Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Simply throwing a robot suit onto Call of Duty could have been a lazy path to making Advanced Warfare seem different from what we’ve played before, but the way Sledgehammer has integrated its enhanced abilities and choices into every aspect of how we fight went above and beyond. By designing the levels in the campaign, co-op, and multiplayer to facilitate those new mechanics, Advanced Warfare is granted a weight and importance that changes how the fast-paced shooting action feels in all three modes. This is a Call of Duty game to its core, but one that rehashes as little as possible while stil...

At the heart of Advanced Warfare is the exoskeleton and all of the possibilities it opens up, transforming the way that you get around amidst the futuristic setting. Yet it delivers on many more levels too, from a compelling story and cast of characters to the graphics and the vast array of options for multiplayer character and loadout customisation. Sledgehammer have shown that there’s life in the long-running series yet, and thrown down the gauntlet to Treyarch and Infinity Ward.

Let’s face it, Call of Duty: Ghosts was a massive let down for the franchise. Featuring a less than stellar single player campaign and more of the same old multiplayer, Ghosts was not only met with some lukewarm review scores but the blockbuster franchise also took an uppercut in the chops when it came to the overall sales figures. It was the first time in three years Call of Duty failed to shatter sales records. Fans and critics alike heavily criticized the game for its lack of innovation while strictly pandering to all those ‘Call of Duty Dude Bros’. This is nothing new for the franchise as ...

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare adds new life with movement and graphics, but falls short on sound design and story.

“Sledgehammer Games finds freshness in familiar territory, delivering the best Call of Duty game in years.”

Exo-Men: Days of Future Soldiers.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare plays it a little too safe with the campaign, but it feels like a real core entry in the series, and will please fans who are jaded after last year’s release. While Treyarch is still the king of Call of Duty in my eyes, Sledgehammer Games has shown itself to be more than capable of taking over with its debut entry. Infinity Ward is now the odd man out.

Set around 40 years from now, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare attempts to show us a world that's more reliant on technology than ever. It's a fictional period that has its roots in reality, and it's a premise that's relatively believable. While armies and private military corporations with access to walking tanks and hulking mech suits isn't a shocking departure from the franchise's norm, there's a definite sense that developer Sledgehammer Games is trying to shake things up a little. The question is: does the studio succeed?

Again, it's worth highlighting that those who were looking for Call of Duty to be more like its competitors or to completely change its identity will find no such drastic changes here. Rather, Sledgehammer Games has taken a near future setting and used that to bolster combat, mode selection, and story in ways that make Call of Duty exciting again.

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Is Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare more of the same? It depends on how you look at it. Those who are burnt out on the series won't be magically converted to the church of Call of Duty with this game, but those who are loyal to the series will no doubt enjoy the new tweaks the future has in store.

This review pertains to Xbox One version, the PS4 version can be found over here