The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare beta kicked off this weekend, bringing a huge sense of nostalgia, frustration, victory, defeat, and encounters with campers. Nevertheless, the latest rendition of Call of Duty focuses more on realism and tactical gameplay, but that seems to have given the game an identity crisis. READ MORE: Borderlands 3: A Guide To Every Planet In The Game Following last month’s alpha, the Modern Warfare beta offers more traditional 6v6 and 10v10 game modes that Call of Duty Players are more familiar with. You have your Team Death Match that puts players in a map, where your only objective is to kill one another and reach the target number of kills first. Domination is the other staple, having players take on capture the flag-like gameplay, where you have three points (Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie) to capture and score points holding the objectives for longer. Headquarters is a game mode where players are required to capture the “headquarters” that spawn on the map. The team that capture the point will then have the right to respawn removed, as they earn points for the amount of time they hold the objective. As the beta went on, we received a mode called Cyber Attack. This seemed to be a spin on Search and Destroy, where players can either kill the entire enemy team, or plant an EMP device in the enemy’s objective. The twist comes in the fact that your opponents enter a knocked down state, while there are others still alive. Players can choose to resurrect their fallen allies, or simply push objective. To nobody’s surprise, my teammates often felt the need to unleash their inner Rambo and attempt to clutch 1v5 situations, with imminent defeat soon to follow. Players were later given access to Night Maps, which revolved around players playing in the dark, with night vision goggles. If you’re reading this and wondering how that works - it just doesn’t. The mode has a long way to go before it can be any sort of fun. For the most part, you’re having to strain your eyes thanks to the lack of light. Whenever someone does create any sort of light source, you’re instantly blinded for the next ten seconds. Activision will have to take that mode back to the drawing board because there is a lot left to be desired. I understand the novelty behind the Night Mode, but it only serves to give you a visual work out and possibly cause a trip to the nearest optometrist shortly after. If the tedious Night Maps didn’t get your attention, Activision gave us access to Realism Mode. This mode essentially removes the HUD and any other helpers to make the game feel, well, more real. It’s fun for the fact that you actively have to pay attention to everything around you, but that fun is short-lived as soon a camper catches you in their sights. Last, but certainly not least, Gunfight made a return, which I found myself more attached to than the more traditional modes. The 2v2 mode was fast-paced, fun, and just relied solely on how well you could shoot at the opposing team. That may come as a surprise, but I felt like this mode captured the realism Infinity Ward was trying to go for, more than the traditional modes did. This year, Call of Duty feels very realistic, and it’s that very aspect that makes the gameplay feel somewhat bipolar. The gun gameplay makes it feel like you’re meant to rush in and treat the game like a fast-paced FPS, but the excruciating attention to being realistic, makes the game feel like it’s meant to be more tactical. It’s almost as if Rainbow Six Siege and old-school Call of Duty games had a baby. The result feels like somewhat of a mixed bag. Campers were a big problem in the Modern Warfare beta, but I almost can’t blame them. One of your tools at hand is literally a shield that you can use to hold a position. It’s the fact that the game encourages this, while also pushing players to run and gun, makes me feel very confused as to which side of the field Modern Warfare wants to sit on. You can argue the fact that it offers different playstyles, but for now, it doesn’t transition well in gameplay. That being said, they can definitely fix this by the time the game launches, however, it feels like Modern Warfare is having an identity crisis. That being said, the gun gameplay has to be some of the best to date in a Call of Duty. Everything feels fluid, while recoil is present but very manageable. Snipers now require more precision, and the gun customisation feels fantastic. You can feel your weapon change, and evolve with each and every item or perk you equip onto it. The guns themselves feel very different too. SMGs each have their own pros and cons, with some boasting higher rates of fire and lower damage to feel more balanced. I never went into a gunfight feeling that I would never win it because of the guns I had at hand. I did notice that LMGs were much more efficient at dealing with larger groups of enemies, but that’s what you would expect from a