Over the years, the Call of Duty series has been responsible for some of the best FPS multiplayer maps ever. With an??nual releases since 2005, there are bound to be some classics.

I'm sorting the treasure from the trash to bring you the 10 best Call of Duty multiplayer maps from the series' history. While it's a subjective list, just beware that I'm totall??y right with these rankings. Obviously.

10. Rust

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

If you grew up a gamer in 2009, you might be familiar with the phrase "1v1 me on Rust." This tiny map debuted in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and became an instant hit with players due to its small size and various l??evels of elevation, making for constant action.

Rust matches were absolute chaos from start to finish, so its subsequent returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare 3 (2023) were exciting. E??xplosive action, easy XP - what's not to love?

9. Vacant

• First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

The dark corridors of Vacant make for some epic close-quarters fights. It goes underappreciated in the series' long history, but I can appreciate that Vacant matches were unlike anything else. This uncertainty of where your next fight came from made Vacant one of the best Search and Destroy maps in Call of Duty history.

While appearances in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot followed, it's difficult to top the dreary atmosphere of the 2007 ori??ginal.

8. Castle

• First appearance: Call of Duty: World at War (2008)

Call of Duty: World at War's Castle oozes atmosphere. Set in WW2-era Japan, it's a map with something for everyone. Various tight lanes allow for intense close-quarters combat, although there are several sniper's nests that players can use to sh??ackle up and camp out some kills.

Despite being asymmetrical, Castle works exceptionally well in almost every game mode. It never got its props, but I was ecstatic to see it return in 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard.

7. Firing Range

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

If you're looking for action-packed Domination or Headquarter?s matches, it doesn't get much better than Firing Range. It's set in, you guessed it, a military firing range, subtly adhering to the series' standard three-lane approach while cleverly drawing players toward the center.

Treyarch knows what a gem it created, too, with it returning in Black Ops 2 as Studio and Black Ops 3 and 4 as Firing Range once more.

6. Standoff

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

Based in a tiny border town, Standoff is a small map that still encourages long-distance engagements. Multiple levels of verticali?ty n?ear flag sites make Standoff an excellent Domination map.

Standoff came back for Black Ops Cold War, and there's no doubt that Treyarch will revisit this on?e in the future.

5. Terminal

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Whenever you played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you prayed for a Terminal match. It's awesome for every play style. You've got medium-range engagements through the terminal, close-range fights in the airplane, and long-distance lanes great for snipers litt?ered around the map.

Terminal is the best Search and Destroy map in the entire series. It has plenty of hiding ?spots, where one mistake is fatal and can lose you the whole round. One of the bomb sites being on the plane is a stroke of genius, as it makes it extremely difficult for the attackers to get a foothold on the map due to the difficulty of the close-range encounters.

4. Shipment

• First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Shipment is the smallest map in the Call of Duty series, yet one of the best. The map is filled with shipping containers, filtering players down several lanes in what is essentially one small squar?e. This makes for beyond-chaotic matches, which are perfect for farming XP and e??arning camos extremely fast.

After its first appearance in the original Modern Warfare, it later returned in the 2019 reboot, too. The series' love affair with Shipment continued, swiftly appearing in Vanguard as well as Modern Warfare 2 and 3.

3. Hijacked

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

Everyone loves Hijacked. Symmetrical mayhem on a luxurious super yacht. Two main interior structures allow for interesting close-range fights, while the exterior is where you'll find many medium-range engagements. You're never far from your next gunfight on Hijacked, making it one of the most fast-paced maps Call of Duty has ever seen.

As a multiplayer map, Hijacked only ever returned in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. I'm hoping it's not the last time we see it.

2. Crash

• First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Crash is a masterclass in map design. The crashed helicop??ter in the map's center is the focal point, with all avenues leading back to it. This naturally brings all the players together to one area of the map, creating a constant battle for control of that center.

Because of this, Crash feels much smaller than it is. That's a compliment - it never gets boring, which is why it returned in both 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 2019's Modern Warfare reboot, its layout virtually untouched. It's pretty much perfection anyway, and comfortably one of the best Call of Duty maps ever.

1. Nuketown

• First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

Two tiny show homes separated by one small street make for the best Call of Duty map ever. It's all chaos, all of the ti??me, as players dart around this extremely small map, trying to farm as many kills as possible. The original version of Nuketown placed the map at a nuclear test site, creating an eerie vibe that made it instantly iconic.

At this point, it's not a Treyarch game without Nuketown, with variations featured in every Black Ops title. Pick your poison. Nuketown 2025. Nuk3town. Иuk3toши. Nuketown '84. No matter which iteration you play, it's all a spin on the same classic formula established back in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

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Love it or hate it, Call of Duty is here to stay, maintaining the long-standing tradition of releasing a new title every year; a tradition that goes back two decades. Black Ops 6 represents the next iteration of Activisio?n's money printer, which will also put a big smile on Microsoft's face after the company bought the franchise in 2023??.

Add onto that, "Blops 6" will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, and you've got yourself an unstoppable profit-making formula right there. But what if you aren't planning on playing the game on c??onsole? What if you have aspirations of getting your military-based FPS on via PC, or better yet, on the move with a Steam Deck?

Not very Linux-friendly, it seems

Okay, enough dilly-dallying. Let's just say at this stage that until the game actually comes out, we can only really speculate. At the time of writing, the Black Ops 6 Steam page doesn't have any information to go on regarding Deck compatibility. Howe?ver, we can at least take a look back at the last few entries to see what the score is and extrapolate from that.

See, the problem here is the Steam Deck uses a Linux-based operating system called Proton. Because of this, the device famously takes issue when it comes to running alongside anti-cheat software, which Call of Duty typically uses. The Call of Duty games come loaded with the Ricochet anti-cheat tech, which is not compatible with Linux. As such, Black Ops 6 is unlikely to be verified for the Deck by Valve it??self.

However, as noted in a recent report from PCGamesN, it is possible to duel-boot the device with an alternative operating system, such as SteamOS or even Windows 11. This should at least bypass any issues between Proton and CoD's anti-cheat solutions.

If we glance at previous installments, we can see this has been an ongoing issue for some time. Take Black Ops: Cold War, for example. As noted on the Steam page, this game is "unsupported" when it comes to the Steam Deck. The 2023 release of Modern Warfare also shows it as not being compatible. However, 2015's Black Ops 3 is down as "playable," but not "verified."

In a nutshell: it doesn't look like good news if you were hoping to play Black Ops 6 on your Steam Deck. The third-party website ProtonDB �which draws data from SteamDB and Steam itself �lists the Call of Duty franchise on the whole as "borked." Make of that what you will. It looks like you can get it to run, but with some workarounds that might not be worth the effort unless you really want to play it on the move.

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A new mod for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is about to bring Modern Warfare 2's iconic multiplayer experience back to life, taking you on a 2009-fueled nostalgia trip to the good ole days of CoD.

If you were lucky enough to remember Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in its heyday, you probably remember it as one of the series�high points. Upon the release of the 2020 remaster, it was shocking that multiplayer was no longer included. Sure, the single-p??layer campaign was great, but we all know that the multiplayer is what we really wanted. Four years later, the community's collective wishes hav?e been granted thanks to H2M Mod.

You might have seen a couple of posts from prominent Call of Duty creators over the last few days showing gameplay from H2M Mod. If you're a fan of Modern Warfare 2, it no doubt caught your attention. Using 2017's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, the H2M Mod team has managed to bring back that classic MW2 experience in t?he new engine. It's 2009 all over again - just a little shinier this time around.

