Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Multiplayer Preview
While at Call of Duty XP 2016, myself, along with a large gathering of other media outlets, were treated to the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare multiplayer reveal just before the start of the Call of Duty XP madness. The event took place at the Forum in Inglewood, California where we witnessed a couple of new multiplayer trailers, a presentation and had some hands-on time with the game. One thing is for certain; the 3-year development cycle for Call of Duty games is paying off as Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer game feels fresh, vibrant and incredibly deep.
Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer experience is really anything a veteran COD player could ever hope for. With Infinite Warfare there are new ways to customize your play like never before. Everything from optimizing your weapons and gear to personalizing your play style, Infinite Warfare is quite clearly a rich multiplayer experience. Combat rigs, high-tech equipment, and unique prototype weapons are just a few examples how the development team really wanted to appease fans of the franchise.
The focus this year is two-fold; the player and the play space. Seems pretty simple but it’s what essentially drives everything in the game. The weapons, equipment, lethals and tacticals are all built around the player’s playstyle. You’ve got the power to combine them however you want. It is so deep that a mere one-hour hands-on demo with the game barely even scratches the surface. In all honestly, I need another 10-20 hours of multiplayer hands-on time to really get an idea of everything that is offered here.
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“The 3-year development cycle for Call of Duty games is paying off as Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer game feels fresh, vibrant and incredibly deep.”
In similar ways to Black Ops 3 specialists, Infinite Warfare introduces six Combat rigs. Each rig is built for totally different styles of play and is your tactical combat suit during multiplayer games. Rigs vary from a sniper (the phantom) to a slower heavily armored player (the Merc) and everything in between. It serves as the base for your multiplayer experience. On the surface, it is nearly identical to Black Ops 3 specialists but seems more, well, specialized.
With your rigs, you can select different ‘Payloads’ and ‘Traits’ which customize your loadout before heading into online matches. Payloads can be powerful weapons or abilities. Traits are either persistent, overcharged enhancements or abilities refilled every few seconds. Just like the Specialists, rigs are unlocked as you progress along in the multiplayer experience.
During my hands-on time with Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer I tended to gravitate towards the ‘play it safe’ Warfighter. I had a go with the Merc but I found him a little too slow. My guess is many new to the game will select the Warfighter but veterans who rely on speed and getting into the action as soon as possible will select the Synaptic which is designed for speed and close quarters combat. Players who favor getting into the action and SMG combat will want this badass rig.
The maps themselves are incredibly balanced. We only had a chance to play 4 of the maps but the ones we played all features that 2-3 lane structure engagement with either linear or circular maps. It is somewhat formulaic but why fix what isn’t broken right. In Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer you’ll get into the action and fast.
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“Despite sticking to that best selling CoD formula, the maps still manage to feel fresh and unique and ultimately, they all vary.”
Despite sticking to that best selling CoD formula, the maps still manage to feel fresh and unique and ultimately, they all vary. One map will take place on a space station called ‘Frontier’. This fast paced match is absolutely nuts. Shotgun fanatics had a hey-day on this map. The ‘Throwback’ map features a farm and baseball field. Sounds pretty boring until you realize this map is actually on the back of a giant Taurus that is floating through space. This map isn’t your standard Call of Duty map, at all. ‘Frost’ is a linear 3-lane map that features some nice sightlines but overall I found this one the more forgettable of the bunch. Finally, one of my personal favorites from the hands-on, ‘Breakout’ is the last map of the four introduced to us. This is a slower paced map but is vibrant and features a ton of strategy. This isn’t your typical run and gun COD map. It’s got everything for everyone which is really why I loved this one.
What is a Call of Duty game without badass weapons, right? Weapons and weapon variety remains a core staple in Call of Duty multiplayer. Infinite Warfare’s weapons lineup is diverse. Yes, there are familiar ballistic weapons but Infinite Warfare will feature Prototype weapons where you can use Salvage (the crafting currency earned during a match) to craft unique Prototype weapons. Needless to say, some cool stuff being implemented for fans on the MP game.
There is some pretty cool equipment too. The Seeker grenade, for instance, is glorious as it attaches itself to its victims before detonation. The Black Hole grenade is equally deadly as it creates a vortex that will expose and envelop your enemies. The familiar scorestreaks return with some new combat options including a heavily armored robot that can watch your back via sentry mode or you can jack into its feed and manually take it over.
There is no question the multiplayer CoD game in Infinite Warfare plays very much like previous CoD games. In particular, it plays very closely to Black Ops 3. Despite this, Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer game feels fresh and alive. It’s smooth, refined and gives fans plenty of reasons to come back one more time. There are new weapons, unique maps and enough customization to make your head spin. Of course, the ranking up system remains intact but also adds a few new wrinkles to the mix with ranking up mission teams. I feel like I am barely scratching the surface, but this just gives you a reason to get back into the game when it drops in a couple of months.
Call of Duty continues to evolve and there is no question in mind it is evolving in a big way as it remains as smooth as ever. Maps such as ‘Underground’ features a tremendous amount of detail taking place in an abandoned London subway station. There are also surrounding streets where the firefights also take place and there are platforms to travel across with some tight quarters for up close battles. The billboards present throughout the platform areas are simply stunning. Everything from a Double-Decker bus to the London Ambulance, Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer game looks like a visually stunning experience.
And did I mention it is enjoyable? Given I played against some very good players in the past couple of days, I was still able to hold my own and the CoD is just as fun as ever. The online gameplay stays true to the franchise recipe for success; it’s fast, a rush and addicting as heck. There is no question Infinite Warfare will be the deepest multiplayer experience to date as the choices and options are endless. Will it feel like the same old for many? Yes, it will; but hey if it ain’t broke…..