gun that has such a large magazine. I could feel the nostalgia of the old Modern Warfare while looking at the guns in the loadout menu, but that nostalgia leaves as soon as you enter the battlefield. There have been multiple concerns regarding the lack of a mini-map during the beta, and I would have to agree with the sentiment. Much of the rushing that players enjoy from their Call of Duty experience was hampered by overly cautious camping, which resulted in a much slower game. The beta maps catered heavily to camping, with a copious amount of buildings having doors that open and close. One map, in particular, Grazna Raid, is a small, clustered city perfect for getting shot in the back because someone is lurking in a dark corner. The ability to open and close doors will definitely take some time getting used to. For example, I pushed through a building only to get shot in the back because I couldn’t distinguish the difference between decor and a real door. That being said, a camper was tending to their bonfire in the other room, heard my footsteps, and opened the interior door just in time to make me regret ever walking in. The UAV matters now more than ever, since it serves a temporary mini-map. Thankfully it doesn’t require many kills to get, so a competent team should have one available most of the time. Operators no longer have superpowers or one-shot tasers, so that is a very welcomed change. You simply have various soldiers to choose from, and a feature called “Field Upgrades”. This can vary from putting down a shield, to giving yourself a special type of ammo. Field Upgrades aren't limited to a specific operator, so you can always mix and match to your heart's desire. As I mentioned earlier, weapon attachments feel amazing. The Gunsmith has been overhauled to give you a visual representation of how your attachments change your weapon. The beta allowed players to level themselves and their guns, which unlocked new weapons and attachments respectively. There is a fine balance with how many attachments you can load onto your weapon which can dramatically change the weapon’s overall feel, depending on how you build it. Arguably the best feature in the beta was the ability to change your loadout while in a game. I often found myself changing attachments to cater to the types of gunfights and scenarios. For example, a sniper with a short-range scope helped hone in on enemies in close-range situations, while I could always change the scope to target enemies hiding in the far corners of the map. Modern Warfare shows a lot of promise for next month’s release, but the focus on realism has affected gameplay. Whether or not that’s good, depends entirely on the player, but I felt like it slowed the pacing of the game dramatically. There is a lot to love about the new Call of Duty, however, minor tweaks will fix the game dramatically. I just hope that Infinity Ward doesn’t sacrifice fun in its pursuit of realism. If you're interested in the Modern Warfare beta, you can try it out in this weekend's beta window. It will be available to all players and we will get our first taste of cross-play.

Colin Trevorrow returns to direct just over eight minutes of pure tension and nail-biting anxiety that he has successfully brought in the Jurassic World franchise. The short film, called “Battle at Big Rock” – which is set one year after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – sees a family thinking they would have a typical barbecue, only for it to be gate-crashed by some dinosaurs. Instead of explaining the short film, I would like – firstly, for you to watch it – to give my opinion on how this sets up for Jurassic World 3. However, there is the one particular scene that involves the baby Triceratops and the Allosaurus – you will know exactly what I’m talking about. After you have watched the film, it’s interesting to note that people seem to acknowledge the existence of dinosaurs in a manner I did not expect – almost as if they have accepted the fact that dinosaurs are terrorising the United States, and "something will eventually be done about it" kind of vibes. I mean, would you be out camping knowing there are dinosaurs casually roaming your local forest? Another nice easter egg is Trevorrow seems to pay some homage to The Lost World, where the two T-Rex's come for their baby – except this involves a dinosaur trying to eat a baby. My main point is that I would have expected the people of USA to be in a more panicked state, especially a whole one year later. However, I do like the premise of people accepting dinosaurs as part of life – makes me kind of warm and fuzzy inside, just like fishing with dinosaurs and videoing your daughter getting chased by Compies. You got to love the USA! Jurassic World 3 is set to be released somewhere in 2021 and will also be directed by Trevorrow. I think this film gives us a good outline as to the state of things after Fallen Kingdom. What are your thoughts? Share in the comments below!

