We got to test out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ahead of its release in the second week of its open beta on PC.

Classic Modes, Modern Twist

The content in the Modern Warfare 3 open beta contained four different maps and four different gameplay modes. Not only does each map have a different layout, they also contain special objectives that must be completed using different tactics.

Weapon selection plays important a very important role in the game, as some weapons will outshine others in certain maps. For example, although the Shotgun can be really effective in maps like Skidrow that offer many ranking routes and tight corners, Rush Maps with lots of open areas is not such a good idea. We really enjoyed the added layer of strategy that goes into choosing a weapon, as players would now have to take the map itself into consideration.

Additionally, there’s also a Ground War mode that takes place at the Popov Power Plant, which offers larger and more epic scale of combat. Players would have to penetrate thick enemy defences, anticipate danger from snipers lurking in strategic areas, and engage in challenging battles with armoured vehicles. This mode is definitely for those who love the thrill of intense combat and the sensation of being in a battlefield.

The are a few other modes such as Domination which requires your team to collect three flags for points, Hardpoint which is like the classic Capture mode, and Kill Confirmed which is like Deathmatch. Of all the modes that are offered, Kill Confirmed would be our favourite, as we enjoy the Deathmatch style of play, alongside the added twist of how you have to steal Dog Tags to confirm kills, which leads to an unpredictable battle atmosphere.

Fast And Brutal Like A Call Of Duty Game Should Be

In terms of gameplay, it didn’t seem like there were many differences at first, feeling like a generic Call of Duty game. But after playing the beta for a bit, we did end up finding some changes that makes this the Call of Duty with the best gameplay controls in our opinion.

Additions such as Tac-Stance, a perfect middle-ground between hip-fire and aiming down sights, allows players get the best of both worlds, as the feature provides a tighter bullet spread than normal hip firing and quicker mobility than ADS.

Tac-Stance can prove to be very useful during close-quarter combat situations, as it gives you a special maneuver to maximize the spread of bullets from your shots, as well as providing faster mobility. Moreover, Tac-Stance can be utilised with almost every weapon in the game, making combat far more interesting.

This game clearly wants to discourage passive strategies such as camping by adding including features such as Tac-Stance to promote a more aggressive style of gameplay.

Furthermore, we found the controls to be more smooth than previous instalments, from running to sliding, actions throughout the course of a match that relied on mobility are more flexible now. This sensation can be accredited to the faster tempo of the battles in general, unconsciously making players play more aggressively than before.

Modernised Warfare

Despite only grazing the surface of the multiplayer content in the limited Beta session, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 provided an addictive and intense gaming experience compared to most modern FPS games during our time with the game.

The faster-paced multiplayer mode, array of interesting modes, and the solid overhaul had led to one of the best Call of Duty experiences I’ve had in a long time. One thing’s for sure, it will be hard to return to traditional Call of Duty gameplay with its slower tempo after experiencing Modern Warfare 3, so we do hope that the fast-paced gameplay will be the standard moving forward.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released on November 10th, 2023.