As more details emerge about the upcoming Call of Duty offerings and the series' future, a handful of standouts centre around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II's multiplayer option, the open beta for which kicks off this weekend, not the least of which is the (re-)introduction of third-person mode.



Third-person mode isn't ubiquitous to the MP experience, and instead features as part of a playlist tailored specifically for its inclusion. Special Ops also comes into the fray as a new two-player co-op experience outside of MP while the whole of the experience has had movement-lift, touch upon, where being able to dive prone, swim and even hang from ledges is concerned. Vehicles have also seen an explosion in terms of their use and tactical options, which lends itself further to the game's more expanded design tilt (hinted at in the trailer by one of the game's operatives).

The same Team RICCOCHET anti-cheat system mentioned in the link above also makes its way to Modern Warfare II multiplayer, solidifying the unification of tech across all branches of the game.

And finally in news for down the track, Activision has also promised Raids -- 3v3 skirmishes that sounds super tantalising.

As mentioned in this news item's headline, there's also a full revamped Gunsmith, which you can watch a video for below.



As for the open beta, it's a bit to wrap your head around, but here's how it works:

• Starting this weekend (September 17-20) all PlayStation owners who pre-ordered the game will get access.
  
• From Monday 19th until September 20 all PlayStation owners can play -- no pre-order necessary.
  
• Weekend Two (September 23-26): All other platform owners who pre-ordered will gain access alongside PlayStation players who have and have not pre-ordered, where the game will support for cross-play.
  
• From Sunday September 25 until Monday the 26th the beta will be open to all.

Phew.

Here's what you can expect from beta access:

The Modern Warfare II Beta is set to feature a robust multiplayer experience going beyond the core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes, and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences, and other aspects.

The Modern Warfare II Open Beta will be free across all platforms, with players who preordered digitally, at retail, or received Beta codes gaining early access. The beta begins on September 16 PDT on PlayStation and September 22 PDT on Xbox and PC for those that pre-ordered the game digitally.

Large scale Ground War Battle Maps of up to 32v32 are nested within the worlds of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 as POIs. During weekend one of the beta, players can jump into:

• Sarrif Bay, an up to 32v32 map set in the Republic’s main port of call, home to the country’s valuable fisheries and where there is plenty of action on land, sea, and air.

All core 6v6 MP maps are custom-made, built exclusively for 6v6 game modes. During weekend one of the beta players can jump into the following core MP maps:

• Valderas Museum is set in Spain, with very clean sightlines, easy-to-read thoroughfares, and modern architecture.
  
• Farm 18 is a classified shoothouse-like location in the center of the map.
  
• Mercado Las Almas is a small bustling marketplace with fast-paced routes and lanes that blend together that lead to pure, frenetic fun.

Aside from the fan-favorite core modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination, the following three brand-new modes are scheduled during the Open Beta:

• Knockout is a very fast, very tactical round-based 6v6 mode. Eliminate the opposing force or hold the package to win. No respawns. Teammates can revive each other.
  
• In Prisoner Rescue, each 6v6 team has a prisoner to protect, held close to their spawn area. Locate the hostages and get them out alive or defend them at all costs. No respawns. Team revives are enabled.
  
• In Invasion, crank up the mayhem in a massive Deathmatch of up to 32v32 set across sprawling maps. The goal is straightforward — eliminate or be eliminated — but the fighting is fraught and combines player-controlled Operators and AI combatants.

There's a lot going on for the series, kicking off with this year's offerings. We'll have more on it all as we close in on release, so stay tuned.