Call of Duty Modern Warfare returns on Oct. 25.
Activision/Infinity Ward
This year appears to be the return of video game classics with the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake, WoW Classic and, soon, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Activision and developer Infinity Ward are bringing back the revolutionary military FPS game, giving it some new paint and new toys for players.
Modern Warfare is a re-imagining of the 2007 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare originally released for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360, but with some updates. Multiplayer will sport several new modes, including one that lets teams of two compete against each other in small maps and another that lets more than 100 players partake in an all-out war.
The first multiplayer beta test starts Sept. 12 for PS4 players who preordered the game. Those who didn’t preorder can play in the open beta that starts Sept. 14-16. Early access to the cross-platform beta starts Sept. 19 for anyone who preordered on PS4, PC or Xbox One with the open beta starting on Sept. 21-23.
What is the release date for Modern Warfare?
Modern Warfare comes out Oct. 25 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC with a Battle.net account. Before its release, there will be multiple betas depending on what platform you prefer.
The PS4 beta starts Sept. 12-16 for those who preordered the game. Participants in the early access beta can begin preloading at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The second beta weekend for all three platforms will take place on Sept. 19-23. This will also test cross-platform play, pitting players from the three platforms against each other, which is a first for the series.
Those preordering the game can purchase the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Dark Edition for $200, which will include a pair of working night vision goggles.
Get a pair of night vision goggles for when you need to conduct a covert mission in the middle of the night.
Infinity Ward
A modern retelling
Infinity Ward will officially reveal the details of Modern Warfare’s campaign at the end of September. The first trailer shows snippets that will be familiar to fans of the series, including the appearance of SAS Captain John Price, who is a central character in the Modern Warfare games.
The official description for the game says “Players will engage in breathtaking covert operations alongside a diverse cast of international special forces throughout iconic European cities and volatile expanses of the Middle East.”
In the original CoD 4, the leader of a coup in the Middle East is secretly being supported by Russian ultranationalists who want to revert the country to the Cold War era. Players control American and British operatives who are trying to stop nuclear destruction in missions set across the globe. As this is a re-imagining of the game, Modern Warfare may offer an alternate timeline to the events that happened in the original game.
Modern multiplayer madness
Multiplayer is the bread-and-butter of the Call of Duty series, In Modern Warfare, the game will make some additions, big and small.
On the small side, Infinity Ward developed a new 2vs2 multiplayer called Gunfight. Duos will face off in a small arena and everyone will have the same main weapon, sidearm, lethal grenade and tactical grenade. Players’ equipment will change every two rounds and the first team to win six rounds wins the match. Matches can last a few minutes to a few seconds depending on the team.
Modern Warfare will then go big with Ground War, a mode that supports more than 100 players. Not much has been shown about this new multiplayer, but early impressions show players will have a big map to play on with vehicles to drive and killstreaks going off left and right. It appears the goal of these matches is to hold certain areas of the map longer than the opposing team, which means teamwork on a large scale is key.
There will also be the traditional smaller teams of four versus four, six versus six and so on.
The co-op multiplayer Spec Ops will also make a return. Infinity Ward will reveal what will be included in the mode on Oct. 7.
Get up close and personal in Modern Warfare.
Activision/Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward will also add an extensive number of changes to the game’s physics to add another layer of realism. Higher-caliber weapons will penetrate structures better than other weapons, guns can be mounted against surfaces to help reduce recoil and doors can now be breached with grenades. There will also be new finishing moves available for players who get in close to do a knife kill and want to show off a little.