3 Up, 3 Down: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Beta
There’s just something so satisfying about being able to jump into Call of Duty and not have to worry about your kill-death ratio, permanent unlocks (though that would be nice), or win-loss ratio. That’s exactly how I feel every year when the latest Call of Duty title drops the beta. As you can imagine, my past couple of weekends were packed with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 beta. And there’s a couple of really neat takeaways from my time spent. Of course, it’s not all good so let’s break down the best and the worst of the Modern Warfare 3 beta.
Best
3) Sense of Nostalgia
For anyone who played the original Modern Warfare 3 in 2011 this new version is going to feel like a blast from the past. Though 12 years might not seem like a long enough time to be nostalgic, in COD that means there have been 11 games in between, and that feels like forever ago! MW3 will not showcase new maps and is focused on the classic maps like Highrise, Rust and Favela. I didn’t love that idea at first but Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward have done a great job slapping some new coats of paint on each map. They feel familiar, yet vibrant and fresh. As a result, it feels like I was playing some good ‘ol classic Call of Duty and that’s very encouraging.
2) Frenetic Gameplay & Higher TTK
If we’re talking about Modern Warfare 3 feeling like a classic COD game then it’s important to mention just how fast-paced and frenetic the gameplay is. MW2 took a beat and rewarded players for their patience a bit more. In doing so, it slowed the tempo of the game and encouraged campers. Thankfully MW3 has upped the ante. Despite the pace of the game being faster, the time-to-kill has been increased so it’s not a full-on blood bath. If you use submachine guns from a distance you’re going to notice this with the extra hit markers. If you’re up close and personal, you might not even really notice. Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward have found a nice balance here. And yes, the increased TTK is much needed. It provides an extra second to deke out of the line of enemy fire or catch your breath and recuperate your health.
1) Meaningful Loadouts & Customization
Leveling up and unlocking new weapons and gear have always been the biggest reasons to play Call of Duty. MW3 takes this up a notch. There’s more customization than ever before and there’s backwards compatibility with operators, weapons and other unlockables from MW2. This brings a level of world building to Modern Warfare 3 and encourages players to try and unlock more in Modern Warfare 2 before and after the latest title drops next month.
And it’s not copy and paste on repeat, Modern Warfare 3 has changed the loadouts altogether. Power ups and perks have been replaced by specific pieces of gear, like vests, gloves and boots. If you choose a certain type of glove you can either pick up ammo from fallen enemies or reload faster. If you choose a certain vest you can either flag enemy equipment, vehicles and lethals for your team, or you can resupply lethal and tactical equipment every 25 seconds. As you can imagine, each of these heavily impacts strategy. I’m excited to see the full lineup of equipment at launch and hope that these pieces of gear will be customizable like Advanced Warfare!