Summary
The first phase ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer beta wrapped up on October 9, and while it was plenty entertaining, fans should keep in mind that it’s just one piece of the puzzle.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3finds itself in a unique position compared to previous entries in the series. Instead of launching with an entirely brand-new set of multiplayer games,MW3is releasing with 16 maps that have all been pulled from the 2009Modern Warfare 2game and given a fresh coat of paint.
TheMW2mapsare some of the most highly-regarded multiplayer maps in franchise history, so it makes sense for the new game to pull from that well. During the firstModern Warfare 3multiplayer beta, fans were able to battle it out on Estate, Favela, and Skidrow for 6v6 multiplayer. The maps should be plenty familiar to those that played them back in 2009, though they have all been given significant visual overhauls.
The core of each map remains the same, but doors have been added, lighting has been dramatically improved, and each map has been touched-up with impressive new details. In typicalCall of Dutyfashion, the maps inModern Warfare 3look incredible, and while some fans may not be happy that doors have been added to them, the doors don’t have any real detrimental impact on gameplay.Modern Warfare 3multiplayerfeels and plays great, and it will be exciting to revisit the other classic maps once the full game launches on November 10.
Modern Warfare 3multiplayer makes a bunch of fan-requested changes that should go a long way in convincing lapsedCoDfans to return to the newest entry. For example,red dots are once again on the mini-mapand slide canceling is back. The game is basically a checklist of things that hardcoreCall of Dutyfans have been asking to see for years, and so it seems like the multiplayer will be a safe bet, to say the least.
Modern Warfare 3multiplayer should be a home run, based on the first weekend of the beta. PC and Xbox players will get to try out theModern Warfare 3betathis coming weekend, and so it will be interesting to see what the larger community thinks of the game. ButCall of Dutymultiplayer is almost always guaranteed to be fun, even if some entries don’t have quite the same staying power as others. The unknown quantities when it comes toModern Warfare 3are the modes that aren’t accessible in the beta.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaignhas been shown off in trailers that may leave fans with reservations. It looks like it won’t be deviating much from theModern Warfarereboot formula, which means fans can likely expect frustrating linearity and head-scratching story developments. Nothing that has been shown ofMW3’s campaign so far makes it look like the new game is making any real advancements in the single-player department, outside the “open combat” missions, but admittedly little of the campaign has been revealed to date. Fans should withhold judgment until they get to play through the campaign themselves on November 10.
The third piece of the puzzle isModern Warfare 3’sopen world Zombies mode. It was recently revealed that the open world Zombies mode will take place on the newWarzonemap, Urzikstan, which will be added to the battle royale in December. This is a far cry from the round-based Zombies mode that many fans prefer, soMW3’s open world Zombies seems like a big gamble. Fans will find out if it pays off come launch.
Modern Warfare 3’s beta should leave fans assured that the newest entry in the long-running series is prepared to deliver the goods when it comes to multiplayer. But that was always the assumption. Time will tell if the campaign and Zombies live up to fan expectations or not, but the wait to find out is nearly at an end.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3launches November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty: Warzone’s Urzikstan Gulag is a Welcome Change of Pace
