Call of Duty (COD) has been a massively popular franchise over the last few years but of late, in multiplayer applications especially, it has been plagued with software errors that have reduced the overall enjoyment of the game.
I won’t be covering any developer errors in this review but rather, I’ll be going back to the basics of what the game was about, the graphics, the mechanics and, with a bit of a spoiler alert, the nostalgia. While spoilers are inevitable, I’ll try to keep this review minimalistic in order to avoid a spoil it for any new COD convert.
Campaign
The campaign scene is introduced with the most captivating narration I have ever experienced in a game. The narration as amazing as it not only performs its primary task of setting the scene, but it also adds to a delectable anticipation. I cannot remember a time where I have had to forcibly stop myself from playing a game since ‘Final Fantasy 10’ – when I started I did not want to stop!
I have always been fascinated by World War II, but because the event proved testament to how people from different cultures and creeds could come together against a common enemy in the 3rd Reich. Activision did not shy away or sensor what the 3rd Reich Stood for, and one of the elements that was captured was racism seen in the character interaction with Arthur Kingsley.
Now, taking a look and establishing some context. Arthur Kingsley, a fictitious character, is in fact based on a real life hero in Sergeant Sidney Cornell, a black soldier. Now pause… why was saying black necessary? Its shouldn’t be, but what makes this game extraordinary is that it grants a particular perspective of that time, not only pointed out by the Nazis, but also in allied ranks. Without spoiling too much, his team, a group of what could only be described as misfits, cared not about who you were or where you came from, but rather on the results made possible by the power of a unified group and the resultant camaraderie and the results were spectacular!
Another factor that makes this game amazing is that in line with the psychologies of war, it captures the sheer desperation of every battle being a ‘must win’ situation. Further to this it showed the immense risks the Allies had to take with little to no information in insurmountable odds to prevail. As someone experiencing it through a monitor, we can appreciate, at least in part, how men laid down their lives to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. But emotions aside, WOW!
So, the story begins with Arthur Kingsley and his group of merry men (and one deadly Russian Lady) fighting Nazis on a Train followed by a series of other events and finally find themselves in a submarine lair where they stumble upon ‘Project Phoenix’. Here the group is captured and the story really begins in a series of individual flashbacks to introduce each players origin. While I am an avid hater of flashbacks, they do allow the player to form an emotional bond with each team member and importantly, this keeps the game fresh and moving. The problem with these flashbacks is that they are like eating French cuisine – the taste is amazing but the portions are so meagre that you end up gastronomically frustrated! More frustratingly, with the flashbacks concluded, the end of the game draws nigh barring your final mission which yes, involves an evil protagonist that you need to get the better of (in an excessively brutal fashion – in my opinion). On the credit side for the flashback content, there are events like the Battle of Midway where you actually get to FLY! (or a version of flying where your mouse ends up on the wall and the floor while you are trying to control what feels like a Boeing in an aviary).
Overall I loved the campaign but it did leave some to be desired. As a covert unit it would have been prudent to allow the gamer options in choice of strategy and weapons but as the game mostly follows the ‘case study’ back stories, weapon and strategy options are confined. Also, I would have liked to see more of the missions being played as a team rather than individually.
Multiplayer
Bottom line – I didn’t get much time to play multiplayer as I was using the campaign to determine the mechanics of the game.
Mechanics play a massive role in COD as a whole and thus I am only talking about it in multiplayer as it’s in multiplayer that it has the most consequence. The movement for me is believable although slightly slow. Tactical sprint also is very realistic in that its slow to accelerate and it feels like you have to generate momentum. This realism is quickly stamped out out by the real players of the world, as play in lobbies is far from conventional battle tactics. I always have a chuckle to myself in that if COD players of the world were drafted to active duty, the battlefield would be a mutated combination of a musical on ice, popcorn in the microwave and cats on methamphetamine!
Multiplayer is anything but slow, its chaos from the first second irrespective of what kind of lobby you are in. I was expecting more of a strategic approach to SND at least, but man did I get that wrong! It’s more like storming Normandy – as soon as that hatch lowers, its carnage!!! I believe this fast pace is a product of the very small maps. When I was playing beta it felt like I had ten time the amount of time available in the full release. Maybe I was just unlucky in the random map choices.
Any real COD player will tell you that there is multiplayer and multiplayer…However, the first multiplayer I am eluding to is the mosh pit described above with the second being your more seasoned player who plays only in organized leagues. So on multiplayer as a whole, I can’t judge it until we have seen more competitive and professional play.
One addition is individual player rewards and recognition which I thought was a great touch as players vote for the MVP which carries its own rewards. (Maybe I thought it was a great touch in that I was MVP for the first 2 games I played after which all downhill it was…..)
I do warn new players that you are at a massive disadvantage when playing for the first time. This is because just like the previous editions, you have to unlock your gun attachments. Also, staying with the theme of previous versions, these attachments play a dramatic role in your TTK (time to kill) and ADS (Aim down Sight). So coming in with training wheels, you are going to have a tough time. This is something I wish could be changed meaning having full access from the beginning, or at least access to the full customization of the main weapon of each class so that your KDR and dignity remain a little more intact.
Overall
Onto the ticket items, the graphics were very good – not mind blowing but really very good, a win in my books. The mechanics were also good which made gameplay enjoyable (except for the fact that each lobby should be sponsored by Ritalin for players under 18 and Prozac for your 18-25 year old’s!).
But realism has to kick in as this is a review. The game is best compared to that kid you knew in high school who had so much potential but never quite got there. If the campaign was longer and filled the gaps mentioned earlier, I would have suggested buying it on those grounds alone, but alas this is not the case. Multiplayer as always leaves me with mixed feelings in that I did not know what to make of it. I will say however, it is one of those games that the longer you play, the more the connection will grow, just like all COD’s in the past.
To conclude I will say that if you enjoy the competitive scene of Call of Duty, you probably already have the game expecting to recreate the excitement of Atlanta Faze and Empires of the world. To those who remain undecided, my advice would be to wait for that discount special while carrying on enjoying Warzone, I don’t think you will be missing out on much. I will however be playing and casting this game as one who has enjoyed the franchise for years and will continue to do so indefinitely.
Wootometer
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Excitement Factor: 7/10
Concept vs Result: 7/10
Overall: 7.3/10
