I’ve always preferred Call of Duty’s single player to its multiplayer. That’s not to say that the single player is particularly well realised or features amazing stories, but it’s fun in the same way a Michael Bay film is; it’s big, it’s brash and it has some great set pieces. That being said, I’m expecting the comments in this week’s WeView to focus more on the multiplayer side of things than the single player, that seems to be where most people spend their Call of Duty time, particularly months after release
The exoskeleton is clearly the headline attraction in both Advanced Warfare’s single and multiplayer, which Teflon called “a major shift for the series” in his review. In regards to the movement advantage the game’s exoskeletons give you, he noted that “the exo’s boost feels much weightier than those in Titanfall and Destiny”, which “helps to enhance the frenetic pace rather than alter it too much”. Given the popularity of Call of Duty’s multiplayer, it’s certainly a smart move to avoid changing it into an entirely different game, with Teflon commenting that the game is still “very much about fighting on foot and knowing when to take to the skies”.
Tef was also impressed by the game’s Pick 13 customisation system, praising the way it “really allows you to customise the loadout how you want it”, as well as the presence of the holographic firing range to try new guns out. The loot system drew similar praise, calling it “an integral part of the multiplayer experience” and highlighting the way it feeds back into the game’s customisation system to really give you the freedom to tweak your loadout.
On the story side of things, he wasn’t completely in love with the campaign, although he did find a lot of good within it. The fact it didn’t feel like it was “going through the checklist of Call of Duty tropes too often” drew praise, as did the way the familiar CoD moments fit “well within the overall pacing of the game”. Kevin Spacey’s much trumpeted presence in the game also went down a storm, with Teflon calling him “ideal for the role of the machiavellian Jonathan Irons”. The game’s other characters were equally well realised, with Teflon praising the “stunningly recreated likeness[es]” of the whole cast in cutscenes.
On the flip side, he did feel that there were a few missteps in the game’s story, with a particularly weak ending. The game’s co-op didn’t exactly impress him either, calling it “uninspired compared to other parts of the game”, and he also took issue with “the lack of incidental dialogue lip syncing”.
However, overall it seems he was very impressed by Advanced Warfare. He gave the game a 9/10, and returned to his praise of the game’s exoskeletons in his conclusion:
At the heart of Advanced Warfare is the exoskeleton and all of the possibilities it opens up, transforming the way that you get around amidst the futuristic setting. Yet it delivers on many more levels too, from a compelling story and cast of characters to the graphics and the vast array of options for multiplayer character and loadout customisation. Sledgehammer have shown that there’s life in the long-running series yet, and thrown down the gauntlet to Treyarch and Infinity Ward.
It’s now time to throw the floodgates open and ask what you thought of the latest Call of Duty. Were you equally impressed by the exoskeletons, or were they not really your cup of tea? Did you think Kevin Spacey really nailed his role, or was it all just a marketing gimmick?
Whatever your opinion on the game, you can share it with us by dropping a comment below. Remember to include a rating for the game on the Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, Avoid It scale, and we’ll round up the community’s view in Monday’s verdict article, as well as highlighting a few of your comments.
MrJimmy
I don’t buy every COD as it’s the same game every time, but it is a damn good one I suppose. I skipped ghosts, good call, I picked this one up, not disappointed, but that said I still prefer Killzone Shadow Fall, so you can have a Sale It.
doug
Stopped playing after about 2 weeks just couldn’t get on with the small player lobby and tiny maps after putting so many hours of battlefield 4in. in the end I traded it in and got battlefield hardline and like someone wearing a neck brace I haven’t looked back since
Starman
The story is the usual predictable betrayals and the multiplayer is mostly the same with minor additions. It’s basically the same as the last 5 CoD’s.
If you like the recent CoD’s Buy it. You can at least get a good tradein on the CoD games if you get bored.
Dan Jones
First of all, I don’t think you can say this Call of Duty is the same as the last bunch. The exo-suit completely adds a new dimension to the game setting it apart from the rest. Whether the exo-suit is to everyone’s liking though?
Personally I really enjoyed the story and thought it was the best single player campaign since MW2. It was nice having a top actor in the spotlight, but with Kevin Spacey you always knew he was going to be a bad guy.
The main change to the gameplay is the added speed. CoD somehow got a lot quicker with the exo-suit. That took a lot of getting used to. I’m still consistently getting shat on online because of it. It definitely requires more skill and better reactions than previous games, and that double jumping is both a godsend and nightmare online. Grenades seem pointless too which is a bit annoying.
Overall I thought it was a welcomed change to the series, but it’s not for everyone. Blops 2 and Ghosts were plain boring, and the reveal of blops 3 probably means I’ll skip it this year.
Sale It.
ylowz
I thought I should chip in on the grenades thing. I’ve found them to be quite useful on some game modes like domination especially when combined with the danger close perk. Though to be honest I only use the semtex grenade together with the grenade launcher gun attachment. The proximity mine on the other hand is the most useless thing I’ve ever seen (or maybe I just don’t know how to use it).
ylowz
AW is the first call of duty I’ve purchased since MW2 (though I’ve played the other entries) and from my experience it’s definitely been worth the purchase. The exo-suit might not be to everyone’s liking but it’s a unique enough addition to the series to warrant a try.
I got my copy shortly after binge watching a certain tv series so I was little bit anti Kevin Spacey while running through the campaign. The story was good but not memorable while the ending was uninspiring. However several months later the frantic pace of the exo-suit still makes every other multilayer match a thrilling affair.
Overall, for a first entry in the series to include the exo-suit, AW is worth a try.
Sale it.
beeje13
I Preordered, purely for the single player. It has excellent graphics, sound, a tight, interesting, original story.
The gameplay is really fresh, helped by the new exo suit. The basic gunplay just feels superb aswell.
Buy it, complete it, play online if you like it, sell it if you don’t.
Mick939
Buy battlefield hardline
colmshan1990
Much improved over the last few Call of Duty games- the exo suit makes a nice if not fantastic change to gameplay. Multiplayer is faster (although still nowhere close to something like Unreal Tournament’s level of fast fun), the graphics are prettier and the campaign mode has something resembling a story in amongst the set pieces. It’s better than Ghosts for sure.
It’s still not as well balanced as Call of Duty 4, and the story doesn’t come close to that stunning game either. That said, the simple inclusion of splitscreen gameplay (and the ability to take that splitscreen online) makes Call of Duty the best shooter on PS4 for me.
Buy it.