Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta, which begins on Friday, August 28, includes a campaign mission for the first time in a Call Of Duty beta, but it fails to impress. The mission, titled Entrenched, is set in South Korea and follows Park Hyun Jun, who, with his South Korean squadmates and US marines, aims to stop a nuclear power station from falling into North Korean hands.
The mission features claustrophobic trench warfare, a vehicle section, and a push to take out a tank with thermite grenades. It climaxes with an escape from a burning station, showcasing the new traversal system. Compared to standout missions from Black Ops 6, it is forgettable, and the Korean setting feels interchangeable with any other battlefield.
Traversal and mobility changes
Omnimovement has been removed to distinguish Modern Warfare from Black Ops, but Infinity Ward has made traversal transitions more fluid. Vaulting, sliding, and diving between lasers in the Mobility Course, a training mode with three difficulties, feels satisfying. However, some new abilities, like shooting while hanging off ledges, are rarely useful.
Map design and standout additions
The five 6v6 maps in the beta lean toward tighter, more condensed design. Rooftops stands out as a potential classic with multiple routes, while Transit 213, set in an Indian bus depot, is chaotic and simplistic. Other maps like Silkworm and Cachette suffer from limited cover, especially with killstreak gunships overhead.
Kill Block, a modular arena that changes layout every two rounds, is the most promising addition. Playable in 3v3 or 10v10 Gunfights with randomized loadouts, it adds spontaneity to the no-respawn mode, though hardcore players may quickly learn the intricacies of each slab.
Despite a couple of promising maps and a neat assault course, the beta presents an unconvincing case for investing in Modern Warfare 4. If this represents the best of the next entry, Call Of Duty's wobbly era won't end anytime soon.
