Call Of Duty: Ghosts

Hate it or love it, Call of Duty will always be respected for redefining FPS games, transforming the multiplayer experience on consoles since the release of 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' six years ago. Setting the benchmark means the series and gamers now know what to expect but knowing what to expect is not always good… right?

It suddenly begins to feel like the Call of Duty series never moves forward from its previous glory, holding onto the ‘if its not broken, don’t fix it’ approach, and its not any different with 'Call of Duty: Ghosts'.

The campaign offers an action-packed blockbuster storyline that takes place a few years after a massive event reduces the United States to rubble. The remainder of the nation's 'Special Operations' forces, a mysterious group aptly named 'The Ghosts', fight a newly emerged technologically superior global power in order to survive.

Though it is a storyline that would make most action gamer’s water at the mouth, the execution is somewhat disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the explosions, the shootouts and the farfetched escapes that we’ve learnt to love from the series but the campaign feels very linear, only enjoyable for those who choose not to ask any questions.

Who am I kidding? A large percentage of players never purchase Call Of Duty for its campaign; it’s all about the multiplayer. There are many new additions to the multiplayer, including ‘Create A Soldier’ which finally
allows you to personalise your online character appearance to your liking. There are also new game modes including ‘Cranked’ and ‘Search and Rescue’, which adds an exciting new dimension to the experience.

Besides other new features such as ‘Squads’ mode and the new points system, they have merely tweaked the fundamentals effectively and stuck to what they are best at delivering: a fast paced, aggressive and direct shootout.

Once again, this is perfect for the COD faithful, but may be criticised by those who are looking for more than ‘what to expect’. Nonetheless, the multiplayer still offers hours of exciting and satisfying gameplay, simply
pleasing the crowd rather than blowing them away.

Then, there is the brand new mode ‘Extinction’ in which you must fight wave after wave of aliens, set a nuke at the end and run back to the extraction point in time to escape the imminent explosion. It’s a fun alternative to
the 'COD: Zombies' mode, though it still pretty much feels the same without the effectiveness. Its Call of Duty’s answer to 'Gears Of War: Horde'.

Overall, 'Call Of Duty: Ghosts' does what it says on the tin. It sticks to the fundamentals that are present within the Call of Duty series, and while changes to the multiplayer are more effective, it does not change the gameplay a great deal. Ghosts is far from being labelled a disappointment with is spectacular visuals and gripping storyline, but rather than defining a new experience as the series once did six years ago, its seems
like its just one to add to your Call of Duty collection.