From the videos I've seen, they still haven't improved the realism on many of the sound effects. I have enjoyed MW in the past, but always thought the audio was pretty bad, considering it's 2011. It really hasn't changed since CoD4, it seems. For me, it's an essential element that brings you into the game, but many folks couldn't care less. They get some things right, but realism is not their forte in this category. Am I wrong? What do you all think?

I feel like this is a problem with all videogame guns, even Armas weapons, which are supposed to be 100% realistic, sound like airsoft guns. Very rarely is there a gun that actually sounds like it has real weight. Some of it has to do with the fact that devs want every gun to sound distinct, so they mess with the sounds so they all are identifiable from one another.

I agree with Mikemcn, I think few studios can full off satisfying gun sounds. DICE is best of class in that regard though.

Do people really want to hear the deafening sound of real gun shots when they play games? I don't think so.

@audiophyle: I get a kick out of your avatar. I raise cactus and have a cat aggressive enough to to bite one if it occured to her..but I'm sure it would be the short spined variaty. She's pretty smart for a hyper cat, though generally cats got such good senses that I bet your avatar cat is working right around them.

I've always thought they were pretty terrible too. It's not even a matter of realism, they just don't have any punch to them. I've actually always thought that all the stylistic elements (from the audio, to the animation, to even things like the color palette, graphical design and UI) are all pretty terrible. For such a big budget game with such good gameplay, they sure do make one of the most stylistically uninteresting and ugly game out there. I'm always surprised no one mentions that kind of stuff.

@bybeach: Thanks, and I like your take on the avatar!

@XII_Sniper: Agreed about DICE. Bad Company had phenomenal audio, but they improved it in the latest game. It's an amazing experience when it's done well. I think for some developers, there are priorities put on certain details, and for Infinity Ward, it's the crazy single player game and the team deathmatch leveling progression and maps. For DICE, it's the realism, squad teamwork, and huge scale.

Having never fired any of the guns in the game I can't say I know what any of them actually sound like. They all just sound like loud cannons to me.

Nothing beats the thunderous sound and reverb of the .50 Cal in Bad Company 2.

I was thinking this whilst watching the footage from the TAT thing. All the guns sounds the same, which would be ok if they sounded good, but they don't, they really don't.

Yeah not much if any force behind the gunshots, which is weird and disappointing because the design for the surround sound is kind of great.

I was instantly struck by how the sound overall in this game is just not very good. There are some great set pieces in the SP where the sound could push it over the edge, but this mix of bass and generic gun sounds just kind of kills some of the magic.

I think the game sounds fantastic. The guns are OK and not terrible in any way, but overall I think everything else is pretty amazing, though not too surprising. Listening to it with a cranked up 5.1 surround sound or better helps. The music, the voice acting, the environmental sounds are all great, and it's always a plus when they can get it sounding clear as well as when it works well with the sound channeling. I guess the only complaint is that things don't really have any reverb, so when shooting a gun or running on a certain ground, there's little to no echo produced, making it lack a sort of punch or realism. I still love the sound though.

Your username fits this topic perfectly.

Bad Company 2 and Killzone 2 had amazing gun sounds. I hate the 'pea shooter' sounds of most other fps. 

I don't know if your playing through crappy TV speakers or what, but I think MW3 has the best gun sounds in the series. I'm playing with a Turtle Beach headset and for the most part they sound phenomenal.

I really, really like the sound of the guns in MW3. They sound aggressive and heavy, especially the SCAR and ACR. None of them sound anywhere near as good as anything does in Battlefield, but still, a lot better than MW2's "every gun sounds like a paintball gun" thing. :|

Yeah.. like that's going to change, actually like something is going to ever change with COD...

@XII_Sniper said:

I agree with Mikemcn, I think few studios can full off satisfying gun sounds. DICE is best of class in that regard though.

Yep. Bad Company 2 weapons actually sound really good.

I'm playing with Astro A40s and the mix of all the sounds is just not right. In the SP, the music often drowns out big explosions and dialog. I've been playing a ton of BF3 lately and that contrast might be making me overly critical. But my gosh, those Swedes have their sound down to perfection.

Guns sound pretty amazing to me, maybe not realistic but I felt like I was dealing out serious damage whenever I pulled the trigger. The assault rifles sound like frikin cannons.