Title: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Format: PS4(reviewed), PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: November 5th, 2013, November 15, 2013
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the latest blockbuster shooter released this year from Activision, and although it introduces some new elements and improvements with next gen, the game feels all too familiar.
Story and Presentation:
These latest Call of Duty titles have always had a strong single player component, but I found Ghosts' single player narrative rather boring and uninspired. The story doesn't take long to throw you into the fire, as you briefly get a glimpse of a world untouched by war, the game quickly takes off with nuclear missiles raining down from above. As the oil economy tanks in the Middle East, South American countries that produce oil form a military superpower named the Federation. The Federation then hijacks a satellite weapon system, and turns it against the US. This is basically the foundation the game gives you kill off thousands of enemies, and although it's fairly predictable, it's adequate for this type of game. I played the game on both the PS3 and PS4, and you will instantly see a difference if you play the game on next gen systems. The game won't blow you away at any time like a Killzone or Battlefield will, but the game features a couple of settings that are pretty impressive. Even at the higher resolutions on the PS4, the game still manages to run really smooth at a solid 60fps. The framerate will drop occasionally, but only during the more chaotic moments during single player and multiplayer. The voice acting is good, but it's not as strong as previous entries in the franchise. I guess the the two Black Ops games have spoiled me with Gary Oldman and Sam Worthington.
Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:The gameplay in Call of Duty: Ghosts is familiar, a bit all too familiar at that. Ghosts sticks to their guns and plays it safe, but since this is the seventh game since Modern Warfare, these games need innovation to keep things feeling fresh in an overly stale genre. When I came out of playing both the single player and the multiplayer, I actually found more enjoyment out of the single player. The campaign features numerous set pieces that make it one of the most enjoyable military shooter campaign around. The multiplayer, on the other hand, feels like step back. Infinity Ward's decision to increase the map size drastically changes players' playstyle, and not for the good. There a lot more open buildings and wide areas where players can easily setup camp their and not move for the entire match. This takes the fun out of what made these games so fun in the past, the fast paced action. Ghosts feels a lot slower than previous games in the series, and you'll spend most of your time running around for minutes, only to gunned down in the back by a rogue sniper. The multiplayer also has a bit of technical issues, with player spawns being one of the biggest issues. Sometimes you'll spawn surrounded by enemies, and not by your teammates, which is a pretty big problem. Hopefully, the devs will be able to usher in a patch or two to iron things out a bit.
Final Thoughts:All in all, Call of Duty Ghosts is still a solid shooter, it just doesn't do anything to reinvigorate an aging franchise. The new improved visuals are impressive on next gen, and the single player features a ton of great set pieces that are a blast to play through. The multiplayer takes a step back in my eyes, but any fan of these games will be feel right at home. S&S Rating: 7/10 @whatsPlay
