How Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Shoots Straight From the Streets Into Space

The Call of Duty series has long been associated with warfare in locations across the world. Infinite Warfare immediately shakes that, sporting a new focus on battles outside of Earth. While Call of Duty: Ghosts did contain a gameplay section in space, Infinite Warfare has a much bigger focus on outer space and introduces new mechanics.

The Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare demo I watched at E3 was a prelude to the gameplay which debuted during PlayStation's E3 2016 conference. In the lead-up to fighting in amongst the stars, protagonist Reyes first had to gun down enemies on the streets of Earth. The scene opened with Reyes and his squad in a city just as it came under attack. In the familiar blockbuster action-movie style that has long been a trademark of the Call of Duty series, the situation quickly escalated with explosions and gunfire. Unarmed citizens screamed and scattered in panic, and in a moment that reflected the futuristic setting of Infinite Warfare, the robotic member of the squad grabbed one and yelled at them to get to safety. His name was Ethan, and his dialogue was surprisingly less robotic than it was representative of his character. It was intriguing to see the bipedal robot take such an active and human role in the main character's small squad.

Robots armed with guns also appeared among the enemy's ranks. The demo showcased two weapons that were unique; a mine with four insect-like legs which could be placed on the ground, after which it would scuttle to an enemy and attach itself to the back of their neck before exploding amidst their horrified screams. The second weapon was a shotgun-like firearm with multiple highlighted points in the reticle. When aimed at the enemy for a few short moments, the points would move to spots across the enemy's limbs and body, and the following shot appeared to nail them with ease.

When not shooting, the main character could also whip out a shield for both defensive and offensive abilities. The shield's window highlighted enemies in red, and the entire thing could be swung into enemies to knock them down.

Progressing through the streets seemed to be a very directed affair; the NPCs would ask for Reyes' help in clearing debris to move through paths, or wait for him to bust through doors to shoot down enemies. The battle eventually led to an area which housed multiple jets; the main character proceeded to hop into a pilot seat and take to the skies.

While accelerating through the clouds and blitzing through the atmosphere was visually impressive moment, it was only when the stars appeared that the significance of the moment hit home: Call of Duty was moving beyond Earth, and taking the fight into new territory. It was a pivotal moment that served as an appropriate metaphor for the series' transition into the grand expanse of space.

The demo ended on a bang--quite literally. An enormous enemy ship flew into view, confronting the main character's small fleet of ships, and all hell broke loose with a loud explosion. If this preview into the game is anything to go by, it will be the first of many to come.