MODERN WARFARE WARZONE REVIEW – The best AND worst Battle Royale in gaming

Ever have that one game that just refuses to let you go even though you know it has better competition that will treat you better? well, enter Warzone, Call of Duty’s newest attempt at Battle Royale.

Attempt was used intentionally by the way, if you look at the info screen and the loading screens, it is in BETA. So keep that in mind as we go through the pros and cons of Warzone.

Pros (This game mode is crazy intense)

One thing that Warzone has proved beyond a doubt is that Activision and Infinity Ward know FPS games. The combat is snappy, responsive and the guns punch like a freaking heavyweight.

Movement can be wonky at times but overall the combination of sprinting to cover and slow methodical shootouts are welcome. The change of pace is very harsh compared to previous CoD titles and definitely takes some time to get used to.

Vehicles in Warzone are a little more forgiving. Durable as hell, easy to maneuver and plentiful. You won’t find any APC’s or tanks but helicopters and SUV’s make traveling a breeze. 

The way that Warzone forces engagement is extremely enjoyable as well. From the moment you jump from the plane to the moment you win or lose, you are constantly looking over your shoulder. Warzone is extremely effective at making confrontations both rewarding and terrifying. 

The ability to use buy stations is a bit of a double edged sword. Giving teams the ability to buy loadouts and revive kits is awesome, more on the other side of the blade later.

Lastly, it’s not a huge commitment match to match. Whereas in games like PUBG you can expect an average playtime of 40 minutes a match, Warzone goes pretty quick. Averaging about 25 minutes if you play aggressive and win.

Cons (Who designed this layout?)

The HUD and menu system in this mode is absolute garbage. Honestly, you can give it some credit, it’s incredibly minimal and equipment is easy to pick up with one button taps.

However, when you can only drop ammo and money for your teammates, it gets really annoying. Want to drop a piece of equipment? Too bad. Want to swap weapons with your buddy? Ha, you wish.

Small things in the HUD design add up very quickly. It needs a complete overhaul or just way more features added to it, because this is ridiculous. 

Kill streaks, they need to go away or become way way WAY more expensive. Here’s the thing, when you drop in, loot a couple houses and finish a contract you make a lot of money. As in you can buy a loadout box, precision airstrike and most likely three self revives back to back. That is way too much power. When you’re in an engagement halfway through a match and you start winning only to get a cluster strike is horrible.

You can argue it takes a certain level of skill to earn that money and use killstreaks but it cheapens the risk/reward factor. Especially when it’s extremely early in the match. I’m not saying they NEED to be gone, just that they need to require significantly more money to earn or yes, do remove them.

Overall

Because of Warzone’s intense level of risk/reward and extremely cinematic delivery, it’s hard to deny the appeal. Constant firefights ensure that no moment is ever dull and working together with a squad to hunt down players or flee to the hills is wonderful.

However, when the game cheapens those feelings by introducing easy to earn instant win mechanics, it crashes it all down. Add on top of that with a very minimalist and useless HUD/Inventory system and there’s several shares of frustrations.

As a Battle Royale game, Warzone stands out because of the sheer physicality of the game design. But compare it to the technicality of games like Apex, PUBG or Rings of Elysium and it falls short.

What do you think of Warzone? Are you loving it or hating it? Be sure to keep an eye out for me in the lobbies as I have been known to frequent the cross play Warzone!