ModernWarfare 3

40 weapons in the game, there are some other intriguing new additions. Rubin spoke about the XM25 20mm grenade launcher which lets you use the left stick to mark your distance via a laser sight; then you can shoot a grenade through a window. The projectile will air burst a metre into the room. "It's a smaller grenade than the 203 but it's a fun tool to use to get people out of cover," said Rubin.

16 maps will be included with Modern Warfare 3 on release. At the demo event last night, I played through a tense, claustrophobic map based in the winding back alleys of Paris. I also tried Village, set throughout a ragtag collection of huts on an African savannah, and the visually arresting Underground, set in and around a blast-damaged tube station, complete with burned out trains, and – outside on ground level – police cars with their lights flashing, and iconic red buses abandoned on empty, eerie streets. More on those later.

new addition in MW3 is the weapon progression system – in essence, a replacement for the currency system in Black Ops. As you build experience with a particular gun, it gains its own XP, which can then be spent on upgrades such as attachments, reticules and camo designs. However, you can also unlock and select different 'weapons proficiencies' which act like gun-specific perks. For example, 'Kick' provides reduced recoil when firing, 'Attachments' lets you add two attachments on your primary weapon, 'Focus' reduces the flinch reflex when hit by enemy fire and 'Stability' reduces the sway of the weapon when you're shooting on the move.

Attachments, meanwhile, include holographic sights and a dual scopes providing both close and long-range optics. According to Infinity Ward producer Mark Rubin, there are different versions of the dual scope for different classes: the assault version has a holographic sight and a magnifier, while an LMG and SMG version has a hammer sight – an ACOG-style magnifier and a red dot on top, which you can switch between.