Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer debuts

Last week, Activision said it would debut the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 during the NBA Western Conference Finals game, which airs nationally on ESPN. The tip-off for that game isn't set until 6 p.m. PDT tonight, but Activision decided to reveal the trailer (embedded below) a little bit early.

Besides officially revealing the game's November 8 release date, the trailer confirmed that Modern Warfare 3 is being codeveloped by Sledgehammer Games, Activision's recently formed San Francisco Bay Area studio. It also cements the fact hinted at by multiple teaser trailers before--that the game will depict the full-blown outbreak of World War III.

Beginning with shots of Russian helicopters assaulting downtown Manhattan, the trailer shows how the devastating Russo-American conflict that broke out in Modern Warfare 2 has now spread to Europe. Urban combat near the Parliament building in downtown London is shown, as is a group of vehicles attacking the city's famed subway system. Paris is also in trouble, with US commandos engaging in street-to-street fighting in the City of Lights. Germany, too, is a battle zone in the game.

The trailer concludes with a voice-over from series antagonist Vladimir Makarov, saying, "It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict, just the will of a single man." A logo then flashes onscreen for "WW3," which quickly turns into "MW3."