Call of Duty 4 was the start of the series' most prominent identity, and while successive games have tried to build upon the formula, it has never really captured the magic it once had. As such, the series has consistently been criticized for its inability to change, but it remained successful because it always delivered what the fans wanted. In Call of Duty: Ghosts, we have a game that manages to jump wildly between disappointingly stagnant ideas, and interesting additions.
Story-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story begins with Elias, and his two sons Logan and.....Whatever his name was. I was originally going to look up the son's name to make this review a little more professional, but no, I legitimately can't remember, and that says a lot about the story already.
In essence, it's about a group called The Federation, who have completely overwhelmed the United States. You'll play as the primary brother, Logan, as he fights with the last remaining forces of the US to repel them. It's set up as an underdog situation, where regular guys are thrown into war, but it really isn't. You feel just as powerful as ever, and nothing about the new enemy is threatening. The Federation's firepower comes from the ludicrously powerful satellite weapon that they simply take from the Americans, but seeing as it can never be used against you in gameplay -the medium through which the bulk of the story is told- it does little to add tension.
The primary focus is going after Rorke, a former member of the Ghosts, who has now joined the enemy's ranks. His motivation is lacking, his largely hyped skills don't amount to much, but he manages to be a dick quite well if nothing else.
One of the touted (and mocked) features for this game is the dog, Riley. It's a pretty easy sell, as you know the dog is going to get hurt or die at some point, and people are far more likely to be emotionally moved by man's best friend. The problem is that there's not really much of a connection to begin with. You'll turn and pat his head on occasion, and he can rip jugulars out with the best of them, but it really doesn't matter. Without spoiling anything substantial, "something" does happen, and it's weak at best.
If there's one clearly positive thing I can say about the story, it's the ending. It leaves things open for a sequel, and does so in a way that has a lot of potential. What will be done with it remains to be seen, but it's promising if nothing else.
One may wonder why I have taken so much time reviewing the story element of a Call of Duty game. Well, there's a reason for it. Like Black Ops 2, this story is written by someone who has written for well-known movies. In this case, it's Stephen Gaghan. Now, whether you know who he is or not, this is supposed to be a selling point. I'm not opposed to better stories in military shooters, but if you're going to promise one, you really need to deliver. Ghosts simply didn't measure up, and it's worth noting.
Graphics-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caught in between the release of new consoles, naturally the graphics are about the same as you would expect, simply okay. The primary problem for Ghosts is reused assets. The number of times a squadmate did the exact same "look around" animation that Macmillion did 5 years ago is staggering, and immediately soured my opinion. There's also many questionable animations during cutscenes that were all too familiar. It is worth noting however, that the missions in space look great. There's a great sense of inertia and a ton of shrapnel on screen, and it has a very high aesthetic appeal. Overall though, Ghosts' graphics are nothing special on current-gen.
Gameplay---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Campaign: As you would expect, Ghosts is filled with lots of explosions and exciting set pieces. While these are fun, the lack of interactivity is a natural limiter to enjoyment. However, what surprised me about Ghosts' campaign is how diverse it is. One mission has you rappel down a building, shuffling across the windows to shoot people with silenced weapons. There's combat in space, with a good sense of three dimensional combat. Slowly swimming around in a wrecked ship to avoid getting ripped apart by sharks was probably my favorite moment. Even little things like a strobe light attachment were hilariously enjoyable, even though they're gimmicky at best. The campaign is fairly short, typical of most MP-centric games these days. Veteran difficulty was also rather easy by Call of Duty standards, so those looking for a true challenge aren't going to find what they want.
Extinction: Clearly in the spirit of Zombies, Extinction mode has you bring drills to various points and defend against alien attacks. You have money to spend, as well as skill points to upgrade certain abilities, and you can customize a loadout with a surprising level of variation. Unlike Zombies, you can take many hits before going down, and even have a health bar to keep tabs on. Extinction is more about the struggle to truly defend a position, rather than forming a conga line for as long as possible. As someone who had always hoped that Zombies would become more of a defensive game, this is a vastly superior mode as far as I'm concerned. Extinction is heavily focused on teamwork, and there's a great sense of progression and accomplishment. The aliens are varied and different ones are more dangerous at different times. It's simply a great new addition, and I hope the almost inevitable sequel will continue expanding on it.
Safeguard: While not a particularly dedicated mode, it's one most will probably miss due to its inclusion is Squads mode, which is basically a way to fight with and against customized bots. In essence, it's a smaller version of Survival mode from Modern Warfare 3. Money no longer exists, and random drops are where you'll find new weapons, perks, and killstreaks. It's entertaining, but it's unlikely to be something you'll spend a lot of time on. You do however, get multiplayer experience for playing, so that may be an incentive for some.
Multiplayer:
The bulk of your time playing Ghosts will almost certainly be here. As such, there are many factors to take into consideration. For one, a variant of the Pick 10 system is returning. Perks now have values from 1-5. Primary and secondary weapons, as well as lethal and tactical grenades now all take up 1 point. Soldier customization has also been included. Balance is tough to peg down at this point, but Call of Duty games are consistently tweaked throughout the year. At the moment, a handful of perks and weapons are a little too good/too weak. Danger Close has made a return, but worry not, it's nowhere near Modern Warfare 2-level, and with the continued inclusion of Blast Shield, it has a counter. Overall, nothing major stands out in terms of balance issues.
Hit detection is also fairly solid, with around-the-corner deaths being far less common. Weapon variety is high, with several weapons having integrated attachments like Laser Sights and Silencers. Perks are numerous, although some are so specialized that their use is limited at best. Killstreaks have dropped in number, but many are completely new. The ability to call in an AI with a Riot Shield is my current favorite. Movement is also far smoother than it used to be, particularly with mantling/vaulting, and the inclusion of leaning is integrated well.
Things sound pretty good at this point, but there are two critical problems. For one, the maps. To put it lightly, they're bloody massive. Even the smallest maps would be considered fairly large by Call of Duty standards. While the comparisons to Battlefield are greatly exaggerated, they're still far too big for Call of Duty's arcade-style shooting. In addition, they're also very cluttered, leading to a vastly increased number of suitable camping spots. It's a shame, because many look good, such as the map with a broken down castle with smaller houses and fields of grass extending outwards. An occasional map of this size is acceptable, but making them exclusively a comparable size is ludicrous.
The second problem is bad on its own, and infuriating when coupled with the first. The spawns. The spawns in this game are among the worst in Call of Duty history, and as someone who has been playing them online since they first existed, that's saying something. Now, I said that this situation was worsened when coupled with large map design, but how can that be? Surely more space allows for better spawns. Well, apparently not. It has not been uncommon to spend ten to fifteen seconds of running, only to die, and end up spawning literally- and unlike most people, I mean the proper meaning of the word literally - in someone else's crosshairs 10 feet away from them. My current record is being shot in the back 4 consecutive times within two seconds of spawning. Can this all be tweaked? Absolutely. Will it? It remains to be seen. At the moment, it's horrible, so be prepared if you're planning on buying this game soon.
Conclusion and Summary----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call of Duty: Ghosts will appeal to existing fans, and continues to do what it does well. However, those who hate Call of Duty with a passion will not be swayed in the slightest by the newest iteration.
Pros:
-High level of customization variety
-Pick 10 returns
-Extinction is fantastic
-Enjoyable campaign elements
-New movement fits well
Cons:
-Unsuitable map design
-Terrible spawns
-Weak storytelling and character development
-Safeguard is an afterthought
-Feeling of sameness