Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Reviews
So, 2014. Is this the year that the double-jump finally found its regular place in the first person shooter? It's certainly been the 'in thing' this year, as has a general boot up the arse of the FPS genre. How does COD stack up against Destiny and Titanfall though? Ignore the internet trolls, posers and haters, you can enjoy them all. In this reviewer's eyes though, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has been the complete package. A star filled, explosion-packed blockbuster smash of a campaign mode with a set of stellar multiplayer modes where Kill Confirmed and the new ball-based sport, Uplink, are set to become new favourites. Both the campaign and multiplayer owe a huge debt to the exoskeleton, which has proven to be the ultimate catalyst in pushing Call of Duty back to the top this year. Your move, Far Cry 4.
Critical gameplay changes, more multiplayer customization make up for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's absolutely awful single-player story.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare adds new life with movement and graphics, but falls short on sound design and story.
Advanced Warfare might not be advanced enough for my liking, but it's a return to the typical fast-paced, explosive gameplay of CoD titles that aren't called Ghosts – and it works alright on PC, too.
Advanced Warfare is the most exciting Call of Duty has been in years.
Advanced Warfare is COD par excellence, a premiere example of the game that's almost a genre unto itself. Its singleplayer is better than most in the franchise, and the multiplayer is probably the best yet.
In short, Advanced Warfare advances every single aspect of the already impressive Call of Duty series.
But as someone who deeply cares about narrative in game, it's immensely frustrating to see the money that Activition is clearly throwing at the narrative not bearing fruit. People tell me that narrative isn't important to Call of Duty, but if that's the case then Activision should not be investing in Kevin Spacey, and should simply pull the plug on single player and invest solely in multiplayer gaming. More than anything else I do believe that if you're going to do a story, you should do it properly. There's the world of potential in Call of Duty franchise to be the games industry's take on The Hurt Locker, so yes, is does annoy me that Activision seems to be more interested in generating endless clones of Black Hawk Down.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare offers a much more innovative take on the first-person shooter series than previous installments, but it's still shackled to the core recipe of forcing players to follow allies through set piece moments in the story campaign. The multiplayer offers a higher degree of innovation and it should certainly entertain quite a lot of fans who are open to trying the new mechanics.
Sledgehammer Games finds freshness in familiar territory, delivering the best Call of Duty game in years.
'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' doesn't change the franchise's identity, but its near future setting and tech help make the component parts exciting again.
With gorgeous visuals and the best campaign seen in years, Advanced Warfare won't convince people that hate the franchise that it's good, but former fans should return to see how the franchise has progressed.
A high tech upgrade completely refreshes the tired Call of Duty formula.
Overall, the campaign is solid, if uninspiring. It didn't have any of the jawdropping moments of the first Modern Warfare, nor any spectacular set pieces. The shooting works well, you'll blast through it in about 6-8 hours, and then you'll put it away forever. On the single-player front, I'm still waiting for a new Call of Duty 4. Maybe I'm just too old and jaded.
In the end, whether you're a diehard fan who plays Call of Duty or a disgruntled one who hasn't played it in a while, then you'll probably find a lot to like with Advanced Warfare's multiplayer that warrants a purchase, but with expectations becoming exceptionally high for triple A gaming these days, Activision's reliance on an 11 year old formula is doomed to inevitable failure.
It's not revolutionary or redefining by any measure, but Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is by far the series' most refreshing, progressive and exciting outing in a long time, and that's no small feat.
Witnessing Advanced Warfare in its gamesuit made from chopped-up pieces of better games, it's easy to picture the series as a Pinocchio aching to be a real boy, but the sympathy you feel in light of its efforts does little to quell your instinct to escape.
Activision would have us believe that the latest title in the series is a bold re-imagining. It's not, but it's still blistering entertainment
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a glorious return to form. Now, that "form" still requires a bit of tweaking and honing but for the most part, this is a positive reemergence of a video game superpower. The production values are sky-high, the multiplayer will keep you coming back again and again, and above all else, this is Call of Duty with a twist.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare drops its pretense of modern conflict and jumps into full sci-fi futurism, much to the series' benefit.