Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Reviews
Overall, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare lives up to the franchise's expectations. It looks, feels, and plays like a CoD game, and there's been quite a few additions to make Halo fans like me interested. They've done some work to make the game more welcoming to newcomers, and a lot of detail has gone into the single player campaign to make it as cinematic as a summer blockbuster. And despite a few hiccups, it plays a lot like one. If you already like Call of Duty, and you're a Halo fan to boot- you won't be disappointed by this installment in the series.
There is no question a big risk was taken with this year's game. Does this risk pay off? It sure does as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is about the most fun I have had playing a Call of Duty game in several years. Granted it remains very familiar but the leaps are significant and in the end pay off.
Punchy, futuristic weapons, even faster gameplay, and additional agility make Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare a joy to play, both offline and online. With a campaign that features several spectacular scenarios and a brilliantly robust and incredibly moreish multiplayer offering, Sledgehammer Games has succeeded in crafting a title that feels fresh but familiar, and does just enough to put the franchise back on track after the disappointing Call of Duty: Ghosts.
The question isn't if Sledgehammer succeeded in breathing new life into the Call of Duty franchise, it's more a point of how the franchise will cope in the future without them.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn't going to make people who hate the series suddenly take notice, but for those that have felt the franchise has been falling flat lately, it definitely re-energizes it. This is the Call of Duty game fans have been clamoring for, and I feel sorry for the team that has to try and top it next year.
It's still Call of Duty, but it's a fresh take on the formula and shows that Sledgehammer was a good choice to bring into the yearly rotation of Activision's biggest shooter. I'll be looking forward to seeing what they have to offer next time around.
Let's be honest here too. In a world full of jump packs and laser guns with drones zipping around overhead, its actually hard not to enjoy Sledgehammers latest entry into the series without a smile stretched across your face.
Advanced Warfare is the most exciting Call of Duty has been in years.
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.
Advanced Warfare brings some new elements to the experience that make it stand out, but some of these changes only serve to remind us how rigid the Call of Duty box is, and how unwilling the franchise is to think outside it.
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.
If Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's storytelling ambitions disappoint, the same can't be said of the upgrades to gameplay. In both campaign and multiplayer, the exoskeleton and other futuristic gadgetry breathe new life into a franchise that seemed increasingly trapped in the shadow of the original Modern Warfare.
Sledgehammer Games have taken a huge risk by sending the series so far into the future. Some fans may feel left behind, but the simple truth is should they choose to ignore the title, they will be missing out. This is one of the better Call of Duties in recent years. It's fresh enough to the point that it's alien, yet it's still Call of Duty underneath that futuristic surface.
Games are better than this now. Call of Duty is becoming a relic.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare represents a return to form for the franchise. While the campaign likely won't win story of the year, we don't expect it to. A solid campaign that teaches the basics, and tells a competent story are all we ask, and exactly what we got. Multiplayer is of course a big deal, and Sledgehammer proves they are not only up to the task, but in to innovate the space, as the Exo additions, supply drops, and operator customization will keep this Call of Duty on your hard drive for a while.
Sledgehammer's first full-time foray into a Call of Duty game is a success. Advanced Warfare has great ideas that were executed well that will leave the players pumping with adrenaline throughout the game.
In short, Advanced Warfare advances every single aspect of the already impressive Call of Duty series.
Advanced Warfare introduces exoskeletons, laser guns, and double-jumps to the Call of Duty franchise, but the online lag, odd animation, and overall sameness that comes from annual releases prevent the game from living up to its potential.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare adds new life with movement and graphics, but falls short on sound design and story.
One of the best Call of Duty games in a while, Advanced Warfare is a triumphant effort from Sledgehammer Games, whose storytelling nous and risk-taking in introducing the Exo pays off in spades. It's not the jaw-dropping reinvention that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was back in 2007, but Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the shot in the arm the series needed.