Too much familiarity. For every moment of brilliance in the game, there were ten more moments of familiarity. Going into Advanced Warfare, I was both skeptical and excited about the new direction the franchise was headed. I knew that Activision could only make so many games based on Modern Warfare and that eventually we would see a game set in the future with new weapons, gadgets and vehicles. Advanced Warfare represents the biggest jump for the series since the game shifted from World War II to Modern Combat.
What I love about Advanced Warfare (AW) is that the game tackles real world issues and asks several important political questions every citizen of the world should be concerned about:
What role should private military corporations (PMC) play in today's wars and future wars?The spike in PMCs was apparent after the attacks of 9/11. In both the Afghan and Iraq war, the US made heavy use of PMCs for everything from cleaning latrines on bases, to food catering to escorting convoys through hostile territory. At the beginning of the Iraq war there was one military contractor for every ten soldiers. By 2007, there were more military contractors than US soldiers in Iraq. Quite the turnaround.
Is it good that any government rely heavily on PMCs?
Who are PMCs accountable to?
Can PMC loyalty be bought by the highest bidder?
The world is a much different place twenty or thirty years in the future, as demonstrated by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Wars are no longer fought and won by conventional armies. Instead they are outsourced to PMCs who are free of bureaucratic red tape and public opinion polls. Kevin Spacey takes center stage in AW playing Jack Irons who is the head of a PMC called Atlas. Irons is a socio-path with no morals or second thoughts about his quest for money and power.
If you're a fan of House of Cards like myself, then Kevin Spacey's character will feel quite familiar to you. He gives an outstanding performance. His performance is highlighted even more by the game's beautiful presentation. AW has to have some of the best facial animations I have seen in any game to date. Some cut scenes come pretty damn close to looking photo realistic at times.
While the political questions the game raises are interesting, the characters themselves are not. While AW represents the most cinematic game in the series, I wish more time was spent on establishing who your characters are, what their motivations are and what the soldiers relationships are like with one another. These elements are often glossed over with a greater emphasis on getting the objective done.
Military technology is the cornerstone of AW. The game introduces what's known as the Exo Skeleton. The Exo's features include, but are not limited to, granting the wearer the ability jump large distances, invisibility, climb up surfaces and grapple to different objects in the environment. The one disappointing thing with the Exo is that you don't get to choose your abilities. Each mission chooses your load-out based on the type of combat you'll be seeing. This is what's nice about the multiplayer. You can choose to load out your Exo Skeleton however you like.
The single player campaign for the most part stays true to past games in the series. The levels are all linear and heavily scripted as you go from point A to B, mow down hordes of enemies; rinse and repeat. There are a few stealth missions that do give you a bit of freedom, but for the most part it's classic Call of Duty.
What makes AW so much better than Ghosts is the technology you use to complete objectives. Whether it's riding on a hover bike on a street packed with civilians, driving a tank and taking on hordes of enemies or using a grappling hook to make your way up a skyscraper, I never felt bored.
The weapons in AW are amazing. My personal favourite were the grenades. At any given time you'll be carrying out three or four different varieties including EMP's, frag and smart grenades. Smart grenades actually lock onto a nearby enemy and follow them before detonating nearby. It felt awesome throwing a grenades in the general direction of an enemy only to watch the grenade find a target and eliminate it.
Outside of the game's campaign is a meaty multiplayer component The multiplayer battles are by far the fastest and craziest of any game in the series. The addition of the Exo adds a whole new element of verticality (and freedom) not seen in past titles in the series and a lot of the levels have been designed around the Exo. It's pretty common site to see players jumping across the map and shooting down on one another from the air. (I lost track of the number of times I was killed trying to shoot a fast moving target in the air.) I never felt restricted by the maps. I always felt like I could double jump and reach any rooftop or ledge to give myself a tactical advantage against the opposing team.
One of the new multiplayer additions is a cooperative based mode called Exo Survival which seems very reminiscent of the cooperative mode in Modern Warfare 3. Exo Survival sees you and several friends face off against hordes of enemies. Some rounds you'll face lightly armed enemies while other rounds see you square off against attack dogs and drones. The mode tends to get difficult once you reach the sixth or seventh round and only gets insanely difficult from there.
The weapon customization feels like an extension of Black Ops Pick 10 system, but instead of 10 items you can now choose up to 13. These items include weapon attachments, rewards, perks and Exo abilities. Those who love tinkering and tweaking their gameplay experience will finds numerous combinations to experiment with. One of the most welcome additions is the virtual gun range you can access while waiting in the lobby. By the simple press of a button you can test your load-out and practice firing on targets before the match starts.
After a rough 2013 for Call of Duty, the series seems to have bounced back with Advanced Warfare. It represents a monumental leap for the franchise and will surely breathe life into a series that some believed to be on its last breath.
- Siddharth Masand
Follow @jokeman23
The Good:
- Campaign's story asks some important political questions about the future of warfare
- Stunning presentation
- Campaign is a thrill ride with an awesome amount of variety
- Futuristic weapons fundamentally change the way you play Call of Duty, while still retaining the game's solid shooting mechanics.
The Bad:
- Campaigns story can be predictable at times
- Not too much time spent on establishing who the characters are in the game
