional ''Call of Duty'' formula--not helped by ''Modern Warfare 3'' [[MissionPackSequel looking and playing too similarly to its predecessor]] while its [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} rival series]] had an [[VideoGame/Battlefield3 installment]] released around the same time which looked like a breath of fresh air by comparison. This left ''3'' with an unfortunate reputation as the black sheep among the ''Modern Warfare'' trilogy, especially when comparing it to the previous games or [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII its immediate successor]] which enjoyed a much more celebrated fan-favorite status. However, revisits to this game in the latter part of the decade--both in its more-or-less immediate aftermath with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' having no returning or memorable characters and [[StillbornFranchise a story cut short]] due to negative fan reception, and especially in the wake of the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] being even ''more'' divisive in its writing and characters--led to renewed appreciation and a more dedicated fanbase keeping its multiplayer alive. It helps that this is one of the few games in the franchise to conclude its plot nicely, rather than continuing the first ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of a DownerEnding, [[AntiClimax unsatisfying ending]], or [[GainaxEnding an ending which raises more questions than answers]].

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be [[BadassBoast an overstatement]] which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're shown using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it is implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks their commanding submarine and uses its missiles to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), that still doesn't explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and repress survivors in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, especially given how many of their soldiers you've been killing over the past two games. It also doesn't explain how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless they were already hiding outside every capital [[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} disguised at trees]].

** The scenery of the Russian Invasion of Europe--especially the Czech Republic; right down to the execution of civilians and the survivors forming a resistance--now hits much harder in light of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, during which Russian forces have committed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucha_massacre various war crimes resulting in many civilian deaths]] and is generally seen as the first international conflict to hit Europe since the Yugoslav Wars, prompting numerous Ukrainian civilians to join their military and fight off the invasion. Doubles as HilariousInHindsight given the extreme difficulties Russia has had in failing to subdue its relatively weak and poor neighbor (with six months and several tens of thousands of casualties having passed without them taking a single major city), while this game has them conquering half of Europe off-screen in a matter of days.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Creator/BruceGreenwood, who voices Overlord in this game, had previously acted as one of the inept National Guardsmen in ''Film/FirstBlood'', the first film in the ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' films; the ActionHero Rambo himself would later appear as an optional PlayerCharacter in the multiplayer mode for ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' and ''Call of Duty: Warzone''.
** The DLC Special Ops mission "Arctic Recon" has you storming a ''Slava''-class missile cruiser, planting beacons to guide cruise missiles in to sink it. Fast forward to 2022, and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cruiser_Moskva Moskva]]'' (formerly ''Slava''), the lead ship of the ''Slava''-class, was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Moskva sunk by two anti-ship cruise missiles]].

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be [[BadassBoast an overstatement]] which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're shown using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it is implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks their commanding submarine and uses its missiles to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), that still doesn't explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and repress survivors in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, especially given how many of their soldiers you've been killing over the past two games. It also doesn't explain how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless they were already hiding outside every capital [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]].

** The DLC Special Ops mission "Arctic Recon" has you storming a ''Slava''-class missile cruiser, planting beacons to guide cruise missiles in to sink it. Fast forward to 2022, and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cruiser_Moskva Moskva]]'', formerly ''Slava'', the lead ship of the ''Slava''-class was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Moskva sunk by two anti-ship cruise missiles]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/BruceGreenwood, who voices Overlord in this game, had previously acted as one of the inept National Guardsmen in ''Film/FirstBlood'', the first film in the ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' films; the ActionHero Rambo himself would later appear as an optional PlayerCharacter in the multiplayer mode for ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' and ''Call of Duty: Warzone''.

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're shown using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it is implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses its missiles to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, much less how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]] (unless they were already hiding just outside every city [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]]).

* BestLevelEver: The game has quite a few great levels, from taking on Ultranationalist commandos in India with the mood all perfectly set with a fantastic opening cutscene, to sneaking in Russian-occupied Prague assisted by Kamarov and freedom fighters. But none quite stand out just as much as the absolutely power trip inducing final level at a hotel in the Middle East. Playing as Price assisted on ground by Yuri and intel by Nikolai, you hunt down Makarov protected by the remaining remnants of his Ultranationalist Inner Circle. The thing is, you're decked out in juggernaut armor and [=LMGs=]. You take far more damage here and only go back to normal halfway through. It's a nice bone thrown to the player after Makarov and his men have killed so many of your allies. Finally, when you get to the end of the level you kill the piece of shit via a slow and painful death by hanging with a cable as he screams, plunging to his death.

