Video Game Preview: Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Multiplayer Beta

Published October 1, 2016

Update

This weekend was the second beta weekend for Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, and this time around Xbox One owners got a chance to join if you had a beta code.

For me this weekend was definitely a smoother experience than the first beta weekend, the matchmaking system was working as it should and you rarely had any problems finding games. Infected mode was added to the game unfortunately due to problems with party members being stuck in solo mode or not able to join it was replaced by Gun Game .

Lets play catch

This weekend the beta was made available to all Playstation 4 owners and there was a significant increase of players compared to the first weekend. Even with the extra players I did notice that there was only minor lag issues that only affected a handful of the games played. While there were times that you had to wait a little longer to get into a match, it was nowhere near the times experienced last weekend. They did an excellent job at rectifying server issues that gave players a hard time.

With this being the last beta weekend all I have to say is you missed out on some great fun if you did not participate in the beta. Unfortunately you will have to wait for the release of the full game to experience Infinite Warfare for yourself.

One of my favorite weapons the Karma-45

On a side note I could not help but feel bad for PC gamers that were left out, after all Call of Duty first began on PC before it was expanded to consoles.

But that’s all from me I hope you enjoyed the update. The multiplayer side is definitely a winner and I can’t wait for the release and see what they have lined up in the single player campaign and zombies.

The beta of the next Call of Duty is here join myself and Zartek_ZA as we take a closer look.

There I was waiting with my beta downloaded and ready to go, Friday evening at 19:00 I launched the game but it was not live yet as there was issues that caused a delay. Shortly after 21:15 with the error out of the way and a small update I could begin.

Game play

The beta launched with access to three of the six combat rigs that will be available in the full game releasing November 4 th , each rig can be equipped with one trait and a payload. The rigs have the same function as the specialists in Black Ops 3 but with a twist, so it does not feel like BO3 with a new skin.

The game modes included were Team Deathmatch, Domination, Gun Game and Kill Confirmed with the last type added on the second day of the beta. The maps allowed me to experience a wide array of different combat situations, from close quarters to a more open environment that not too large that you would have to run around looking for targets.

The Rigs and their abilities

Each rig has its own ultimate ability and adds some new aesthetics to create mayhem in Infinite Warfare, you choose the rig best suited for your type of play.

Merc

Merc: Heavy class focusing on defense

Payloads

The first rig is the Merc and it’s abilities include Steel Dragon that can suppress enemies with a multi-target tracking heavy beam. Next is Bull Charge that gives you a riot shield so you can get past enemy defenses or players. The last payload on the Merc is reactive amour that vaporizes incoming small arms fire using high voltage.

Traits

If we look at the traits for the Merc rig they include Infusion that regenerates your health faster, Man-At-Arms gives you the ability to start with maximum ammo capacity without affecting movement speed and lastly Shock Wave that you activate mid-air to create a devastating slam attack.

Warfighter

Warfighter: Your general soldier focusing on close to medium range.

Payloads

The next rig is the Warfighter and it’s the all-rounder considering its abilities and from what I could see in the game the most favorite rig at the moment let’s take a look at its abilities. The payloads include The Claw a spread-shot rapid fire weapon that can take out enemies in front of you as well as round blind corners. Overdrive gives you a temporary speed boost that’s handy to rush the enemy or get out of tight situations. Combat focus helps you to gain double streak points.

Traits

The War fighter traits include Ping that reveals nearby enemies to you and your team, if you ping an enemy and a team member gets the kill you are given bonus points. Persistence prevents you from losing your score streak but comes at the cost of needing more points to attain them and you can only use each of your score streaks once per match. Resupply gives you a new supply of tactical and lethal equipment after a successful kill using bullets.

Synaptic

Synaptic: Fast and deadly in close quarters engagements

Payloads

The last rig available in the beta was Synaptic and it focuses on speed and close quarters gameplay. Payloads for this rig include Equalizer this is a pair of very effective dual machine guns extending from the arms of the rig. Reaper gives you the ability to perform faster melee attacks. Rewind pretty much does what it says, by rewinding your position restoring health and ammunition.

Traits

Traits like Rushdown allows your jump pack to recharge faster while dealing damage to enemies within range. Propulsion makes you dash very quickly in any horizontal position giving you the opportunity to catch the enemy by surprise. Combat burst gives you a brief boost in movement speed after a kill.

Weapon Crafting

For the first time, you can create your own prototype weapons by using a new in-game currency called “Salvage” this is obtained by ranking up in your specific Mission Team, breaking down any duplicate items, supply drops and they are also rewarded as daily login bonuses. As soon as you unlock the base weapon of your choice, you can start crafting upgrades that suit your play style and allow you to dominate the battlefield.

The new weapon crafting system.

The Quartermaster where you buy supply drops and access the Armory

Mission Teams

The Mission Teams is a new way you complete challenges in Infinite Warfare, for the beta you have access to two of the four Mission Teams. You start with the JTF Wolverines and the missions (challenges) are the pretty familiar Cal of Duty actions like, get five headshots, and get 10 kills and so on. As you level up you move on to other teams and completing all the missions gives you bragging rights and lots of gear to customize your rig.

The Beta Experience

Bearing in mind this was the first weekend for the beta issues were expected. I felt the following were unacceptable. The matchmaking system took ages to get a game only to have you returned to the lobby and the countdown restarting. Lag made it impossible to play at times with people, literally rubber necking all over the place. Apart from these, the experience was very good with no visual drop in frame rate. The developers definitely have a winning formula on their hands. That’s it from my side I will be handing you over to Zartek_ZA for his thoughts on the beta.

Zartek_ZA : The multiplayer beta for Call of Duty Infinite Warfare officially launched on 14 October @ 7PM. The beta kicked off with a host of issues. Error messages with names like LUMEN and POLANA popped up repeatedly. After checking around on google it soon became clear the PlayStation networks server were down. After about an hour and a half delay, sitting around staring at my TV repeatedly getting error code LUMEN, I was finally able to see what Infinite Warfare is all about.

Despite the future setting, Infinite Warfare feels more like a traditional Call of Duty game, or like a combination of modern and classic styles. The gameplay trivializes the use of powered jumps and assisted acrobatics. You can still wall run and double jump, but the map designs make the use of this considerably less practical. Infinite Warfare is paced a lot slower than previous titles like Black Ops 3. You spend more time on the ground and only use your assisted acrobatics when traversing around the map.

Zartek_ZA Taking care of the opposition

The three maps that were available in the beta were Frontier, Throwback, and Frost. There are many wall running platforms but it feels like the maps weren’t made around this as much, but rather mixing the gameplay styles. The Beta also includes access to three game modes. Team Deathmatch, Domination and a new mode returning from Modern Warfare 3 called Defender. These three game modes and maps added a nice variety to the beta.

Infinite Warfare makes use of combat rigs, similar to the specialists from previous titles. Each specialist has a unique weapon and ability that has to be powered up. The weapons were from your standard categories, Assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns and sniper rifles. So far the weapons are fun to use and I already have an idea of which ones I’ll be using in the full game.

Overall if you look past the server and connection issues, the beta was fun to play. The gameplay was smooth and slower paced than what I am normally used to, which created a different gameplay experience. I’m not sure whether this is something that everyone will enjoy but I think it is a nice mix of modern and classic styles.

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Gatsusama

Gaming Author at Geek Node

I'm 35 obsessed with anything gaming and technology related. Staying in a quiet town does have its drawbacks as we don't have the fastest internet, but that wont stop me from enjoying my passion for gaming. Just a quick shout out to my lovely wife who supports my dreams and my friends and all the crazy moments we have encountered in games.