Exclusive Modern Warfare 4 Gameplay Review | Early Impressions

I was amongst the first 30 players in North America to play Modern Warfare 4 early. Through my two and a half hours playing MW4 multiplayer, I quickly came to realize the rumors about this game were far from true. Infinity Ward’s new direction for the franchise allowed for MW4 to feel like a huge step forward without resetting progress that previous entries have made. Here are my early impressions of Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer.

It almost goes without saying that reviewing a pre alpha (or whichever build I played) quickly becomes obsolute once a beta and full launch drastically alter the game. Still, you’ll find anti creators and contrarians looking back at pre brief reviews to serve as a “gotcha” once the COD cycle goes into effect. The vocal minority usually loves a game’s launch, then midway through the cycle labels the previous title ‘underrated’ while putting down the current game and getting excited for the next one. Rinse and repeat. As a content creator, I know how the rodeo goes when it comes to mitigating the “I PLAYED EARLY” comment sections.

Historically, some Call of Duty entires played quite well during pre release or launch window, only for future updates to slowly peel back the game’s momentum. In some cases, the opposite has also happened where the game got better with a few seasonal overhauls. Regardless, Modern Warfare 4 was receiving negative PR before the game was even revealed, because of how controversial Infinity Ward’s last entry was.

Immediately after playing my first match of MW4 multiplayer, the slightly longer TTK was noticeable since Black Ops 7 is quite fast. The gunplay felt as snappy as many fans loved in MW2019, while the movement and fluidity was in the ballpark of Modern Warfare 3. One thing was clear and contradicted any leaks that should’ve been taken with a grain of salt anyway: this ISN’T Modern Warfare II. If you’re going into this title wanting something different from the last few years, you’ll certainly get it. Restoring the classic vertical menus is also a breath of fresh air considering the repetitive COD HQ button layouts.

Not only does new Infinity Ward leadership paint a brighter future, but their blunt comparison of MW2 to MW4 really came to prove how committed they were to shaking things up, MW4 removes bloom, weapon tuning, weapon platforms, visual recoil, sluggish movement and perk packages while innovating on mechanics that worked so well from MW3 to Black Ops 7. Although Treyarch’s Omnimovement doesn’t return, the new movement capabilities of MW4 felt as smooth and “cracked” as MW3, while still taking itself seriously and scaling back from Black Ops 7’s wall jumps.

Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer is visually stunning, with the most colorful maps that Infinity Ward has ever added in a boots on the ground game. The direction they seem to have taken is innovating on tech and pushing the boundaries of the series how MW2019 did, while still making it fun to play and arcade-y like Modern Warfare III from Sledgehammer. The early build I got to play felt like their best attempt at rooting the game in realism while remembering that it’s still COD and not Battlefield, unlike MW2019.

Audio and footsteps were surprisingly clear for an early build, while Killstreaks also felt powerful, worthwhile and fulfilling. Weapon balancing is always tricky before an official BETA comes to an end, with some shotguns and SMGs feeling a little too powerful. Apex attachments (replacement for prestige attachments) also felt a little TOO good, but maybe that’s the point since you have to max a weapon out to unlock one.

I wasn’t TOO fond on two of the 6 maps we got to play, but it’s hard to really judge a map’s layout when playing against some of the best players in the world. Either way, map design felt more on par with classic Call of Duty, or the strongest maps we got in MWII, rather than the non three lane spaces we saw in MW2019. I was most concerned with the quantity of field upgrades and lethal equipment there was, which felt like overkill compared to Black Ops 7 (and that’s saying a lot.) If you can’t shoot door open and decide not to run counters to equipment, then it might become too common to die to folks who aren’t even shooting.

Visibility and recoil felt smoother than it has in any recent Infinity Ward title, likely due in part to the engine upgrades and real life simulated gun behavior. The movement overhaul still leaves room for absolute demon sweats to punish little Timmy who only plays for an hour a day, but will probably allow for an easier skill gap than omnimovment did in Black Ops 6 or 7.Being able to shoot holes in smoke is something Counter Strike fans will come to love, as it creates new tactical opportunities, especially for Ranked.

I see the vision with the new kill block map that rotates arenas. Gunfight has gotten stale over the last few years especially with a lack of rewards. The replay value has risen significantly since every round based mode has potential to play differently every game. Inflation, a new 6v6 map, also felt like ‘Plunder meets Multiplayer’ which was also a fresh spin on Kill Order and Kill Confirmed. I’m optimistic about not needing an immediate remaster of ‘Shoot the Ship’ since Transit 213 certainly scratches the small map itch.