Another year, another Call of Duty, and while there’s some stagnation growing among the gaming community, it is still prevalent. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, from what has been playable so far in the Open Beta, is worthy of people’s time and should be on FPS fans’ minds when the game releases in October. However, there are some frustrating elements found in the beta that should be resolved in the final game or future updates.
Varied Maps Are a Bonus in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (MW2) beta had many modes and maps to play with. The favorites like Team Deathmatch, Domination, Search & Destroy, and Hardpoint mostly took center stage. Each of these modes worked well within the new maps of MW2, and the spawn placements have been improved since the last entries.
What was included in MW2’s beta felt varied and lent to many playstyles. Close-ranged fanatics will likely love Farm 18. While there are some long-ranged stretches that many snipers would adore, Farm 18 is home to the Shoot House where tight corners and small hallways exist. There is some well-placed cover in this location, and your blood will be pumping as soldiers rush in to take the Shoot House’s B point.
Verticality is also something that Call of Duty fans look out for in some of the best maps. Thankfully, MW2 has that. Going back to Farm 18, there’s a dormitory area that is unsuspecting to most players in the game as it’s on the side of the map. It faces foes that are heading from the Operations Building. In addition, the Valderas Museum’s hallways overlook the main courtyard that divides two of the main spawn points on the map. A great amount of strategy is involved while playing Domination in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which is appreciated.
The Cons of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s Beta
The most recent Call of Duty games before MW2 are more forgiving than this beta, certainly. The reason is that your character can die quicker in MW2. Bullets penetrate so fast to the point you can’t react properly. Some people may like this more than the penetration rate of Cold War and Vanguard, but personally, I think you’re being taken out too fast by this spray of fire.
Just like the quick gunning down, you’ll be constantly barraged by the menu issues you’ll face in Call of Duty: MW2. This year, changing out your weapons and equipping different attachments to them is super finicky. To access your weapon menu, you need to press two buttons to get to the spot you want to be. Then, at some points, the changes you’ve made aren’t acknowledged when you back out of the Gunsmith menu. Operating your loadout and changing their attachments should be no hassle, but for some reason, in MW2, you can get easily lost within the bad UI.
What also felt sloppy was Modern Warfare II’s Ground War mode. The wide-open map of Sa’id was incredibly dull as it was flat all the way through with very few buildings to creep inside. There were some rooftops you can climb onto, but nothing truly felt unique about Sa’id. There is also an inclusion of Armored Fighting Vehicles, but they felt tacked on. It was like a Diet Battlefield with its lack of destructible environments and engaging map design.
The Pros of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s Beta
When you’re actually playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,the controls feel incredible. Snapping to walls for cover and handling each gun is so smooth. With the DualSense controller, the rumbles truly add to the game’s immersion and make you feel powerful carrying an LMG or even a pistol. The sound design is still impeccable as you can hear every footstep and creak of the floors. Each firing of the guns feels unique from each other, and every reloading animation is intricate.
Each of the maps presents decent art design and an oomph of nuance. The exhibits of Valderas Museum are intricate and look thoroughly researched by Activision’s developers. There are even full descriptive paragraphs on the exhibits within the museum’s walls. The grassy area of Valderas Museum on the side looks stunning with unique tree-cutting designs.
The Breenbergh Hotel looks ornate, with all manner of artwork and posh furniture lying around the walls and the ground. There’s also a detailed Roman-like statue near the entrance that looks meticulously detailed. Activision knows how to make each map unique and gives them personality.
One of the most important elements of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is how the online functionality works. Thankfully, we did not lose connection in any of our games and didn’t lag once during 10 hours of playtime.
Overall, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II still presents a thrilling first-person shooter experience. The controls are smooth, and the feedback from the DualSense controller is still incredible as you tear through your enemies with bullets. The maps are also detailed and well-designed.
However, the menu UI is awful to deal with, and you die way too fast from incoming fire. Hopefully, Activision can resolve these issues before its full release or soon after, especially knowing that this might be one of the last Call of Duty games on PlayStation systems.
Beta Code provided by Activision.
