Like clockwork, the next entry in the long-running Call of Duty franchise is upon us, but with an extra wrinkle. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a direct successor to last year’s entry,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, carrying forward nearly all content from that previous game, and launches with only map remakes from the original Modern Warfare 2. It’s an interesting proposition that has left many thinking of Modern Warfare III as merely an expensive expansion to Modern Warfare II. To help with that, developer Sledgehammer Games spent the past two weekends showcasing the multiplayer aspect of their game through a beta. Despite the glaring similarities between both Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III, the changes that are here are the ones that make all the difference, though there’s still more work to do ahead of the final launch.
First and foremost, it’s important to note Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III shares much of its DNA with last year’s title. The general look of the game, the hyper-realistic look of weapons and gadgets, mechanics, overly-loud footsteps and even the horrendous UI are pretty much all carried over from the last game with slight tweaks. If Modern Warfare II did anything that wasn’t your cup of tea, then Modern Warfare III probably isn’t for you. Look past that, though, and you’ll find an experience more akin to a traditional Call of Duty experience.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III shares a lot of DNA with its predecessor, it also comes across similarly toCall of Duty: Vanguardin that the game feels like a more arcadey and faster version of a previous Infinity Ward entry (Modern Warfare 2019in this case). Sledgehammer Games have listened to fan outcry over various Modern Warfare II mechanics over the past year and addressed them in Modern Warfare III. The pacing of gunplay and movement is a lot faster, red dots now appear on the mini-map, there’s a semi-normal Perk system and there are 6v6 multiplayer maps designed first and foremost from multiplayer and not plucked from a Warzone map. It looks like Modern Warfare II, but plays much differently.
The increased movement speed, updated movement mechanics, and the return of features like slide and reload canceling and red dots make Modern Warfare III a more active game. Whereas Modern Warfare II made it easy to find success in camping, Modern Warfare III encourages more aggressive playstyles. That’s not to say camping is out of the question thanks to a multitude of perks, attachments and equipment, it’s just that Sledgehammer has thus far built an experience more accommodating to a multitude of playstyles. It also helps that a more traditional Perk system is back, making it easier to set up your playstyle.
Another major change lies in the time-to-kill, which was blazingly fast in Modern Warfare II. Taking a page out of Treyarch’s book, Modern Warfare III ups player health to 150 to create more engaging firefights. On paper, it’s an excellent idea. In execution, the results lack the consistency found inBlack Ops 4orBlack Ops Cold War. When everything works, firefights do feel engaging and require a blend of twitch reaction along with precise aiming to make it out alive. Far too often, however, it can feel like you’re instantly getting melted or that your weapon feels like a pea shooter. We’re not sure if this is related to hit registration or connection issues, but the TTK lacks the consistency of a Treyarch game.
While limited, the beta did show promise with the amount of content on offer. There was a wide selection of weapons, equipment and perks to choose from, giving hope that Modern Warfare III will be a fully fleshed-out experience at launch. The beta provided five 6v6 maps (Favela, Rust, Highrise, Estate and Skidrow) and two Ground War maps along with a smattering of classic game modes, including Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint and Search & Destroy. It was a healthy amount of content for a beta.
The remastered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 maps were a nice throwback. Mostly true to their word, Sledgehammer Games have faithfully recreated the maps with a few changes here and there, including adding doors everywhere. Gallivanting across these iconic maps is exhilarating at first, but each is brought down by two common factors: visibility and spawns. Sledgehammer did greatly address visibility in weekend two, though there remain areas on certain maps (Estate especially) where it’s all too easy for enemies to blend into the environment. Spawns, however, remain a travesty with a system too eager to overcorrect and ultimately put players in jeopardy. It’s all too common to defeat an enemy only for them to respawn right behind you, creating chaos and throwing the gameplay flow of each map into question. Hopefully Sledgehammer Games has enough time to address this and implement their vastly better spawn system featured in Vanguard.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III had a lot to prove with its beta. Not only was its reason for existing under question, but it was also following the disappointing Modern Warfare II. While the jury is still out on whether Modern Warfare III has enough content to justify its existence, the beta does indicate that Sledgehammer Games is serious about getting the franchise back on course. Modern Warfare III does share a lot of its DNA with Modern Warfare II and may not do much new for the franchise, but it does bring the experience more in line with tradition. It’s faster, beloved mechanics are back, all playstyles are valid options and it’s fascinating to see beloved maps return with a fresh coat of paint. There are still plenty of issues Sledgehammer needs to address before launch, and only time will tell if the lack of any new maps causes early burnout, but so far, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III shows promise.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launches November 10 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
