Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has earned mostly positive reviews since launch, but its multiplayer has continued to be scrutinized by fans and critics alike. A lot of this criticism is aimed at certain design choices that fans disagree with, but some of it is aimed at the way Infinity Ward is handling public playlists. Infinity Ward has consistently changed up the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare online multiplayer experience, adding popular game modes and playlists only to remove them in the next update.

This combined with some issues like Modern Warfare's spawn system and exploits that players online have taken advantage of has given the game's multiplayer a bad rap. However, the Modern Warfare multiplayer can actually be quite phenomenal when one removes the various restraints and restrictions put on it by the developers. For one to truly see how the Modern Warfare multiplayer experience can shine, they need to head into the custom games.

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Custom games in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare provide a great deal of freedom for players to experiment with different game modes and maps. For instance, if players want to play a standard multiplayer match on the small-scale Gunfight maps, they can do so and enjoy the chaos. They can also play game modes on maps that aren't included in their playlist rotation for whatever reason, which can lead to some genuine entertainment with the right group of people.

call of duty modern warfare ground war infected

For example, Modern Warfare's Infected game mode is currently limited when it comes to the maps players can encounter in its public playlist. But by playing a custom game, Modern Warfare players can see how Infected works on maps that aren't used in online matchmaking. We found that St. Petrograd had some particularly choice spots when playing on Infected, like an apartment building that features only two ways of entry. If players set up at the top of each set of stairs and crank the bot difficulty to Veteran, they can be in for an absolute blast when playing Infected on St. Petrograd, which is something they simply can't do in the standard online multiplayer mode at the time of this writing.

Modern Warfare's use of bots makes all the difference when it comes to its custom games. This way players can try out different custom games without having to have friends to play with, though playing with friends certainly helps. Players are able to customize the bots' difficulty levels to tailor matches to their tastes, and they can also mix and match bots with real people. This means that two players can still face each other in proper 2v2 Gunfight matches, or team up against bots so that they can practice before facing real challengers online.

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Speaking of Gunfight, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare custom games make Gunfight that much more exciting. It's possible to have 3v3 Gunfight matches, giving players a taste of the online 3v3 Gunfight matches that are supposedly on the way. And as previously stated, it also gives players more flexibility when it comes to the Gunfight maps, as they can do a lot more than just play Gunfight on them.

modern warfare snowfight

Custom games also give players the opportunity to better explore maps, perhaps coming up with new strategies for online play. Not only that, but it lets them check out things like the Winter Docks easter eggs without ruining the experience for others online. Pulling off the Winter Docks easter eggs requires some coordination from players, and is unlikely to happen when playing with randoms online. Playing Winter Docks in a custom match gives players the freedom they need to do it properly and summon Santa Captain Price for themselves.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's custom games experience shines for all of these reasons, but perhaps the biggest reason why it's one of the game's better features is that it lets players keep playing modes that Infinity Ward has removed from public playlists. So even though Gun Game isn't currently available to play in public matches, Modern Warfare players can still at least play against bots in custom games. And if Infinity Ward decides to remove Infected, Modern Warfare players will presumably still be able to play that with bots as well, and that's a mode that's arguably even more entertaining with bots anyway.

Those who are disappointed by the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare online multiplayer experience for one reason or another should seriously consider checking out the custom games. Whether playing them with friends, bots, or both, it can be a genuinely entertaining time that highlights the best of what the multiplayer has to offer with none of its downsides.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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