The experience won't be exactly as you remember it. It'll be better, in fact. Yes, you'll have access to all of Modern Warfare 2's weapons, maps, killstreaks, and progression, but there's more going on here. All of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered maps are also included, and some of the MW2 campaign maps have been repurposed for multiplayer, too. Several fan-favorite weapons from Modern Warfare Remastered make a return, giving you the best of both worlds, and there are even a few new camos to unlock made spe??cifically for this mod.

The mod has caused waves within the CoD scene over the last few days, with a release date for the mod set for August 16. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is currently among the top-selling games on Steam, perhaps no coincidence there as gamers gear up for t?he ultimate trip down memory lane.

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According to a new report from Insider Gaming, the 2024 Call of Duty release Black Ops Gulf War and an unannounced 2025 tit?le will mainly feature open-world style missions.

This wouldn't be Call of Duty's first time tackling open-world concepts, as they did so in games like 20??23's Modern Warfare 3. But it sounds a bit different this time around, according to IG's sources.

The open-world missions are described as "more akin to that of a Far Cry than anything we've seen before in the Call of Duty universe." However, it doesn't just mean players can walk around large spaces and explore where they'd like. It also means drivable vehicles, a typical fast travel system, and we'd speculate a few more mechanics not found in typical Call of Duty campaigns. Although linear ca?mpaign missions will be much less prevalent, the report claims some linear missio??ns will still appear.

The report also claims Call of Duty 2025 will not only have an open-world campaign but will fe??ature a map "separated into ??several different biomes/locations."

The future of Call of Duty

Lastly, the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War reportedly has Raven Software on the campaign, while Treyarch will develop the multiplayer and zombie? modes. However, repo??rts indicate the 2025 title was originally intended for Sledgehammer Games, but the studio rejected the offer, claiming it didn't want to be a "year 2 support studio."

It's a lot of Call of Duty news to process, but big shifts have been happening at the company. Changes were expected after Microsoft first announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard in January ??2022.

A major change came on December 29, 2023, as CEO Bobby Kotick stepped down from his role. Just recently Johanna Faries, the previous Call of Duty franchise general manager at Activision, was named president of Blizzard. And in January 2024, Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Bli??zzar?d and Xbox employees.

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It's officially Call of Duty hype time, as Activision has officially revealed the next chapter in the Modern Warfare series: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The FPS will serve as a direct sequel to last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

This newest entry is being co-developed by Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward, which is the same as the 2011 release. The reveal includes some details on the new content coming to Call of Duty including the first-ever Modern Warfare zombies mode. We also got a revea??l trailer that shows off some of the campaign:

//youtu.be/mHDEDDrGYvo

New Campaign and multiplayer as expected

The new campaign will pick up right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. According to the release, players can expect action-packed cinematic experiences like before as well as new free-form Open Combat missions. Player choice has never really been a component of the Call of Duty campaigns,?? so it will be exciting to see ho??w far they actually go with these free-form missions. Even though full details aren't available just yet, the release does mention being able to make use of any operable vehicles on the map.

For multiplayer fans, all 16 maps from the 2009 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be available. The maps have been modernized and new modes and features have been added. Furthermore, 12 all-new core 6v6 maps will also release with post-launch live seasons. Ground War and War Modes are al??so ma?king a return.

Activision also revealed three new "gameplay innovations" that will be debuting with Modern Warfare 3. Tac-Stance introduces a middle ground between hip-fire and aiming down sights. The new stance improves weapon performance when entering tight hallways and cramped rooms. Evolving Loadouts adds new levels of customization to Create-a-Class. The new feature allows you?? to fine-tune cutting-edge military equipment including gloves, tactical vests, ??boots, and more. Finally, After-Market-Parts is a special set of customization options that allows you to construct a unique weapon configuration to fit your playstyle.

Overall all three new features sound like nice additions. Obviously we'll h?ave to see them in action to know for sure.

Finally, as promised, Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer will "Carry Forward" from Modern Warfare 2. This means all content and weapon progression will move into Modern Warfare 3, including ??all unlocks. This will make everyth??ing you've unlocked accessible on day one.

[caption id="attachment_397208" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

First-ever Modern Warfare zombies mode

Fans of Call of Duty zombies mode can rejoice, as the feature will finally make its way to Modern Warfare. This will also include the largest Call of Duty zombies map ever. Furthermore, the mode will get an actual story that tells us more about the Dark Aether Zombies in the Modern Warfare universe. There will be several missions across different regions with varying degrees of difficulty, as well as some of the biggest enemies we've seen yet in Call of Duty.

More details are to come as we get closer to release. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 10 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, ??and Xbox Series X|S.

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If you thought annual Call of Duty releases were a thing of the past, think again. It's barely been a year since the reboot of Modern Warfare II came out, and now Modern Warfare III is nearly upon us already.

In a recent teaser uploaded to the official Call of Duty YouTube channel, it's been announced that MWIII will launch on November 10. At the time of writing, there's ??been no indication on what platforms the latest in the ongoing FPS series will be on. Rest assured, it will almost certainly be on the major current-gen systems, and possibly some previous-gen as well.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITIcmA4Zwa8

As for the teaser itself, it's just over 40-seconds long and doesn't really give a lot away. It seems this will be a direct sequel to 2022's Modern Warfare II, which in itself is a reboot of 2009's Modern Warfare 2.

Hidden messages

Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed some numbers at the start of the clip. According to Polygon, this is actually a phone numb?er. When a text message is sent to it, it reveals the following:

*** COMMS SECURED ***

major conflict incoming. a lot of opportunity.

we need someone like you, with e??xper??ience in al mazrah

are you able to receive sensitive intel

yes / no

[upon responding yes]

good

expect mission critical int??el. a taste of what’s to come

Seems very on-brand with the Call of Duty vibe.

As mentioned above, Modern Warfare II was released less than a year ago. It received fairly decent reviews and scores overall. Modern Warfare III continues the trend of Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games putting a new stamp on older entries. Will it be a rousing success? I mean, it's Call of Duty. It's going to sell in droves no matter what.

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Season 5 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone are almost upon us, and they'll be bringing plenty of new events, weapons, operators, and more. This season seeks to celebrate 50 years of hip-??hop, and player??s can expect lots of free content related to the subculture, including cameos from icons such as Nicki Minaj.

[caption id="attachment_394038" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Infinity Ward.[/caption]

Call of Duty Season 5 gets hip

Season 5 of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone begins on August 2 at 9 AM PT across all platforms. As part of the franchise's celebration of 50 years of hip-hop, everyone who logs in between August 7 and 16 on four separate day??s will receive free hip-hop War Tracks from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

Additionally, new operators will be added in Call of Duty Season 5, and some of them will please hip-hop fans. Snoop Dogg's operator will be available, and he is seen holding a custom blue rifle. This isn't the first time the rapper has teamed up with Call of Duty, as in 2014 he lent his voice talents to the fra?nchise.

Nicki Minaj will also be available, making the pink-haired rapper the franchise's first-ever self-named female operator. An operator bundle featuring rapper 21 Sav?age is also planned.

With Season 5, the Prestige Ra??nk cap will be?? raised from 17 to 21, and the new maximum level cap will be 1050. Reach Prestige Rank 21, and you'll receive an exclusive Kastov-74u Weapon Blueprint.

Modern Warfare 2 was a hit for the franchise, becoming the fastest title in the Call of Duty series to generate $1 billion in revenue. Continued updates with surprising twists will ensure the user base? remains active.

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We missed you, 1v1

Warzone 2.0 brought about a whole host of changes to Call of Duty's beloved battle royale mode, but the most divisive of them all has to be the new version of the Gulag, which changed from a 1v1 fight to a 2v2 with the introduction of the sequel. As if it wasn't already hard enough contending with two enemies instead of one, especially if you have a teammate who is AFK, uncooperative, etc., they also added a Jailer with a minigun for you to contend with, too. It's clear to me why this was one of the least popular changes that came along with Warzone 2.0.