* DisappointingLastLevel: Though the final level wherein you get to mow down the Inner Circle in a Juggernaut suit is widely considered to be one of the best levels in the entire trilogy, the second half of the campaign is often considered rushed and anti-climactic, as the number of levels which rehash familiar concepts and assets from earlier in the trilogy begin to outnumber those with new and original mechanics (likely a consequence of the game's TroubledProduction). For starters, the two missions set in Germany are highly evocative of the Washington D.C. levels in ''Modern Warfare 2'' (complete with an InMediasRes sequence of the player character looking at their hands in slow-motion), and "Iron Lady" has an AC-130 segment which is widely seen as inferior to that in the first ''Modern Warfare''.[[note]]which is HilariousInHindsight given that the reason ''[=MW2=]'' had no AC-130 level was specifically ''because'' the devs thought it would pale in comparison to that of ''[=MW1=]''.[[/note]] "Eye of the Storm" and "Blood Brothers" are an admitted retread of "All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot, One Kill", but are still positively regarded due to the former's tragic atmosphere and the latter being the game's WhamEpisode. "Stronghold" is likewise seen as an enjoyable, stealth-based remix of "The Gulag", but would perhaps be more fondly regarded had the aforementioned "Eye of the Storm"--which is also stealth-based--not happened ''only two levels ago''. Lastly, while "Down the Rabbit Hole" does providing a satisfactory denouement to the story, the sequence wherein you use a Predator UAV as air support is almost identical to the second half of ''[=MW2=]''[='=]s "Contingency".

* {{Sequelitis}}: Though still wildly successful upon release, ''[=MW3=]'' is generally seen as a bit of a letdown compared to its predecessors. Admittedly, much of this is a case of ToughActToFollow since ''[=MW1=]'' and ''2'' were runaway hits which would define the FPS genre for years, but even fans of this game generally concede that much of its gameplay and various setpieces--particularly in the later half of the campaign--are overly derivative of missions from ''[=MW1=]'' and ''2''. Story-wise, Makarov's villainy, the tighter focus on the now-disavowed TF-141 trying to thwart Makarov via covert ops, the return of the Russian loyalists and increased focus on the ongoing turmoil within the Ultranationalist movement are widely applauded, as is its more somber narrative which graphically showcases [[WarIsHell the true cost of war]], along with how the game neatly ties up its plot threads and doesn't continue the ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of ending on a cliffhanger. That said, the implausibility of Russia having enough manpower to invade ''all of Europe at once'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale war with the U.S. is broadly derided, as is the game's more standard AmericaSavesTheDay tone and rushed ending which sees the entire Russian-NATO war being resolved in ''a single'' pre-mission cutscene. The multiplayer and Spec Ops missions aren't seen as much of an improvement over those in ''[=MW2=]'' either, although Survival Mode is considered a worthy addition.

* VindicatedByHistory: Upon release, despite repeating the record-breaking sales set by the series since 2009's ''Modern Warfare 2'', a lot of vocal playerbase had already gotten fatigued by the traditional ''Call of Duty'' formula - not helped by ''Modern Warfare 3'' [[MissionPackSequel looking and playing too similar to its predecessor]] while its [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} rival series]] had an [[VideoGame/Battlefield3 installment]] released around the same time which looked like a breath of fresh air by comparison. This left ''3'' with a reputation of being the black sheep among the original ''Modern Warfare'' trilogy, especially when comparing it to the previous games or [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII its immediate successor]] which enjoyed a much more celebrated fan-favorite status. However, revisits to this game in the latter part of the decade--both in its more-or-less immediate aftermath with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' having no returning or memorable characters and [[StillbornFranchise a story cut short]] due to negative fan reception, and especially in the wake of the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] being even ''more'' divisive in its writing and characters--led to renewed appreciation and a more dedicated fanbase keeping its multiplayer alive. It helps that this is one of the few games in the franchise to conclude its plot nicely, rather than continuing the first ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of a DownerEnding, [[AntiClimax unsatisfying ending]], or [[GainaxEnding an ending which raises more questions than answers]].

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses it to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, much less how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]] (unless they were already hiding just outside every city [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]]).

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to call off the invasion after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses it to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, (much less how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless they were already hiding just outside every city [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]]).

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S.. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and it also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to retreat from the East Coast after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses them to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, (much less how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless they were already hiding just outside every city [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]]).

