Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Review

The latest annual release of highly acclaimed fast paced first person shooter is upon us.
Call of Duty Advanced WarfareCall of Duty Advanced Warfare
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare

We knew it would happen eventually but the Call of Duty franchise makes its way far into the future where soldiers are equipped with Exo-skeletal suits and drones patrol the skies. With Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Sledgehammer Games and Activision have made some significant changes to the series in the hope to revitalize it by adding new graphics, new abilities, a whole new story with new characters and more. Does it succeed? Or is it just another Call of Duty?

Advanced Warfare introduces a whole new story with new characters. Gone are the infamous Soap Mctavish and Captain Price but they are replaced by Private Jack Mitchell, played by Troy Baker, and Jonathan Irons who is played by none other than Kevin Spacey. You are Private Mitchell who enlists with a new private military company called Atlas who is owned by Jonathan Irons after a tragedy in the battlefield saw Irons’ son Will killed in action and your left arm severed causing you to be discharged from the military. Atlas have the biggest and best army thanks to its reliance on next generation technology but things go from good to bad when you and your squad mates discover there is more to Irons’ agenda. The story is fantastic and all actors, more significantly Spacey, play a blinder. I was hooked as, just like other Call of Duty campaigns, Advanced Warfare’s campaign is a high octane roller-coaster ride from start to finish and it is one game I didn’t want to end. Included in AW’s story is the ability to level up your abilities such as quick aim, sprint and increase your grenades capacity by gaining XP which earns you ability points to spend.

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The game-play is Call of Duty through and through. Fast and frantic first person action at a solid 60 frames per second; it feels just as great as ever. The big changes in Advanced Warfare however come with the Exo Suits. These things allow you to double jump and boost in any direction as well as hover to ease your decent from high up. You also have Exo abilities which range from cloaking which turns you invisible temporarily to your own riot shield. The Exo Suits and their abilities are game changers and significant ones at that, especially in Call of Duty’s outstanding multiplayer modes.

Call of Duty Advanced WarfareCall of Duty Advanced Warfare
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare

Multiplayer in Advanced Warfare has changed for the better thanks to the Exo suits and the return of some things that have been missed since Modern Warfare 3. The ability to double jump and boost adds a whole new level to any game mode as it opens up more options during a gunfight. This unrestricted game-play direction makes every match more balanced and offers endless amount of hiding places and vantage points. It has completely revamped the whole experience and it has completely resurrected my love for the franchise. Another old flame of mine was my quest to unlock as many calling cards and emblems as possible by completing challenges spanning weapons, Exo abilities and kill streaks. I loved it and was excited to see it back again. Another return to the franchise is the Pick 10 system from Black Ops 2 only this time it’s Pick 13. This means you can fully customize a load-out that’s ideal for your playing style. Want to have a weapon of mass destruction? It’ll cost you perks or grenades. Want more perks to make you into a silent ninja? Then it’ll cost you your secondary weapon or your grenades. The choice is yours and it’s this that makes it balanced and fair. Survival mode comes in Co-op form in Exo Survival which is a standard game mode which sees you and up to 3 others fight off waves of increasing amount of enemies and Zombies are unlocked upon completion.

All of the classic multiplayer modes return such as Team Death match, Kill confirmed and Domination as well as new additions such as Uplink. Uplink is similar to a game of football. Teams fight for control of an orb which must be either taken to or thrown to a virtual goal. It is a brilliant addition and adds an impressive degree of variety and teamwork possibilities. There is the small changes too which adds balance and fairness like explosive damage decreased for a few seconds at the start of a match, grenades are bouncier and score streaks are more varied. Supply drops can be earned too which is similar to the battle packs seen in Battlefield 4 which grants you new equipment or minor advantages during matches. The whole multiplayer experience has been revamped and revitalised thanks to the changes mentioned and I can’t stop playing, well done Sledgehammer.

The entire game looks breath-taking. From detail going as far as visible pores on the skin to amazing water effects and anti-aliasing, it never failed to impress. Jaw dropping and striking throughout the entire single player campaign and it even passes on over to the multiplayer modes. Maps are designed just right for a fair match based on locations found in the single player campaign and the detail in each one is astounding although you won’t care much due to the fast paced murder fest going on in front of your eyes.

Summary

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Advanced Warfare is the best Call of duty game yet thanks to its fantastic campaign, compelling story full of Hollywood stars and one of the best multiplayer experiences found on a game console. The graphics on next generation consoles are out of this world and each of the significant changes to them and the game-play are more than enough to revitalise the franchise.

Story - 5/5

Graphics - 5/5

Game-play - 5/5

Overall - 5/5

Version Reviewed - PlayStation 4