Thankfully we won't have to put up with it for very much longer, though, because Infinity Ward has announced on Twitter that they're reverting the Gulag back to its former 1v1 glory. This change is scheduled to be implemented along with the Season 2 update for both Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare II, which we learned yeste?rday has been delayed by two weeks. I guess this gives us yet another reason to look forward to the game's second season, along with bug fixes, a new Raid e??pisode, and new game modes, just to name a few of the upcoming features.

//twitter.com/InfinityWa??rd/status/1616133411189710848

Season 2 is officially dropping on February 15, as per a tweet f??rom the Call of Duty Twitter account yesterday, so we only have to deal with the 2v2 shenanigans for a little while longer. It's nice that they wanted to branch out and try something new to keep things f??eeling fresh, but unfortunately, this turned out to be more of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situation.

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Wait, not that kind of Ghost

There is absolutely nothing more frustrating than playing your very best in an online game, only to be taken out by some technical issue that's outside of your control. How does the old saying go? Oh yeah: "Video games don't cause violence, lag does." Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 players are in a world of hurt right now, but not because of lag; there's a bug floating around right now that causes en?emies to become completely invisible. I can't think of anything more rage-inducing than that.

Originally reported by PCGamesN, there's currently a lot of mystery surrounding the issue. Players can't seem to find any reason for the Warzone bug, or a way to trigger it in game. Some are even calling foul play, suggesting that hackers might be using the bug as an exploit intentionally, which isn't outside of the realm of possibility based on what we know about Call of Duty c??heaters. YouTubers like SuperEvan uploaded a video ?of his encounter with the bug and breaking down the footage, so you can come to your own conclusions as to what happened, I guess.

//twitter.com/SuperEvan__/status/1594217597452419072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1594217597452419072%7Ctwgr%5E0a8c16fe4122b19e390ea4447070922aca6d1440%7Ctw?con%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nme.com%2Fnews%2Fgaming-news%2Fwarzone-2-0-bug-turning-players-invisi?ble-3353036

Activision has yet to release a statement regarding the Warzone bug, but considering it's such a big issue, I imagine they'll be addressing it as soon as the next patch, which is likely to come soon considering the game has all kinds of other glitches going on. The bug is currently nowhere to be seen on "official Warzone 2.0 Trello board" for known issues, so it's anybody's guess as to what's going to happen in the coming days. My best guess as a former QA is that Infinity Ward is scrambling trying to lock down the cause of the bug before letting us know what's up. Depending on how elusive the answer is, we could be waiting a while. Godspeed, Warzone players.

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This year's Call of Duty is sleeker than most

The last few months of 2022 have been absolutely insane when i?t comes to game releases, so it’s been really telling of which games I’ve enjoyed the most based on what I’ve been drawn to playing these days. Even with newly-dropped titles like Overwatch 2 and God of War Ragnarok, I find myself going back to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II over and over again. 

I’m relatively new to the Call of Duty series, having picked it up with Cold War for the?? first time a few y?ears ago with encouragement from a friend. Now CoD has basically become part of my daily routine, even if it’s just for a few rounds of Domination on my lunch?? break.

I know that some of my opinions about the series tend to clash with long-time fans, but I’ve actually enjoyed jumping into the middle of things for the first time without any other expectations and just going with the flow. Makes me feel like I ??can have a fresh perspective, you know?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (PC, PS5, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Released: October 28, 2022
MSRP: $59.99

The strongest CoD story mode I've played

Let’s start with my usual d??omain �the single player campaign. Not gonna lie, some of the other story mode campaigns in the? series have felt like a bit of a slog to me. I couldn’t tell you one thing that happened in Cold War, and Vanguard’s story consisted of a bunch of smaller, disconnected vignettes, and?? being bopped around from character to character made it kinda hard to care about anyt??hing.

Modern Warfare II,?? on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. The Call of Duty campaigns are known for their nonstop action and somewhat bombastic set pieces, and they definitely deliv??ered on that front. Maybe I’ve just played too many Naughty Dog games, but this time around, I couldn’t help but get the feeling that they took some notes from the famed single player developer �there was a good handful of set pieces that felt like something out of an Uncharted game, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Sure, there were huge explosions and stealth-centered sniper missions, but a lot of the levels were more restrained in their design, instead focusing more on using the environment in compelling, creative ways that would switch up gameplay without compromising the grounded feeling Infinity Ward was going for. The result was that nothing overstayed its welcome (except for one air support level), and the gameplay always felt fresh and varied, rather than simply throwing me into a battle arena wi?th endless hordes of enemies over and over again.

One of the levels introduces a crafting mechanic using objects you find in the environment (again, it fel?t very Last of Us), and I felt myself pull back. Too many times I’ve seen a game implement such mec??hanics under the guise of adding more “depth�only for them to just bog everything down with unnecessary tedium. Within the constraints of that level, it worked well enough that I can’t complain too much. In the final level, they brought the crafting back in? a way that made a lot of sense and helped heighten the story. That is not the kind of narrative design I usually expect to see from a Call of Duty game, so I was pleasantly surprised to say the lea??st.

Characters that feel like characters

When it comes to the cast, it all clicked for me. It’s fair that for the most part, the series hasn’t placed a large focus on its storytelling, because it’s always been about the gameplay anyway, but wha??t I’ve come to expect is all of the dialogue melding together into an endless stream of battle chatter and angry men yelling at each other. Usually when it comes to the CoD campaigns, I have a horrible time differentiating between all of the different characters in the first place, and ?have to come up with nicknames to keep them all straight (for example, I called Soap “Zefron�for the first half because I thought his character model bore a striking resemblance to the only and only Zac).

But don’t worry, I did end up learning all their na?mes this time because Infinity Ward put a lot of effort i??nto the writing for this one, and it shows. A good portion of the campaign is still the usual war jargon and belligerent yelling, but I was truly shocked to see some genuinely fun and interesting conversations happen between the characters that didn’t have to do with their immediate actions. 

A particularly endearing exchange between Soap and Ghost went viral on Tiktok where they discussed mundanities like the logistics of Ghost never taking off his? mask, or what kind of drinks they want to have �all in the face of the most desperate, fight-for-their-lives part of the campaign. I know it’s kind of lame to say, but it was by far my favorite moment from a Call of Duty story mode that I’ve ever played! 

I got a real sense of?? why these two characters are friends and trust each other, and you can feel the familiarity and camaraderie of two people who have had to look out for their buddy in countless life or death situations. There were other great moments like this, too, but for the most part, that mission is everything I’v??e wanted the CoD campaigns to be. It didn’t compromise on the action, but it actually made me care about who these p?eople are. Well done there.

When it comes to graphics, well, this is one of the best-looking games I’ve ever played. That’s expected when it’s a next gen game that I’m also playing on a PS5, but I was still taken ??aback by how realistic the pre-rendered cutscenes looked. There were multiple water levels, too, and you better believe that’s some of the best-looking water I’ve seen in a game. 

Despite a few slow moments, Modern Warfare II is by far the most fun I’ve had playing a Call of Duty campaig??n, and I highly recommend it to anyon?e who even remotely likes single player experiences.

More good stuff from multiplayer

Of course, the story campaign is only one small piece of the experience �let’s talk multiplayer. Firs?t person shooters have been one of my favorite game genres for a long time, and of course CoD has some of the best FPS gameplay out there, period. I know any given COD multiplayer has mixed reviews from some of the more s??easoned players; but for a casual like me, I’ve been pretty happy with MWII’s multiplayer experience so far.