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to retreat from the East Coast after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses them to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, nor how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless all their forces were somehow hiding just outside the cities [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} disguised at trees]].

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their war with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to retreat from the East Coast after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses them to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy. Even if one concedes that the forces which occupy Europe are explicitly stated to be ''ground'' forces (rather than air or sea-based forces), it seems nothing can explain how they have suddenly amassed enough tanks and well-trained soldiers to occupy and suppress resistance movements in ''every'' capital city and military base in the entire continent of Europe, nor how they managed to make it [[EasyLogistics all the way from their border to Paris in only a day]], unless all their forces were somehow hiding just outside the cities [[Theatre/Hamlet disguised at trees]].

* AssPull: The Russian military having enough might to invade ''all of Europe simultaneously'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale invasion of the U.S. The game handwaves this by saying that Makarov's chemical attacks had weakened the local defenses sufficiently enough, thereby allowing ground forces to casually roll in and occupy the capital cities. However, even with the series' ''own'' AlternateHistory implying that the Ultranationalists have the largest military force on Earth [[note]]which contradicts a line in ''[=MW2=]'' wherein Shepherd says that America has "the largest military force known to man" (though that could just be an overstatement which would not be out-of-character on his part)[[/note]], their over-abundance of resources and manpower directly conflicts with the losses they were already shown to have sustained in their way with the U.S.. ''[=MW2=]'' made a big deal of showing how their resources were stretched pathetically thin, with their soldiers being forced to loot local homes and military bases for supplies (e.g., they're showing using American Javelins to attack the evac site at the Washington monument), and also implied that the nuke which Price detonated over Washington D.C. had destroyed much of their air force. Then ''3'' begins with them being forced to retreat from the East Coast after Team Metal hijacks one of their submarines and uses them to wipe out a substantial portion of their navy.

* {{Sequelitis}}: Though still wildly successful upon release, ''[=MW3=]]'' is generally seen as a bit of a letdown compared to its predecessors. Admittedly, much of this is a case of ToughActToFollow since ''[=MW1=]'' and ''2'' were runaway hits which would define the FPS genre for years, but even fans of this game generally concede that much of its gameplay and various setpieces--particularly in the later half of the campaign--are overly derivative of missions from ''[=MW1=]'' and ''2''. Story-wise, Makarov's villainy, the tighter focus on the now-disavowed TF-141 trying to thwart Makarov via covert ops, the return of the Russian loyalists and increased focus on the ongoing turmoil within the Ultranationalist movement are widely applauded, as is its more somber narrative which graphically showcases [[WarIsHell the true cost of war]], along with how the game neatly ties up its plot threads and doesn't continue the ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of ending on a cliffhanger. That said, the implausibility of Russia having enough manpower to invade ''all of Europe at once'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale war with the U.S. is broadly derided, as is the game's more standard AmericaSavesTheDay tone and rushed ending which sees the entire Russian-NATO war being resolved in ''a single'' pre-mission cutscene. The multiplayer and Spec Ops missions aren't seen as much of an improvement over those in ''[=MW2=]'' either, although Survival Mode is considered a worthy addition.

* {{Sequelitis}}: Though still wildly successful upon release, ''[=MW3=]]'' is generally seen as a bit of a letdown compared to its predecessors. Admittedly, much of this is a case of ToughActToFollow since ''[=MW1=]'' and ''2'' were runaway hits which would define the FPS genre for years, but even fans of this game generally concede that much of its gameplay and various setpieces--particularly in the later half of the campaign--are overly derivative of missions from ''[=MW1=]]'' and ''2''. Story-wise, Makarov's villainy, the return of the Russian loyalists and greater focus on the ongoing turmoil within the Ultranationalist movement are widely applauded, as is its more somber narrative which graphically showcases [[WarIsHell the true cost of war]], along with how the game neatly ties up its plot threads and doesn't continue the ''Modern Warfare'' tradition of ending on a cliffhanger. That said, the implausibility of Russia having enough manpower to invade ''all of Europe at once'' within only three months of pulling out of a full-scale war with the U.S. is broadly derided, as is the game's more standard AmericaSavesTheDay tone and rushed ending which sees the entire Russian-NATO war being resolved in ''a single'' pre-mission cutscene. The multiplayer and Spec Ops missions aren't seen as much of an improvement over those in ''[=MW2=]'' either, although Survival Mode is considered a worthy addition.