First-person shooters have not been the same since the glory days of Halo and Call of Duty on Xbox 360—the generation that defined online gaming for the mainstream. There were many low points ever since then, but games such as Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, and the 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot brought some hope that popular online first-person shooters could bring something great to the table. Although Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is going to reiterate on the formula (again), the beta shows that the full game could be the “greatest hits” of the Modern Warfare series.
Diving into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Beta
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 beta was live for two consecutive weekends this month, and I decided to jump right into the early access beta on PC. This is my first Call of Duty experience in quite some time, but I wasn’t rusty by any means. The gunplay of Modern Warfare 3 seriously caught my attention with its new tactical aiming and reload, and every single gun feels extremely unique.
I often gravitated toward the Striker SMG, which is basically the UMP .45 from Modern Warfare 2 (2009). The Rival-9 was another awesome SMG to use with its Beta Ripper variant. Mosh Pit was my favorite mode since I was able to run-and-gun across multiple maps from Modern Warfare 2 such as Rust and Highrise.
I approached this game just like older Call of Duty games and honestly, I had a seriously great time. Nearly eight hours after starting the beta, level 30 and the Jabber test dummy outfit was already mine. Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer did not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly made some improvements and adjustments. Of course, there are some aspects that I don’t necessarily agree with.
A Few Gripes on Modern Warfare 3
While the inclusion of Modern Warfare 2 maps is greatly appreciated, the full game needs to have brand-new maps as well. The time-to-kill feels too long with certain weapons like the WSP Stinger, so that also needs to be a tweak. Moreover, Modern Warfare 3 seems to have some sort of washed out filter, which makes the game feel like there’s a lack of visual contrast.
Most importantly, the issue of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) continues due to its unreliability in matches. Ironically, one of the most pressing issues with SBMM involves the degradation of network connectivity. I didn’t have any problems with the “difficulty” of matches with players of a similar skill level, but the connectivity problems must be addressed.
Lastly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Battle.net.