The guns have the punchiness that I liked about Vanguard, but the movement feels a lot smoother than before. There’s also more customization with the attachments than eve?r before, which is perfect for players who really like to fine tune every aspect of their loadout to fully min-max their build.

The ratio of maps th?at I really enjoy playing on versus the ones I don’t is better in MWII than the previous games in the series I’ve played, that’s for sure. The design feels nicely balanced on pretty much every map so far, and I’ve yet to play in an enviro??nment that feels impossible to navigate because the snipers just set up shop and are taking pot shots without engaging with the objectives (looking at you, The Pines and Red Star?).

While Domination still remains my favorite CoD mode, I have to admit that I’ve been intrigued by the inclusion of Headquarters, Search and Destroy, and Knockout, among others. These classic modes are rela??tively new to me, and given that Call of Duty’s whole thing is just finding new excuses for you to shoot at the enemy, I’m always pleased to see how creative the? CoD studios have been in making up new, engaging game modes. I guess it’s all been decades in the making??, ?so think of this as an all star list of classic MP modes �at least that’s what it feels like to me.

The third person modes a??re a bit uncanny to see in a CoD game, b?ut they’re a good time, and also a great way to level up your guns given that it’s easier to aim in third person without a scope. Ground War and Invasion are great options for players who want an in-between of regular MP and Battle Royale, or who just want to experience the usual MP gameplay experience on a larger scale.

Co-op wasn't for me

I was pretty excited to try out the multiplayer co-op missions, because I ha??dn’t played something like that in a Call of Duty game before. Unfortunately, though, they were the biggest let down of this title for me. They felt a bit janky and buggy at times, and the AI was the silliest I’ve seen in the series in a while. While you can sit through a lengthy briefing cutscene before each mission, my friend and I would s?till find ourselves at a loss of what to d?o once we got into the game.

The co-op modes basically come down to infiltrate a base and destroy a thing, or defend a base by killing huge waves of enemie??s. I imagine they’re a fun time if you like going for high scores, seeing as they give you a star rating at the end based on how well you did, but I found the co-op missions to be the least engaging part of the Modern Warfare II experience. I think?? I??’ll just go back to Domination and Team Deathmatch.

There have also been some bugs with multiplayer that Infinity Ward has been dealing with since the beta, inclu?ding everything from messed up footstep audio to issues joining a party with friends to invisible walls that seem to be left in on the new Shoot House map. In an ideal world, every game would be free of bugs, but for the most part, I haven’t encountered anything that’s not?? the usual fare for a large, online game launch like this. Compared to Overwatch 2, playing Modern Warfare II has been a walk in the park.

I think my PS4 Pro might be on?? the way out anyway, but I’ve had some real issues with lag and loading into games on my previous gen console (I sometimes had to give up the PS5 because I share one with my roommate). At this point ??it feels pretty obvious that devs are excited to take advantage of what next gen consoles are capable of, but it’s a shame that some players are gonna be left behind in the process.

I agree with the complaints about the UI, but it’s certainly not game-breaking for me. I’ve had particul??ar frustrations trying to send party invites to?? friends, because I can seemingly do it from like three equally confusing places in the menus. The main menu is the worst of it, because things are unnecessarily hard to find now, and the new addition of Warzone 2.0 has only hidden everything behind yet another screen you have to click through. ?No thanks.

In the end, it comes together

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II ??is certainly not a perfect game, but for all its flaws, it’s my favorite CoD game that I’ve played so far. The story mode was a blast, and the mu?ltiplayer is just as addicting as ever. It’s one of the best looking games we may have so far, and I recommend playing it on a next gen console or souped-up PC if you can to see it at its full potential. Infinity Ward has proven yet again that Call of Duty is at the forefront of the FPS genre, and I’m really impressed with how they continue to drive the?? series forward.

The post Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II appeared first on Destructoid.

Old habits die hard

The game mode offerings in the Call of Duty franchise have really expanded over the years, and with the recent release of Modern Warfare II, there are more modes than ever before. Excluding Warzone as its own, separate thing, the base Call of Duty multiplayer experience has 11 different game types in the main MP ??playlist, not including the co-op campaign modes you can play ??with a buddy. You've got the classics in there like Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed, but there are also some new modes to try out like Headquarters and Prison Rescue.

While I've certainly had a ton of fun throwing myself into some games to try out modes I don't usually play, I am very much a creature of habit -- Domination is by far my favorite mode, and a lot of the time I'll load into the game with it as the only game mode I have selected without a second thought. The pacing is usually just right for me to get into the flow of things, and it's always pretty easy to tell where enemies might be coming from based on which points they have control of. I'm bad enough at CoD as is, and the randomness of modes like Team Deathmatch and Free-for-All are?? a bit much for me.

I was pleasantly surprised, however, to try out Headquarters, which basically feels like a mix between Domination and Hardpoint. It's been "featured in all Call of Duty games until (and including) Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare", according to the fan wiki, but it's entirely new to me. Sometimes I feel like some of the more fringe modes can be a bit too much of a gameplay-mechanic salad, but Headquarters has a well-balanced, fresh concept without being too tedious. Basically, diff??erent points unlock one at a time around the map, and it's up to your team to try and capture that point (the titular Headquarters) before the enemy team does.

One you or the enemy team capture the point, whoever controls it has to try and hold onto the Headquarters as long as possible with respawns turned off, and once the opposing team kills the team with control, the cycle resets and a new point unlocks elsewhere on the map. I haven't quite figured out the best strats for Headquarters yet, but I know for a fact I'm gonna be throwing it into my rotation. I've been a CoD bro for three mainline games now (starting with Cold War), and this mode is by far my favorite of any of the new ones I've seen in my short time on the Call of Duty scene.

While the Ground War modes are a good in-between option for someone who wants to play Warzone Lite, it's still not quite my thing either. I found for CoD specifically I prefer the smaller maps as a fan of close-quarters combat and SMGs, and even the larger maps in the traditional MP modes are too overwhelming for me, like Taraq. But that's most because I get sniped repeatedly while trying to run to the point out in the open, because I'm not exactly a pro player. If I like Domination so much, though, there is a chance I could end up enjo??ying the Ground War version. I'll keep that in mind when I eventually tire of the usual maps.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QHb-202gg

One Modern Warfare II game mode that surpised me was Search and Destroy. Mind you, it's usually a mode I avoid like the plague because my K/D is shameful and I prefer not to spend most of the game spectating, but after some coaxing from my friend, I gave it a shot. Just like when I was getting into Call of Duty in the first place, I recognize it's another rhythm I need to get into that's different from what I'm used to. Once I get the hang of it, though, I think the slower, higher tension gameplay might be something I really love. Plus, I don't have to worry about learning how the buying thing works like in CS:GO or Valorant, and I can't stress how nice that is for a player? like me. Baby steps.

I plan to sit down with my buddy and keep trying Search a??nd Destroy and maybe some more Prison Rescue, but for now, I think I'm gonna stick to a Domination/Headquarters playlist.

Which Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II game modes have you been u??nable to put down? What do you think of the new modes? What are your fav?orite maps?

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The studio has big fixes incoming for Modern Warfare II

Getting to play a game's beta before its release is definitely exciting, but it's not without its downsides �because said game isn't out yet, it can come with a whole slew of bugs that still need working out, which can range from minor inconveniences to game-breaking issues. While the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II beta was a blast to pla??????????????????????????y, of course, a few problems have stood out to players more than others. Specifically, players complained about imbalanced footsteps audio, as well as is??sues with enemy visibility.

