Last week, I had the pleasure of gaining early access to playing the new Call Of Duty Modern Warfare, as Sony and Activision partnered up to give exclusive access to the game that was entirely free for all PS4 players. Players got to try out the new 2v2 Gunfight mode, where four players in teams of two are fighting on tiny areas, without the ability to heal or respawn. Last team standing wins the round and earns a point with the score limit going up to six. 

Surprisingly, the developers at Infinity Ward handled most feedback very well and were very transparent with the community. They addressed numerous issues, such as headglitching, audio, and settings bugs. I was overall very impressed and especially because most players had a breathtaking experience.

After I played hours of the alpha first hand, I must say that everything felt so smooth and kept up with the fast pacing that previous titles had. When Modern Warfare was first revealed via a live stream from a set of streamers, I was not satisfied as it was similar to the pace of more tactical shooters, such as Rainbow Six Siege, and Battlefield. With Modern Warfare, I had the option to either play slow-paced and tactical, or play very aggressively and win the round in under 15 seconds.

The two things that stuck out the most to me were the graphics and sound design. Infinity Ward claimed that Modern Warfare runs on a revamped and upgraded engine, which allows for much better graphics; I was able to see cracks in the ground, or scratches on the weapon I was currently wielding. There was great attention to detail as well, with smoke coming out of the gun barrel after being fired, or the character models wristwatch displaying the actual time on the system you’re using. Sound design definitely sent dopamine to my neurons because of how crisp and clean everything sounded- from the footsteps changing depending on what you’re standing on, to the metal scraping of a Desert Eagle’s magazine as it is loaded into the firearm.

 With Modern Warfare’s alpha giving me a taste of what the full game will feel like, I still see some issues that antagonizes my experience. For instance, when shot down to twenty-five health or lower, the screen will briefly display black and white shades of the battlefield, with audio getting distorted and drowned out. Although I am on board with this innovation of a near death experience, it personally was more of a hindrance and put me at a larger disadvantage against my opponent than before.

Overall, I had a lot of fun trying out the game for the first time, and I am anxiously waiting for the beta, which releases mid-September. I hope Infinity Ward listens to the community feedback, as long as things remain civil and respectful.