Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Defiance

Did You Know?

• The game received mixed reviews, with Official Nintendo Magazine's Chris Scullion calling it 'not without its flaws but an impressive shooter given the limitations of the hardware.'
• James Dawson of Nintendo World Report wrote that it 'isn't going to win any awards, but as a DS port of a popular franchise, it does a decent job making the experience portable.'
• Online multiplayer was discontinued in May 2014 when Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection services shut down.

Gameplay

The game retains the first-person shooter mechanics of its predecessors, with an updated lower screen status display that allows the player to draw a knife without first moving into melee range. Three single-player modes are available: Campaign, Quick Play, and Challenge Mode. The Campaign consists of 14 missions on three difficulty settings: Recruit, Regular, and Hardened. Quick Play lets players complete any unlocked mission in any order, using the same three difficulties. Challenge Mode offers 10 missions with specific goals, such as “Get 15 kills with 75% accuracy,” and becomes progressively harder without a difficulty selection. Multiplayer includes Local MP and Online Multiplayer, supporting up to six players in modes such as Death Match, Team Death Match, Sabotage, Gun Game, Sharpshooter, and One in the Chamber. Team-based games allow players to choose between the Russian Soldier or US Marine. The MP Barracks lets players edit Macros—saved map setups for Local MP—and Loadouts, which include a primary weapon, secondary weapon, grenade, perk 1, perk 2, and title.

Plot

The storyline is a companion narrative to the console and PC versions of Modern Warfare 3, not following the same plot. It begins with the U.S. National Guard training in Alaska during the Russian invasion that occurs midway through Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The Guard works with the British SFSG, cross-training in the U.S., to resist the Russians, including holding the town of Wilton and securing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. The action moves to the Arizona/Nevada border, where fighting occurs at the Hoover Dam and Henderson, Nevada. A British force assaults the dam by helicopter, saving generators on the Nevada side, but is killed when the Arizona-side generators are destroyed, crippling Arizona's power. The final part takes place in Baltimore, where the National Guard and SFSG reclaim Baltimore/Washington International Airport from Russian forces. They fight through the Baltimore seaport, learning the Russians have moved a WMD into the U.S. and are transporting it to a combat zone. The teams board a cargo ship where the weapon is being offloaded, and bring down a Russian Hind helicopter carrying it with an RPG. The game ends with the player's C.O. saying, "Now the real fight begins," referencing World War III in Modern Warfare 3.

Multiplayer

Defiance's multiplayer offered notable upgrades over earlier handheld Call of Duty titles. Players could save custom loadouts with chosen weapons, grenades, titles, and perks. Unlocking new weapons required a set number of kills with a related weapon, and loadouts could be swapped upon respawn. Hosts could preset map options for instant activation. Since May 2014, online play has been unavailable following the closure of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.