No need to fret, though, because Infinity Ward has announced that they're already on the case to fix these bugs, and more, before Modern Warfare II's full launch. "While sentiment around footstep audio was more positive in Beta Weekend Two, we have seen your continued feedback on the volume of footsteps and will continue to balance enemy/friendly footstep audio ahead of launch," the studio said in a press release addressed to players.

"Enemy visibility is something that came up throughout both? weekends of our Beta. While many of you remarked on the improvement in Weekend Two, we’ll look to tweak increased enemy visibility to allow for better visual tracking of opponents that is not solely the traditional nameplate."

//twitter.com/?InfinityWard/status/157349673964591104??0

Players were also having difficulty with their lobbies disbanding, and that's yet another detail that Infinity Ward has promised to iron out. Other improvements include continued weapon tuning, tweaks to the camera in the new third-p?erson mode, and fixes to the AI navigation in Invasion mode.

Even with all the bugs, Modern Warfare II so far captures the feeling of some of the best the franchise has to offer, and I am absolutely stoked to play more of it. If anyone needs me, I'll be playing the Shiphaus 24/7 playlist in Vanguard until full release next month.

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Doors and corners

After the big reveal earlier this week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II popped up again to show off some campaign footage. Today's Summer Game Fest trailer sho?wed the spec ops team storming and clearing an oil rig, hunting for info along the way.

The mission, called Dark Water, starts with the team hooking up and zipping up top, before gradually breaching and clearing their way through. It's all fairly reminiscent of the oil rig mission in the previous Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. That is, until they e??xfiltrate and head t?o a ship.

The crew takes a speedboat over and storms a ship. It feels like another Modern Warfare throwback, ?with cover and the level itself tilting and waning with the waves??.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISc1orDBziY

Otherwise, it seemed like fairly standard Call of Duty campaign footage. There's plenty of moving and shooting, gadgets, and more. Familiar faces return from Task Force 141, as well as reimagined versions of older Modern Warfare characters like "Soap" MacTavish. There are s?ome new operators in the mix, too.

Modern Warfare changes, occassionally

Activision revealed more about its plans for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II earlier this week, including a confirmation that it's moving to a new engine. Both Modern Warfare II and the new Warzone experience, dubbed Warzone 2.0, will be on the same engine. Sadly, this also means that current inventory for players won't jump over to the new Warzone.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II arrives Oct. 28, 2022 for PS4, PS5, X?box One, X?box Series X, and PC.

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Same name, whole new game

The Call of Duty series has seen a lot of changes over the years. With every entry in the series, the franchise evolves in one way or another, especially with three different studios to make their own mark on the series' legacy. Now with the October 28 release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (not to be confused with the 2009 game with the same name), Activision is looking to overhaul the series by adding a whole host of new features to go along with the reboot, as reported by Polygon.

A new engine

Probably the biggest change coming for Call of Duty is a brand new engine. Because the CoD games are developed separately by three different studios -- Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, a?nd Treyarch -- Activision wanted to make sure that all of the games moving forward would be created to run on the same unified engine, according to Infinity Ward.

This also makes a lot of sense considering that all three studios are co-developing the new Warzone sequel, and the only way to really do?? that is if they're al??l working from one standard engine across the board. They also said they want to each studio to maintain their own specific voice when it comes to making the mainline games, so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out as the series continues to unfold.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=r72GP1PIZa0

Improved AI

Another new promise is improved AI, something that fans have complained about for years when it comes to the games' camp?aigns. Infinity Ward said they've entirely revamped their AI systems, especially taking inspiration from real world soldiers, as well as Hollywood blockbusters. Those two ?things kind of sound wildly different to me, but as long as it's fun to play and the AI doesn't break my immersion, it's all good with me.

Returning to Steam

Fans of the series were also pleased to hear a few days ago that Call of Duty is officially returning to Steam with Modern Warfare II on October 28. The games had been previously accessible on PC through Blizzard's Battle.net launcher, a change that started with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 back in 2018.

Even more gun customization

Gun attachments have been a staple of the Call of Duty experience for a while now, and with Modern Warfare II, we're going to have more customization options?? than ever with an upgraded Gunsmith mechanic, makin?g the endgame all the more satisfying.

While in the past, the attachments have had pre-set stats, the plan moving forward is that they will be fully customizable, so players will have even more control over how they want to tweak their build. When it comes to the endgame, you'll still be able to keep customizing those attachments even after you've unlocked them all, making ?late game content ??feel more substantial than previous entries in the series.

A fully integrated anti-cheat system

Finally, Activision is addressing the rampant cheating problem that they've had to deal with in the series. It got so bad after release, they had to implement an anti-cheat system called Ricochet into both Warzone and the mainline games. This time around, Activision plans?? to implement Ricochet from the get-go on all of their releases, which will hopefully make for a much more enjoyable experience. No one likes a cheater.

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Looking forward to a reboot of an iconic Call of Duty title

Fans of the Call of Duty series expect a new game every year, but there's always plenty of hype when the new release dates start rolling around. That's at least the case for me, maybe because I'm still a baby CoD fan, because I'm pumped to try out the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, especially now that it has a release date. They're really building the suspense on this one �first the logo reveal last month, now the art reveal, and then some potential ne??w announcements teased for the future.

The Call of Duty Twitter officially revealed the next franchise entry's release date this morning: October 28, 2022. Along with that info, we also got a short video showing off the art for some of the game's characters, which includes a return of Task Force 141, who were also principal characters in the original Modern Warfare 2. We also caught a glimpse of a mysterious numbered sequence that reads "J-8-22" at around the 44-second mark, which just might be an important date for fans to look forward? to.

//twitter.com/CallofDuty??/s?tatus/1529137835764228097

This title is actually a reboot sequel of the 2009 game with the exact same name, something that has caused a few fans (including myself) a bit of confusion this time around. Modern Warfare II is truly a beloved title in Call of Duty history, so it makes a lot of sense that Activision would want to bring it back for another go-around. We got some really iconic missions from that game, like "Wolverines!" and "Cliffhanger," so here's hoping we get ??to see some other really memorable adventures this time arou??nd, too.

I personally love a good sniper mission, but something I always look forward to in a good CoD campaign is those larger-than-life set pieces. Here's hoping that Infinity Ward can deliver this time aroun?d, and revamp the series in a way we've needed in the past few years.

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Both a new game and Warzone experience will be designed together

Today, Activision Blizzard unveiled some changes coming for Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone. Alongside that, the publisher also confirms some details about what's in store for the next year of CoD.

In today's Warzone briefing, Activision confirms that Infinity Ward is taking the lead on both the new Call of Duty and the next Warzone experience. The two will be designed in tandem, with a new engine, from the ground up. And this year's Call of Duty will be a sequel to Modern Warfare 2019.

The return to the Modern Warfare series will also bring a new shift in the Warzone battle royale space. Activision says it is building an "all-new playspace," and also a new sandbox mode.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ1CwPhE8KQ&t=1s

Yes, that sounds vaguely metaverse-y. In the wake of Microsoft's announced acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the metaverse. A press release at the time said the acquisition will accelerate growth in Microsoft's gaming business and "provide building blocks" for the metaverse. Whether it goes for that, more potential for user-created content, or just a new play mode for the Warzone experience, we'll just have to wait and see.

Amid the acquisition news, Activision Blizzard has remained under scrutiny due to reports of a toxic internal culture. Microsoft president Brad Smith told CNBC in a recent interview that the company w??ould commit to putting "the right people in the right position" at Activi?sion Blizzard.

Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone are trucking along for now. I'm curious to see when this franchise ever moves away from the annual launch schedule. With concepts for a new "sandbox" and "playspace" floating around, it s?eems inevitable. But we'll see more of what Infinity Ward and Activision has in store as the year progresses.

