Fans line up for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

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THOUSANDS of gamers have declared war and stormed the shops for the latest instalment of computer game Call of Duty.

Sales are tipped to rake in more than $1 billion in just a few weeks.

Gaming stores at shopping centres including Tea Tree Plaza, West Lakes and Munno Para opened their doors at midnight, as part of a co-ordinated global launch for Modern Warfare 3.

The game's "campaign" mode continues the saga of global warfare and intrigue developed in the first two instalments.

Players must stop an invasion of North America and Europe by a Russian enemy force, while the narrative brings to a close the story of "Soap" and "Price", the two Special Forces troopers who've been the heroes of the series.

But the biggest drawcard for most gamers is the multiplayer mode, where teams and individuals playing on Xboxes, PlayStations and PCs across the world battle it out in real-time to earn points and rewards.

Retailer EB Games said the demand had already eclipsed any other title in the company's 14-year history.

The Call Of Duty franchise's past two releases each grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, putting them in the ranks of the top-earning entertainment titles in history, across music, film and gaming. More than 30 million people played Call Of Duty titles online in the past year, with an average 6.5 million people logging in to play on any given day, distributor Activision said.

Ethan Blaine, assistant manager of The Pimp Pad Adelaide, a video games bar on Franklin St, said the game's accessibility and ease of play was a major contributor to its success.

"It's such a popular game because it is so easy and fast to play," Mr Blaine said.

"Because you can go in with all guns blazing and it's not about teamwork, a lot of people really like that aspect of the game."

RMIT University new media expert Dr John Lenarcic said games such as Modern Warfare 3 were popular partly because they made action heroes of everyday gamers.

"We're talking about photo-realism that approaches or surpasses cinematic quality and people can actually be embedded inside that narrative," he said.

A promotional video featuring Australian actor Sam Worthington and an AC/DC soundtrack has had more than two million hits since it was posted on YouTube on Friday.

Game on: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 will fire you up

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THE blockbuster shooting series returns with a slick campaign and the most accessible multiplayer modes in the business.

Eight years ago Call of Duty was a moderately successful first-person shooter set during World War II and only available on PC.

Today, Call of Duty is a phenomenon. It’s a brand name synonymous with video games - up there with Mario, GTA and Warcraft when it comes to mainstream appeal, and thus each annual update brings with it enormous expectation. Happily, Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t disappoint.

Its expertly directed single-player campaign surges from one spectacular set-piece to the next, with a breakneck momentum that never dips over the course of its eight-hour completion time.

Does it live up to the hype? Watch a review of the video below
Commencing with a New York-based assault in which you literally have to occupy Wall Street (by force), Modern Warfare 3’s campaign shunts the player between various conflict hotspots around the globe, turning landmarks into landfill under a relentless cacophony of gunfire and explosions.

Yet long after the dust settles from the last explosive detonated in the story mode, Modern Warfare 3will endure thanks to its exceptional multiplayer component.

The game’s makers have become experts at crafting persistent levelling-up systems that have proven all too addictive for shooter fans, and now those hooks are going to be even harder to evade thanks to the new Call of Duty Elite service.

Essentially a bespoke social network targeted solely at Call of Duty players, Elite is accessible from your console, PC or smartphone, and allows players to track their stats, schedule matches, form clans and more whether they’re on the couch, in the office or on the go. If you’re already a Call of Duty addict, then your favourite drug just became intravenous.

Rounding out the package is the return of the co-operative Spec Ops mode which consists of a series of intense missions designed for two-players, as well as a new Survival mode which, while not entirely original, is nonetheless an entirely welcome and enjoyable addition to the package.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent the military first-person shooter formula; it just executes it better than any other game. Last year’s Black Ops broke more records than a turntable during an earthquake, and Modern Warfare 3 should by rights keep the Call of Duty franchise on top of the heap.