When there’s been 10 previous installments of a major gaming series like COD, developers have got to work extra hard to create a game that’s not just worth picking up and playing, but that will blow gamers’ minds. It’s been a while since we’ve been treated to that kind of experience from the Activision franchise and in Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare they’ve decided to take us back to the future in their attempts to deliver something earth shattering.
Developed by Sledgehammer games, who co-developed the last truly great game in the series, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with the geniuses at Infinity Ward, it’s set its sights firmly on advanced technology, putting itself a little closer to the 2014 first person shooter game of the year, Titanfall.
Release date
The game was released on the 4th November 2014, just in time to hit the stocking filler buying cycle right between the eyes as ever. While the game was released on both previous gen devises as well as PC, PS4 and Xbox ONE, only the new generation got the Sledhammer developed title. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners had to settle for a High Moon Studios developed version of the game.
If we’re honest, based on previous similar occurrences, we’d have to say that the difference between the two are largely graphical, as the development has been split to cater for the old guard as well as to try to push the boundaries on PlayStation 4, Xbox ONE and PC. However, it does mean that the latest generation iteration of the game has been developed solely with the added firepower in mind, giving it more chance of really taking advantage of the new technology.
Storyline
The storyline for the main campaign in the game takes place around forty years in the future in the aftermath of the first ever global terrorist strike, which wipes out key nuclear reactors around the world. Government structures and their military are left incapacitated in the wake of the disaster, so a private military company called Atlas is recruited to use its immense resources to restore order to the chaos.
You play a former navy seal and Atlas recruit called Jack Mitchell, who’s voiced by Troy Baker of The Last Of Us and Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor fame. From the look of the storyline trailer below, things are far clean cut though as Atlas’ CEO and founder Jonathan Irons – voiced by Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, American Beauty) – takes his mercenary war machine wherever he’s paid to and starts to build up a bit of a Napoleon complex in the process.
Gameplay
There’s not really much to say about the gameplay of a new Call of Duty game that most readers don’t already know, but clearly with Sledgehammer back in the command deck, Advanced Warfare plays a lot like their last blockbuster, Modern Warfare 3. This can only be a good thing for the first person shooter series; although, in all fairness, the last couple of games haven’t been shockers in terms of their raw gameplay capabilities, it’s just that they haven’t necessarily done a great deal to advance the franchise.
So what’s different in COD: AW? Firstly, not a great deal in it’s basic point and shoot playing style and gun mechanics, which have always been quite strong. However, movement is being touted as the big differentiator for the game with Atlas soldiers coming equipped with a high-tech exoskeleton that gives them more range of movement and options to get around the place.
For example, gamers will be able to use grappling hooks with more freedom and versatility, have a cloaking capability build into their body armour and have a boost jump function to descend from upon high without sustaining damage or jump higher and further than is ordinarily humanly possible.
If we’re just brutally honest though, it sounds a lot like Call Of Duty meets Titanfall, so we’re not sure gamers will necessarily see all of this as the big step forward Activision and Sledgehammer might have been hoping for. While they’re all cool additions to the series, the fact that they’ve been done a fair bit before takes a lot of the excitement away from the title.
What else has the game got up it’s technologically advanced sleeve? Well, there’s also a lot of talk about the introduction of biomechanics into the mix, but there’s relatively little information about what this actually means, apart from the relatively abiguous statement that it will provide unparalleled strength, awareness, endurance, and speed. If this is just an always-on feature that just means that your soldier is apparently stronger, faster, has better reflexes and can keep fighting for longer then it’s not exactly all that interesting, but if it means that you have a limited number of biomechanic features that you can use, control and manage then it could add a fair bit of depth to the gameplay.
Vehicles, however, are hellalottacool, especially the hoverbikes that have been included in the game. You’ll also get to command sophisticated drones, but this is a feature that’s already been done in one of its rivals, Destiny, so we’re not going to wet our little boxers over that one.
In terms of weaponry, the two key additions have got to be the energy force weapons, that take the game to Star Wars proportions of firepower, and the new, sophisticated grenades that you’ll have to throw. The latter includes a smart grenade that hovers in the direction of the enemy and detonates mid air to take a number of them out in one fell swoop.
Graphics
Graphically, Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a bit of a mixed bag. There are moments when you look at the screen and think “wow, that looks literally amazing” and others where it looks like the design team just couldn’t really be arsed. Some of the buildings can look a bit blocky, whether you’re up close or far away, which isn’t really acceptable in the modern day world of new gen gaming.
Some of the detail can be incredibly impressive in the game, you’ve only got to look at the gameplay image above to see some of the potential, but facial features are a bit hit and miss with the majority looking frighteningly realistic, while the rendering of Kevin Spacey as Jonathan Irons looks like some kind of waxwork clone from Madame Tussauds.
Explosions also look a bit fake if we’re honest, especially mid-air detonations and missile strikes, and we genuinely hate the look of the enemy locating headset feature that seems to be made up of a set of old school highlighter pens and the vague shape of humanity. We’re not that fond of the look or the concept of the swarm drones either, which just don’t make a great deal of sense.
What does look cool though is the animation and frame rate on some the more advanced movement features that the game delivers. When your soldier fires out his grappling gun or executes a perfect boost jump, the speed and motion is tangibly exhilarating.
First Impressions
Our initial take is that this is a middle of the road first person shooter release with little to set it apart from its own predecessors or its more impressive competitor titles, including Titanfall, Destiny, Battlefield: Hardline and Tom Clancy’s The Division. Graphically it’ll have it’s moments of genius, while still being a little underwhelming at times and while we’re confident that the gameplay will be impressive in both the title’s campaign and online multiplayer modes, it’s just too much of a blend of other games to really stand out and be counted in any significant way at the moment.
Realistically, it all hangs on how well the game plays, so if it’s slicker than a snail’s nether region and delivers more firepower than ever before then it could go on to be very well received, despite the relative lack of innovation. However, if it’s just another COD release with a bit of borrowed future tech thrown in for good measure then it’ll struggle to be the first person masterclass is should be aspiring to be.