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Activision Blizzard employees and contractors declare they 'no longer have confidence' in CEO Bobby Kotick

[Update: Since the publication of this piece, the petition has risen to over 1,000 signatures. The ABK Workers Alliance has also opened a petition for supporters who would like to sign. Our original story follows.]

Over 500 Activision Blizzard employees and contractors have signed a public petition calling for the removal of CEO Bobby Kotick. In the wake of a Wall Street Journal report on Kotick's handling of previous sexual misconduct claims, as well as his own alleged treatment of employees, Activision Blizzard employees are taking a further step in attempting to ?enact change at the publisher.

"We, the undersigned, no l?onger have confidence in the leadership of Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision Blizzard," the petition opens. What follows is a list of employees from many studios under the Activision Blizzard umbrella who have signed onto the petition, including?? Activision, Blizzard, King, Raven Software, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer, and various support studios.

The ABK Workers Alliance shared the petition earlier today on social media. "The past few days have been rough, but it has strengthened our resolve to make #ABetterABK now more than ever," the organization said in a later tweet. "Thank you to every?one who joined us for the walkouts. Your solidarit??y is appreciated. Every voice matters."

//twitter.com/ABette?rABK/status/1461394241955905538

The walkout and petition, as well as other reactions from within Activision Blizzard and without, are all in response to a recent Wall Street Journal report. In it, the Journal detailed several incidents that have taken place over the years at Activision Blizzard, including allegations of CEO Bobby Kotick interveni?ng to keep an emplo?yee accused of sexual harassment at the company and allegations of?? failing to address sex??ual misconduct within Activision Blizzard.

Kotick issued his own response, shared in text form on the Activision Blizzard investors site. The Board of Directors also issued a statement, saying it remained confident?? in Kotick's lead??ership.

Meanwhile, a report from Bloomberg says PlayStation chief Jim Ryan expressed "deep concern" over the response, and that they've reportedly reached out to Ac?tivision Blizzard to see how they plan to addre?ss the claims. "We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation," said Ryan.

A shareholder group has also called for Kotick's resignation. Game Developer reported yesterday that, in internal meetings, Activision Blizzard leadership continued to stand by Kotick. This all comes in the wake of investigations into the company for discrimination, harassment, and a toxic culture from the California Depa?rtment of Fai?r Employment and Housing.

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The Haunting of Verdansk also adds Zombie Royale

Call of Duty is hosting another horror crossover for Halloween, and this year, Billy the Puppet from Saw and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are here to play. Don't be alarmed if you see them running around in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Call of Duty: Warzone. Well, be a little alarmed.

Activision has a full recap of the Haunting of Verd?ansk – the event star??ts October 20 and will stick around until November 3 – but there's also a quick and to-the-point roadmap below in one easy image.

Aside from the premium Saw and TCM skin bundles (for Morte and Velikan, respectively), Warzone is getting a "nighttime" variant, there are Trick or Treat supply boxes to collect (with 16 total rewards to find), and Zombie Royale mode will skip the Gulag skirmishes in favor of turning fallen players into zombies who can move fast??er, jump higher, hit harder, and rely on t?hermal vision to stalk their prey.

"When a player is killed, they drop a syringe that shows up on the map. Collect two of these Syringes as a Zombie and you'll parachute back in with your loadout on your Squad for?? a second chance! The last squad standing with a surviving Operator wins... even if the rest of the squad has turned undead."

Even if the horror movi??e out??fits are way too pricey ($20!), I always appreciate a good Halloween event.

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Data Pack-it-in

Almost a full year after release, Infinity Ward has finally added mode-specific install options to the PC edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The new feature will let players pick and choose which elements of the game they wish to have installed at any given time, in an effort to drive down the military shooter's unfathoma?ble 225GB file size.

Once the patch goes live, PC users will be able to select the individual addition or removal of huge "Data Packs," including the single-player campaign, Spec Ops, multiplayer, and the standalone battle royale title, Warzone. This will allow CoD players to free up precious HDD space for other games and applications... Perhaps Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War?

On a personal note, while this multi-install feature has been available on the PS4 edition for some time, I have run into multiple problems when it comes to reinstalling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The title will often ask for missing data packs, then flatly refuse to download them when requested, even after a full reinstall. A quick Google search sees that I'm not alone in running?? into this frustrating issue, so here's hoping the PC edition will not suffer the same pitfalls.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta goes live on all platforms later this week.

Next Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update ??will let? you make the game smaller [PC Gamer]

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The Season Four update releases tonight at 11:00 p.m. PT

With tonight's Season Four update going live at 11:00 p.m. Pacific, Call of Duty: Warzone is somehow squee?zing 50 more players into Verdansk, bumping the player count for Battle Royale Quads up to 200.

(That's your cue to make your best-worded joke about Modern Warfare's file size.)

According to Activision, Warzone's Season Four update will be around 22GB to 36GB for Modern Warfare players (with a 3.5GB "secondary download" on consoles), while standalone Warzone player??s are looking at a 22GB ?to 30GB download before they can contribute to the 200-person chaos.

Season Four also includes a multi-use Spotter Scope for discreet enemy scanning, the .50 caliber Rytec AMR, and a Juggernaut Royale mode that drops game-changing care packages with mini-guns and Juggernaut suits from the sky. "Once a Juggernaut is sent to the Gu?lag, a new Juggernaut care package will drop on the map, so do your best to capture the suit and take on any squad tha??t stands in your way."

Another new thing to look out for: Supply Run contracts. After you ??find and initiate one of these contracts, you'll need to rush to your closest?? Buy Station to get a discount before the timer runs out.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is getting the garden-filled Cheshire Park map and Team Defender, a returni?ng mode ??in which squads try to grab and hold onto a single flag to score points.

?You can also check out the image below ??for a recap of the Season Four Reloaded content lineup.

Season Four Reloaded [Activision]

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Hopefully with more to come

It has been interesting watching the video game industry react to the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter prote?sts that have dominated the attention of Americans and people around the globe. How do companies that benefit from marketing grisly violence, albeit fake, respond when it's clear the populace has had enough of violence that is real? How does an industry with a representation problem fix it so new voices are given opportunities to share their vision?

Over the past week, we've seen a variety of responses from developers and publishers. Rockstar took Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Redemption Online offline for two hours to honor the life of George Floyd. NBA 2K20 gifted players with shirts for their avatar that read "Black Lives Matter," "Say Their Names," and "I Can't Breathe." It also went offline for two hours in memory of Floyd. Many other developers have opened their pocketbooks, with everyone from The Pokémon Company to Yacht Club Games to Niantic donating money, not only to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and organizations like the NAACP, but also to fund projects from developers o?f color.

While those type moves are fantastic for the short term, another development out of last week may benefit the industry in the long run. On Wednesda??y, Infinity Ward sent out ?this tweet:

pic.twitter.com/o2nR4ZNQL0

— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) June 3, 2020

Never mind the fact that it should not have taken literal nationwide protests to make this happen -- or the fact that other types of bigoted harassment like sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and antisemitism aren't named in the statement -- when I read that Tweet I could feel a slight turning of the tide. Two days later, EA Sports announced its plans to further combat bigoted harassment in its games, with the EA Sports NHL Twitter account going one step further in identifying the exact steps it's taking to address the proble??m.

Again, it's ridicul?ous it's taken this long, and for this specific set of circumstances to occur, for these types measures to be implemented. But as we enter a new generation of consoles, two of the biggest names in online gaming are leading the way in making its future games friendlier for all. No, it won't eliminate every instance of harassment thrown about online, but harsher penalties and easier reporting of toxic players can be empowering to those at the receiving end who just want to have fun with their favorite games online.

