Call of Duty: Vanguard Reviews
Overall, Call of Duty: Vanguard is another solid entry to the CoD series. Sledgehammer has worked almost entirely by the rulebook, but has made enough improvements to deliver a template that can carry the series forward for another year. There’s a promising lineup of post launch content on the way too, leaving the future looking relatively bright for the future of Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Vanguard sometimes strains under the pressure of fulfilling its obligations to the all-consuming Warzone platform that the series has become. Vanguard's Gunsmith and Operators might dictate the game's World War II fiction in weird and hilarious ways, but it can still offer the same thrills you'd expect. Still, there's no denying that Vanguard feels like a watered down entry for the franchise, which is now more motivated by microtransactions than by telling a compelling World War II narrative.
Call of Duty Vanguard isn't the part of the revolution, but clearly does the job, offering a title that will hold up for the year ahead.
Review in French | Read full review
Opting for pulp fantasy over Spielbergian reverence for the era, Vanguard reinvigorates the World War II setting and charts a new path forward.
Vanguard’s multiplayer offers only fleeting moments of fun right now, but its core issues can all be solved in time. Sledgehammer’s philosophy when it comes to maps and attachments means that, right now, you rarely get the optimum experience, but with dedicated spaces for competitive players it might well become the competitive Call of Duty game we’ve been waiting for.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is As Expected: The Video Game. You get the polish, the excitement, the rush the series always delivers within the stylised World War 2 setting. This year, the single-player campaign is undoubtedly the standout action blockbuster, with the Multiplayer serving chaotic fun and Zombies mode failing to try something different. Pick it up if you’re already a fan.
The latest Call of Duty: Vanguard is a correct shooter in single and a replay of entertainment in multi. It does not surprise either on the plus or on the minus, which makes it a slightly pale, easy to forget scene.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Call of Duty: Vanguard does little to change up the Call of Duty formula, but it's still a fun way to kill the nine months until next year's title releases.
We'll be damned if this isn't another fine Call of Duty game. The solo campaign is excellent, multiplayer delivers on practically all fronts, and Zombies provides a neat co-op diversion. Call of Duty: Vanguard represents great value, and enough new stuff to warrant taking a look.
Iterating on what Call of Duty diehards know and love, Vanguard has the potential to stand up alongside some of the series' best. Whether it be a bombastic, action-flick inspired campaign, endlessly addictive multiplayer or now-staple zombies mode, the game feels like comfort food. However, I remain doubtful that the game's new and updated modes will do enough to win over anyone that wasn't convinced with earlier iterations.
Call of Duty: Vanguard continues the high standard set by 2019's Modern Warfare, providing a grounded, classic Call of Duty campaign, coupled with a deep multiplayer experience rich with progression and an inviting Zombies mode that welcomes all skill levels.
Overall, the new content on offer is a welcome addition but, honestly, I think many fans long for a return to the days before battle passes, microtransactions and arduous grinding defined the franchise.
Call of Duty: Vanguard unabashedly apes the style of 2019's Modern Warfare, with a multiplayer that is fun though familiar, but featuring a campaign that largely misses the mark.
Although a solid offering overall, one can't help but feel that the series has taken a step backwards in terms of the content available as well as the era depicted; instead of expanding upon the almost non-linear structure of the Cold War campaign we instead get a safe reversion back to the standard model and the Zombies mode is barebones as all get out no matter how you slice it.
Packed to the brim with blockbuster action sequences and a couple of well-crafted stealth-directed missions, the campaign focuses on four specialists and their mission to track down Project Phoenix – a Nazi program that could potentially swing the pendulum back in the Axis' favour.
What you know to be true about Call of Duty continues to be true in Vanguard, though there are some surprisingly earnest characters in the campaign and an expectedly addictive suite of multiplayer maps and modes.
Despite an immense amount of content, Call of Duty: Vanguard feels a bit like a step back for the franchise: a couple of guns need to find a better balance with the upcoming updates and the campaign is fascinating but extremely short and unripe. The game is genuinely fun, of course, but it's not the best Call of Duty to date.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Call of Duty: Vanguard maintains the consistently high level of production in the Call of Duty series, with an excellent cinematic narrative and unparalleled shooting feel, giving players an audio-visual experience in person on the battlefield.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Call of Duty Vanguard falls in the predictable traps of an annual release, but pulls through with a fun campaign and multiplayer at the cost of duller Zombies.
Despite coming in with low expectations, Call of Duty Vanguard has failed to change our minds. Vanguard has managed to do the inverse of Black Ops Cold War; it has provided players with a fun multiplayer experience bringing back some fan-favorite maps while stripping Zombies of its roots. The campaign is an adequate story but it is ultimately forgettable; the campaign can be beaten in under 6 hours. Call of Duty Vanguard could have been so much better but ultimately feels like a rushed project. If you are going to play all the modes, then sure it’s worth the $60. If you were planning to purchase it for Zombies, hold off. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War would make a better Holiday present than Vanguard. A fair price for Call of Duty Vanguard right now is anywhere between $25 to $45.