~10 Hours in the MW4 Beta: Great Foundation but No Spark
I’ve played roughly 10 hours of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta. Within that time I reached the max level, used every weapon and nearly maxed out two. I got my footing on all maps including Lotus and Cachette which were added later and finally played the first campaign mission “Entrenched” included in the Beta which is a first for Call of Duty. With that, I was left with conflicting thoughts and feelings. Part of me genuinely enjoyed the gameplay and map selection, but the game itself lacked any true identity and certainly didn’t make me lean my chair forward.
Gunplay and Movement are Excellent
I want to preface that I wouldn’t consider myself a casual to the FPS genre. I have a long standing history with COD and would put myself with the likes of so called “movement demons” Because of that, I went into this beta excited to see how movement and gunplay has adapted from previous titles and I'm happy to report it feels superb. Once I tweaked my Tac Sprint and Rebound my slide to the right stick, it felt like an evolution of Infinity Ward’s beloved Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 seamlessly blended with the speed of Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Controls felt as responsive as ever, Sliding felt smooth but natural, and gunplay felt heavy but not sluggish. This iteration leans into a faster rhythm compared to the past but doesn’t leave that sphere which I like. Infinity Ward's hefty weaponry is back, with the rounds of my M4 having a great bass which contrasted well with the suppressor I attached to the ISO Nightshade, my favorite SMG in the beta. There are a generous amount of attachments- maybe too generous. It gets to a point where the attachments start to feel too similar to another rather than each having their own identity. These attachments also had an overwhelming amount of cons which turned me away from certain builds, thankfully IW released a patch soon after addressing that concern. TTK was also on the forefront of discussion as it simply felt too quick. Headshots were devastating where it felt like I had no control in a gunfight if my opponent got a lucky shot on me. It felt unfair and frustrating but was since addressed in a later patch which made TDM feel much more like TDM than Hardcore.
Maps are a Mixed Bag
There were 6 maps I played during my time with Silkworm and Transit 213 being standouts. Silkworm showcased the most interesting visual design. The neon soaked Korean lights reflecting off the puddles from a rainstorm prior built a sense of immersion I haven’t felt in a while for a COD map. The layout features one long wide lane which contrasts well with the tight corners and small Korean shops scattered throughout. All this culminated to create strong flow and player expression. Transit 213 echoed the chaos of the now iconic Stakeout from Black Ops 6, but this time it felt much more manageable and intentional. It’s wider and more open than Stakeout whilst retaining that classic boxed in feel. Rotations felt impactful but there were a few instances where spawns felt off due to the high speed flow which can be frustrating. Thankfully, no map from the beta had me reluctant to play. I also got to try KIll Block which is the “Adaptive” map that always changes its “Slab” combinations to provide the player with a new layout each time. I found this design philosophy intriguing and it did leave me coming back to play it as it's exclusive to the 3v3/10v10 Gunfight mode.
This leads me to how the matchmaking felt on these maps and it’s still the same unrewarding SBMM (Skill Based Matchmaking) the community has grown to dislike. The nail in the coffin was Activision's recent response where they have defended their match making system based on player metrics rather than vocal response from fans. My own experience followed the same cycle loaded into my first match, had an explosive game where I dominated the lobby, then the very next game I got pummeled by players simply better than me. This loop is frustrating and redundant, you play a great game, queue for another, then get humiliated and repeat. The simple key is locking the SBMM to a dedicated ranked playlist then leave every other mode with an open queue system prioritizing player's ping so lobbies feel both more responsive and enjoyable. Thankfully all is not completely lost as the Moshpit playlist featured a fully open match making system which felt much better than the forced SBMM.
Campaign is Promising
Taking a few steps back from the Multiplayer I immersed myself in the first campaign mission titled “Entrenched” without giving too much away, this mission throws you directly into the middle of a war with no introduction which felt jarring. I was expecting some back story going into this with character introduction in the mix but it's seemingly missing. This could be a design choice for the beta to save the surprises for the full launch but it caught me off guard. You take the role of Private Park, portrayed by the fantastic Young Mazino of HBO’s The Last of Us and Netflix’s BEEF. This mission puts a clear emphasis on set pieces and Infinity Ward's usual cinematic approach which left me intrigued and ended up as a highlight of the beta. The final act of the mission felt like a set piece ripped straight out of an action film that was all gas no breaks and left me wishing I got to see even more with it’s bold cliffhanger.
Performance is Almost Perfect
I played on PS5 Pro using the 120hz mode. It felt silky smooth with only minor hiccups during demanding moments. Image quality was good but PSSR 2 did not appear to be active in the beta as image quality was on the softer side, fortunately FIdelityFX CAS sharpening is present and helped mitigate that greatly. HDR presentation was punchy and had no black level floor issues. Playing on an OLED was striking as Infinity Ward’s in-house engine continues to impress.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS VERDICT:
I delved deep into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta - Sweating for hours on multiplayer, grinding out weapons and immersing myself in the campaign. While it all felt and looked great, trying to beat the rigorous SBMM and lacking any true identity that sets itself apart from previous entries left me wanting more. But I'm still optimistic for the future and keeping a close eye on Infinity Ward’s next moves.