With Infinity Ward taking a lead here, and hopefully the other Call of Duty developers following suit, I can only hope these actions will encourage the developers of other popular online games with toxicity problems -- *cough* Overwatch *cough* League of Legends *cough* -- to finally take worthwh??ile actions in addressing the elephant in the room.

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We. Are. Leaving.

Activision has air-dropped a fresh trailer for the next season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its sister title Call of Duty: Warzone. Focusing on the ongoing CoD narrative, which runs across both titles, the trailer officially announces the return of one of t??he franchise's most popular characters:? Captain John Price.

Debuting in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Captain Price becomes an anchor of sorts, guiding the player characters through numerous intense firefights and Black Ops. Seemingly killed at the game's end, Price would go on to become a figurehead for the Modern Warfare sub-series, known for his gruff British manner, fearlessness in combat, and ruthless desire to "get? the job done," no matter the cost.

Following on from the events of 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Captain Price will be squadding up with his former running buddies to chase down chemical weapons dealer "Mr Z." Available as part of the season four Battle Pass, Captain Price is sure to be a very pop?ular pick among Warzone players, so you'll likely be seeing the fella a lot while you pick your way through the Verdansk map, exploring its recently uncovered nuclear bunkers.

Of course, there will be other content coming to season four in the way of modes, weapons, and other surprises, which we'll no doubt be hearing about nearer the June 3 launch date. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone are available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. You're gonna need a bigger ha?rd drive.

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The Hundred Years War?

It's fair to say that Activision's battle royale extravaganza Call of Duty: Warzone has been a huge hit, having attracted well over 50 million players during its initial honeymoon period. Developer Infinity Ward is just getting started, however, with long-term plans ?to support the free-for-all title for years to come.

Speaking in an interview with Gamergen, Infinity Ward narrative director Taylor Kurosaki noted that the team already has an abundance of content ideas for Call of Duty: Warzone. While remaining relatively tight-lipped, mention was made of new modes, an advancement of the overall story arc and, perhaps most interestingly, the announcement that the team hope to have Warzone runn??ing on next-gen platforms almost as soon as ?they launch.

Intriguingly, Warzone is described as a "through-line" to other Call of Duty franchises. As such, Warzone itself might have to shift to accommodate these releases. If Call of Duty continues to pump out annual sequels, then it seems likely that each of these games will integrate with Warzone in some form, making the free-to-play title an amalgamation of the entire CoD universe. Battle Royale isn't quite the frenzied industry buzzword it once was, but the more successful examples of the genre - such as Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends - clearly? have their eyes set on long-term goals.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Warzo?ne will be supporting next-gen cons??oles [DualShockers / Gamergen]

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A chance to check out the Season 3 maps

If you went to the trouble of clearing up space for Call of Duty: Warzone, then you might be down to check out some Call of Duty: Modern Warfare m??ultiplayer this weekend while it's tempor??arily free.

Prep the squad. #ModernWarfare Multiplayer Free Access Weekend is coming to #Warzone. pic.twitter.com/7j3s5ODVkL

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) April 23, 2020

Infinity Ward is running a Modern Warfare multiplayer trial that includes Season 3 maps like Hovec Sawmill, Aniyah Incursion, and Talsik Backlot, and modes like Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination. The trial is accessible from the free Warzone client's lobby – ?look for the 24/7 Playlist.

The promo runs until 10:00 a.m. Pacific on April 27, 2020. I like when these events last until Monday morning rather than wrap ??up late Sunday afternoon. That always feels way too rushed.

If your schedule's all booked up, something tells me this will be Activision's go-to move for Warzone.

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Justice is served

It's one thing to hear that Infinity Ward is out there perma-banning tens of thousands of Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare cheaters, but it's another thing entirely to hear that?? suspecte??d cheaters are now being intentionally matched against each other in a sort of fun-deflating purgatory.

That's the latest step in the plan to deal with bad-faith players, and while the solution isn't unique to Call of Duty, it sure is satisfying to envision. I can vividly picture the misery and chaos of cheaters out-cheating one another. Who has the best aimbot? ?Honestly, I wouldn't mind watching a match.

Infinity Ward is also working to give legitimate Modern Warfare and Warzone players more of a heads-up that their cheater-reporting efforts aren't in vain – you'll now be able to see an in-game message confirming that a suspected cheater you reported has been banned. It's sm?all, but it matters.

In broader strokes, the developer says it has "deployed additional dedicated secu??rity updates" and "increased resources across backend tech, studio, and enforcement teams" as of this week.

Soon, Infinity Ward will add a reporti??ng option to Killcams and Spectator views.

Given that the cheating woes affect players across all platforms due to cross-play, these updates aren't just appreciated, they're critical to the game's ongoing success. Warzone is great when it works, but there are a ton of other great games vying for our attention right now. Everyone has a ?breaking point.

Infinity Ward [Twitter]

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Aimbot Anarchy

One of the many great features in Activision's Call of Duty: Warzone is its crossplay functionality that allows both PC and console players to lock horns in the popular battle royale tit?le. Unfortunately, an inevitable part ??of PC shooter culture is cheating, and said cheats are causing console players to switch off the game's crossplay service.

Various videos have been popping up on the CoD Reddit, showing frustrated Warzone players finding their heads popped in the blink of an eye, with the KillCam then unmasking their assassin as having used an aimbot or some other piece of prohibitive software to perform a digital murderthon with ju?s??t a mouse click.

This leaves console players caught between a rock and a hard place. While turning off crossplay will lock out PC players, it can also greatly increase lobby wait times. Besides that, crossplay in general in an awesome function, one sure to be further embraced in the next generation of gaming and so seeing it become more of a deterrent to players is disappointing.

While Activision is yet to comment on this particular issue, the publisher has been vocal recently about its commitment to cracking down on cheaters. Just recently, Activision put out a tweet stating it had ??already banned over 70,000 players for cheating, and that the publisher was taking a "zero tolerance" stance against these shenanigans.

The fight against cheating in video games will go on through perpetuity. Ubisoft has spent years battling the problem in its own online shooter Rainbow Six Siege, with a large degree of success. The problem of cheating is, obviously, as old as th??e concept of gaming itself, but hopefully a compromise can be found to at least reduce its occurrence, even if it will never be eliminated entirely.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

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Tag team, back again...

Last week saw the launch of season three in Activision's military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Along with several weapons, maps and other content, the new download added "Quads" mode to sister title Warzone, bringing four-perso??n squads to the battle royal experience.

However, following negative feedback from fans Activision - alongside developer Infinity Ward - has restored the three-player "Trios" option, which was removed during the same update. While plans were clearly to rotate these modes in and out over time, it appears that fans prefer the freedom of choice. As it stands today, Solo, Trio, and Quad options are all playable in Call of Duty: Warzone, with Duos expected to join the party later in season three.

In related news, Activision has revealed that over 50 million players have checked out Warzone since the free-to-play free-for-all went live back in March. By marrying the high-gloss aesthetic of the Call of Duty franchise with the popular Last Person Standing genre, (and throwing a few unique twists into the mix), Warzone has proven quite the hit among shooter fans.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available to ?download now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Over 50 million players.

Thank you #Warzone players for dropping in with us. #FreeCallofDuty pic.twitter.com/is2kpgRq6U

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) April 10, 2020

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Relive The Battle for Burger Town

It's still really distressing... It's been over 10 years, and it's still one of the most disturbing moments in the annals of video games. Despite the tell-tale "gaming" reminders (a quick glance around reveals a very repetitive use of character models),? it's the little things: the cop who slowly draws his gun in disbelief; the guy trying to pull an injured loved one to safety; the hapless trio of tourists who think surrendering will save their lives. But ultimately, what actually cause??s the chills, is the real-world relatability of the situation.

