Call of Duty Modern Warfare impressions: It's raining bullets
We checked out Modern Warfare's open beta - and it was great!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward.
Last weekend, Infinity Ward hosted an open beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, featuring a handful of the game’s multiplayer game modes, weapons and maps. I spent a lot of time in this beta - a lot more than I thought I would. Infinity Ward has somehow managed to ground the fast and fluid gameplay Call of Duty is known for - without sacrificing the fun factor.
Game modes
One of the maps in the beta was Azhir Cave - where a small village surrounds a branching, surprisingly well-lit cave.
Infinity Ward made a couple of game modes available throughout weekend 1 of the open beta. I got to try out modes like Team Deathmatch, Headquarters, Domination and Cyber Attack. Most of these are fancy names for ‘capture the flag’ and ‘king of the hill’ game modes, while the others just involve you killing as many other players as possible.
My personal favourite were the night vision maps - in which maps like Hackney Yard and Azhir Cave were drenched in darkness. You could either choose to eyeball it, or put on some night vision goggles and soak in the greenery. This was incredibly immersive, and you could really feel the presence of Modern Warfare’s new engine - night vision isn’t just a green tint anymore. Your goggles work on real in-game lighting now, and it shows.
There will surely be a whole lot more in terms of game modes once this game releases.
6v6 matches felt tight and speedy. The time it takes to shoot and kill enemies has been brought way down to Battlefield-like levels of realism, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Fortunately, respawning takes little to no time as well, so you get back into the fight just as quickly.
10v10 matches are where maps really come alive. It’s utter chaos - helicopters, grenades, UAVs and drone strikes as far as the eye can see. You’d be lucky to survive more than a couple minutes without either getting shot down or blown up. If you want a really authentic experience, try Realism mode, where there’s no HUD and you have to rely on pure sight and sound.
Weapon customisation
There are plenty of attachments, so you can fine-tune exactly how you want your weapons to feel.
As Neo said in the Matrix: “Guns. Lots of guns.” You can customise your loadouts in very specific ways now, with a wide variety of weapons to unlock and use. You’ll never have to stick to using the same thing for long - everything is tuned to be useful according to a specific playstyle. Be it a sniper, bomber or run-and-gunner; there’s something for everyone.
As you level up, you’ll get to use different variations of the same type of gun. Tired of your AK-47? Ditch it for something better, it’s not an issue. You might want to stick to the same gun sometimes though, as levelling them up during matches can unlock specific attachments. For example, you can level up your assault rifle during gameplay, and then unlock high-penetration rounds in the gunsmith.
You can customise different loadouts for different scenarios - and then switch between them on the fly during matches!
This level of customisation is always welcome in games like this. Infinity Ward is sure to add new weapons and attachments post launch, so players will never have to get bored of using the same loadout for too long either.
Gameplay and sound design
Shooting feels fantastic in this game - gun recoil, weapon spread, time to kill... It all feels just right.
It’s clear that Modern Warfare is placing a heavy focus on realistic and immersive gameplay this time around. There are no heroes with special abilities anymore - the most you get is an ammo crate or small shield to put down every now and then.
Killstreaks feel powerful as ever, though. You can call down UAVs to spot enemies and cruise missiles to crush them as you rack up kills. You’ll have to play aggressive while staying alive to earn those kills and rewards - which is an incredibly satisfying drive to make the most out of your one life.
Your operators don't come with special abilities anymore - they seem purely cosmetic this time around.
On a more technical side, Modern Warfare runs like a dream. I played on a PlayStation 4, and spotted very little in terms of concerning bugs and glitches. Graphics were gorgeous, with Infinity Ward showcasing their keen eye for detail in every one of the environments and maps in this beta. Every map felt unique and fresh enough to differentiate them from each other - though more urban maps wouldn’t be amiss here.
Sound design is an entire level up from previous games here. Something I always loved about Battlefield and hated about Call of Duty games were their respective approaches to sound design. The sounds of war are very much in your face here, and it really adds to the immersion when you hear the distant clink of a grenade or the pitter-patter of bullets hitting metal. It’s all really well done.
Conclusion
Needless to say, this was a very promising beta.
The open beta for Modern Warfare utterly sucked me in, which is unusual for me. I normally dislike Call of Duty games - but the methodical and tactical nature of this game is undeniably well done in just about every way. I imagine more problems will surface once the game has had time to simmer upon release, but for now - this is very exciting. It’s fast-paced, realistic and intense in all the right ways.
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