In the gaming world the Call of Duty franchise is a huge seller which has seen many impressive facelifts, but has the latest offering progressed enough?
The worlds they’ve depicted have ranged from World War II to futuristic apocalyptic wastelands and they have given gamers across most platforms an extremely immersive story line as well as fast paced and hugely addictive multiplayer action. This latest incarnation finds a world which is no longer held together by governments and their own armies but by the Atlas Corporation owned by Jeremy Irons – played by the impeccable Kevin Spacey (House of Cards).
This ‘superpower for hire’ (Irons’ words not mine) ventures into war torn lands to rebuild the infrastructure and security, then allows the occupants to live in ‘peace’. The irony isn’t lost on me however lets not forget that the entire game is a first person shooter hell-bent on conflict!
Once again the game itself is beautifully designed and written. I tested this on the Xbox One and the next generation graphics made it a truly wonderful sight to behold; the detail on soldiers movement and facial expressions was incredible. The cut-scenes were like something straight out of Hollywood too when the action, or mission, requires a little more insight.
The villainous Jeremy Irons played by Kevin Spacey (House of Cards).
Irons is portrayed in great depth and detail, Kevin Spacey is a true Bond-esque super villain with world domination almost in the palm of his hand but for the battle hardened Sentinel outfit sent to stop him. I won’t give anymore away than that as it is a very cleverly written narrative that will certainly hold your attention until you’ve got every available achievement under your belt. A really fun introduction for Advanced Warfare is also the new EXO system, a mechanised external power suit that gives your soldier almost super human capabilities. You can double jump in mid air, dash forward or even slam down on your opponents from above and squashing them – cruelly satisfying.
I couldn’t talk about a new Call Of Duty game without mentioning the latest changes to the multiplayer game mode, which is once again impressive and epic. Spread across a range of modes varying from a straight-up free-for-all to an enormous ‘Ground War’ that can include up 24 players at one time, that figure is still well short of what Battlefield is capable of but then it is in my opinion something completely different. There’s plenty of class customisation for your soldier too, with up to 13 customisable slots you can add weapons, perks and EXO skills.
Another major draw is the ever popular Zombies mode. Advanced Warfare again gives its own unique twist with Exo Zombies, available for download with one of the add-on packs. Take control of one of four survivors of the Manticore bioweapon attack and see how long you can survive in a small town packed with hoards of rather ravenous members of the undead. There are so many varying kinds of zombies too, from electric zombies that shut down your EXO suit, toxic zombies to infect and eventually kill you and even a rather impressive goliath armour zombie boss armed with rockets and a giant metal mace… and did I mention that most of them now have their own EXO suits?
More maps will be added but the current two had more than enough to keep me occupied, attempting to complete the various easter eggs hidden – I came one step shy of completion before a server error occurred which resulted in a controller being launched across the room!
So it’s another instalment of a well recycled game format and the jet packs are a bit of a rip off from Titanfall but it’s a formula that works. Great gameplay, beautiful graphics and a nice change of pace equals one addictive, winning war game.
Author: Andrew, Weybridge store
WARNING: PEGI 18+