For the few people who are still playing Anthem, Bioware is reportedly changing the way they will be handling updates going forward. According to a post from Bioware, the company has chosen to remove the Acts structure for Anthem updates. READ MORE: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Cross-play Detailed By Activision Chad Roberts, head of live services, said that players should expect additional seasonal updates planned for this year. “These events will deliver challenges and chases similar to what you’ve seen, and are built around some fun themes we’re bringing to the game,” he said. Bioware also stated in the post that there would be long-term changes being brought to Anthem, though, the company isn't ready to discuss those plans at present. Casey Hudson confirmed that last week, when he mentioned that the team was working hard to address the core issues with the game. Can we expect a No Man's Sky level redemption arc? Probably not. However, the team working on Anthem may be looking at fixing the base game, before looking to release more post-launch content. Anthem is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

With Borderlands 3 out on store shelves (finally!) we have a lot to unpack from Gearbox Software's latest, massive loot shooter. The third mainline entry in the series no longer restricts us to the "cozy" confines of Pandora, and instead, allows us to explore different planets in the galaxy aboard the new Sanctuary III ship. Pandora still remains in tact, and as charming as ever, but the real meat is in Borderlands 3's list of worlds to explore. From the cyberpunk to the forest, Nexus presents a guide to every planet you can explore in Borderlands 3. PANDORA No Borderlands game would be complete without Pandora, the staple location and prominent map that players explore throughout each entry. In Borderlands 3, Pandora is still a sprawling, empty desert wasteland filled to the brim with an assortment of enemies, from psycho bandits in segmented outposts to Skags in all their bloodthirsty glory. This is, naturally, the first location we start off in Borderlands 3. Returning characters such as Ellie, Lilith, Claptrap, and more populate this section, with a few guest surprises that I won't spoil (just brush up on some of your Tales from the Borderlands lore). Fun fact about Pandora: Thousands of years before the events of Borderlands, an ancient civilization called the Eridian arrived on Pandora, which was speculated to be a prison planet. This is evident in the fact that Pandora was used to house The Destroyer, The Warrior and guardians. PROMETHEA Easily my favourite planet in Borderlands 3, Promethea is a jaw-dropping metropolis with a distinctive cyberpunk aesthetic. Several high-rise neon skyscrapers and towers loom overhead, with cyclones racing on the streets below. Promethea is also home to the Atlas Corporation and the Meridian Seaport. While you don't necessarily explore the skyscrapers, the open map of Promethea is designed in a such a way that a majority of combat takes place in the interconnected tunnels and streets below. This keeps the vistas impressively gigantic and breathtaking high up above, immersing you in its striking beauty. On Promethea, you'll run into the assassin, Zer0. Fun fact about Promethea: The planet (and Borderlands 3) was actually teased in Gearbox's previous game, Battleborn, which hid audio signal messages in its five stories. They were deciphered as: "Visit Promethea / Children of the Vault / We are not on Pandora anymore / Tannis is not what she seems / Do not open the Vaults". ATHENAS Many might know Athenas as the Siren Maya's home planet, but also houses the Order of the Impending Storm. Featuring wide open spaces and some beautiful architecture, Athenas beauty is grounded by the fact that it's also inhabited by some truly dangerous foes. You'll visit Athenas during your Borderlands 3 journey, and even run into Maya, who sports a more mystical look and wiser demeanour this time. However, she also provides some of the best support as an NPC in the game, and her finely tuned Siren powers can make quick work of the waves of enemies that will be thrown your way. Athenas has a rich history - often shady in some regards - but its serenity and inviting feeling is welcomed. Fun fact about Athenas: The Order of the Impending Storm aren't exactly the most upstanding group of monks. As an infant, Maya was placed in their care. Knowing that she possessed almighty Siren powers, they used this to control the population of Athenas for 27 years. Of course, Maya would later turn on them and blast off to Pandora to discover her true heritage with Lilith. EDEN-6 The final planet in Borderlands 3, Eden-6, is my second favourite in the game, not just because of its jungle aesthetic, but home to my favourite enemies as well. Eden-6 has quite the unique design too. While most planets are laid out horizontally, Eden-6 is a vertical world with layers upon layers of locations sprinkled around its map. Eden-6 is home to the Jakobs Corporation, run by the Jakobs family who you may be familiar with if you've used a gun in the series (which is all the time). First mentioned by Marcus in the DLC, Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, we get to really see Eden-6 in all its densely populated glory in Borderlands 3. Fun fact about Eden-6: The planet has a wealth of Eridium, meaning that the Eridian race possibly used Eden-6 as either a bank to house their Eridium or harvest it using some of the planet's natural capabilities. Since there's very little civilized settlements on the planet (or at least was), it would be off the radar for space raiders or others looking to get their hands on the valuable resource. Borderlands 3 is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store. Hold on tight, our full review is coming soon! Meanwhile, check out our review-in-progress.