When talking about violence in video games, it's always the usual scapegoats that get name-checked – your Mortal Kombats and Resident Evils. But they're not really violent. They're violent like, say, The Running Man is violent. Modern Warfare 2's notorious "No Russian" is actually vio?lent. And let's ?face it, we know exactly why it's so upsetting: it's representative of real-world atrocities, far detached from the comic-book safety of exploding zombies and decapitated ninjas featured in other "shocking" games.

Despite MW 2's toothless "This Game is Fictional" opening salvo, "No Russian" remains a little too close for comfort. That's why people are still talking about it. It's why I mentally recall the scene every time I visit an airport (not dissimilar to how Jaws affected a generation of beach-goers). And it's why today, over a decade later, it's still an indelible sequence to almost ever??yone who experiences it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (PS4 [reviewed], PC, Xbox One)
Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Released: March 31, 2020 (PS4), April 30, 2020 (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $19.99

Given that Modern Warfare 2 sold well over 20 million copies in total, it almost seems redundant to relate the campaign's plot. But for those who didn't experience Infinity Ward's hugely anticipated follow-up to the genre-defining Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, here's a quick refresher: In the aftermath of the aforementioned airport massacre, an accus??atory finger points at the United States, which leads to a full-on Russian invasion of North America.

With the country under siege and the U.S. "all out of friends," it's up to the country's Ranger Corp. to hold fast on the front line of suburbia, while black ops outfit Task Force 141 – led by the hardened General Shepherd – must hurriedly un??cover the truth behind the terrible incident that left hundreds of Russian civilians dead, and Uncle Sam carrying the blame.

While no one would suggest the original Modern Warfare was strictly believable, its sequel was definitely the entry that began the franchise's love affair with truly over-the-top action sequences. There's an irony that MW 2 presents the audience with a set-piece as brutal and somber as "No Russian" before bombarding them with snowmobile chases, a wild running battle through a favela, a sabotage mission on an oil rig, a trip to outer space and, perhaps best of all, a ridiculously explosive rescue mission at a Russian gulag. Every one of these scene??s worthy of 007 or, perhaps more accurately, Michael Bay.

At the time of release, the ridiculousness of these missions turned off some parts of the fanbase, who felt MW 2 had gone too far over the brink with its "Hollywood movie" stylings. It's amusing to reflect on that today, given that the franchise has since taken a deep dive into jet-boots, plasma-rifles, spider-drones, and anti-gravity wall-running. Hell, by the time we came around to World War II once again, I was very surpr??ised how many fucking car cha?ses my school textbooks had omitted.

But old Father Time has worked beautifully in MW 2's favour. Now its bombastic nature – compared to the Advanced Warfares that would follow in its stead – doesn't seem quite so jarring juxtaposed to CoDs past. Still as energising today as it was in 2009, Modern Warfare 2's campaign offers players engaging, intense, and exciting missions, filled with memorable moments, wild surprises, and Fast and Furious-level logic. Hell, today I can even watch Task Force 141's utterly insane solution to th??e Russian invasion with a new tongue-in-cheek perspective, as opposed to the head-shaking disbelief it received in 2009.

The story has been given a serious adrenaline shot by Beenox' amazing remaster work, which brings the last-gen visuals, textures, effects, and animations in line with more recent CoD releases. More than a simple "upscale and polish" job, every scene feels true to the original release, yet somehow new all at the same time. Boosted by the power of modern technology, MW2:R plays very cleanly, with crisp control, immersive sound, and stunning visuals, further enhanced in HDR and 4K resolutions for PS4 Pro users. Whether you know MW 2 like the back of your hand, or you're experiencing the campaign for the first time, it'??s still a crazy ??ride.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered package is a slim one. As the title suggests, it simply consists of the original campaign, but not its multiplayer mode or "Spec Ops" side-missions. The campaign does offer CoD's famously nihilistic difficulty options, as well as a huge list of classic and new trophies to unlock. Gathering the hidden intel dotted throughout the maps also unlocks a range of goofy settings, screen filters, and challenges – for example a hellish mode where every killed enemy drops a live grenade. Thanks. These features are obviously provided to present longevity and/or rep??lay value.

At $20, it's understandable that some may want to hold off for a discount, and it can't be denied that it's a shame we don't get to enjoy MW 2's legendary multiplayer mode again. But, to be fair, Activision has just released a great, free-to-play Call of Duty multiplayer experience, not to mention Modern Warfare (2019) has its own multiplayer elements, so the omission here is expected. Whether an (admittedly excellent) remaster of a single campaign is worth the asking price will likely come down to your dedication to the CoD franchise.

Time has been kind to Modern Warfare 2. The resonance of this particular entry is demonstrated with heartfelt passion in Beenox' high-gloss, finely-tuned remaster. While the overall package is slim and the asking price no doubt steep for some tastes, there's no denying that MW 2's provocative and exciting campaign has aged like wine, an ex?plosive? roller-coaster still worth riding.

_{[This re?view is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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It can't be... but you're...

[Update: Activision has released a new trailer and "roadmap" detailing season three of Modern Warfare and its battle royale side-title, Warzone. Tomorrow will see the return of Alex to the battlefield, a Quads mode for Warzone, and new weapons, maps and vehicle skins for ?Multiplayer.

The coming weeks will see the addition of two new operators: Ronin and Iskra, along with new multiplayer modes, Gunfight maps, weapons, and gunsmith customisations. You can check out the full details over at the official Call of Duty blog, a??nd watch the new trailer at the foot of the article. Season three launches on all platforms tomorrow.]

Activision is getting set to launch the third season of content for military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Along with a new Battle Pass, as well as skins, weapons, maps and more to multiplayer, three new operators are ??expected to j??oin the roster, including the return of campaign protagonist Alex.

Modern Warfare spoilers below

Alex is a CIA operative and one of Modern Warfare's player protagonists. Sympathetic to the plight of the Urzikstan rebels and their leader, Farah Karim, Alex nobly sacrifices himself in the campaign's final moments, staying behind to ensure the demolition of a toxic gas factory. Or so we thought, as it seems your boy Alex made it out of the factory alive, and is now ready to sign up for Modern Warfare's intense multiplayer mode.

Alex is now sporting a prosthetic leg, suggesting that although he escaped with his life, he was seriously injured in the process. Developer Infinity Ward has received praise from fans online for featuring a player character with a prosthetic limb, a te?stament to ??the many soldiers who return to active duty despite injury.

Season 3 goes live in-game tomorrow, April 8. No doubt we will be hearing more specific details regarding the incoming multiplayer content very soon.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season three [Eurogamer]

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No respawns here

If battle royale is all about surviving, Warzone cheaters are living fast and dying young. Like Dikembe Mutombo swatting shots and finger-wagging in disapproval (I miss sp??orts!), Infinity Ward is shutting down cheaters left and right.

The message is loud and clear: Do not bring that weak shit or we will fuck you up. (My phrasing, not Infinity Ward's.) In a statement addressing cheating in Call of Duty: Warzone, Infinity Ward mentions that 50,000 rules-infractors have been shown the door. Their accounts have been gifted permabans, never to cheat at Warzone again.

Infinity Ward also details how it's monitoring cheaters, and how the developer's security team is working in shifts around the clock to issue punishments. The gist is that the reporting process will get quicker, and more people are gonna catch bans. Infinity Ward says it's going to routinely update ban numbers, like ??a war machine tracking confirmed kills.

The last figure we were given is that Warzone is over 30 million players. 50,000 cheaters make up .17 percent of that population. Not everyone's a ??bad egg! But ??the bad eggs are gonna get cracked.

Cheaters Not Welcomed in Call of Duty: Warzone [Activision]

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