Platforms: X360, PS3, PC, Wii

The Deal: There's nothing like a little competition within a single genre to get the fans in a fevered pitch, screaming virtually at one another through message boards and social media networks. This gaming civil war is seen foremost among the shooters, thanks to such heavy hitters as "Battlefield," "Halo" and "Call of Duty." These blockbuster franchises steadily increase their sales thanks to clever innovations and an alluring multiplayer experience while attempting to one-up the competitors at every turn. Now as we slowly approach the holiday season, war begins again as the beloved "Battlefield 3" attempts to stand toe to toe against Activision's insanely popular powerhouse, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3."

The latest offering in the "Call of Duty" franchise brings the war to the United States, as the Russian forces of "Modern Warfare 2" spread their special brand of terror and death across familiar locales such as New York. The war doesn't stop at home. Several allied countries are also finding themselves the target of attacks, and it's your job to save lives and remove your adversaries from friendly soil. As with other "Modern Warfare" titles, your perspective will change depending on the branch of the military you're working with, giving a fresh feel to the gameplay and environments.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" is a first-person shooter that tells a unique fictional story through ultrarealistic scenarios, dialogue and combat, ultimately leading to frantic and exciting gameplay coupled with a high level of immersion. As far as gameplay is concerned, aiming and shooting guns, tossing grenades, and sticking close combatants with knives are still the status quo, while some graphical and sound tweaks, new maps and game modes help make a great thing just a bit better.

Multiplayer returns, not only as an all-out, death-filled battle of epic proportions but through cooperative play as well. But if you do happen to enjoy all the perks, stats and general gloating that come from online multiplayer, fear not; it's back and better than ever. Aside from standard returning multiplayer game modes, new offerings such as the dog-tag-collecting Kill Confirmed mode and updated kill streaks are sure to keep gamers fixated on their screens for hours on end.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" gives gamers an epic campaign, near-perfect gameplay and a multiplayer experience that is second to none.