Call of Duty: Ghosts

“Although it follows the same formula, ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ offers a few refreshing changes.”

As I looked over Activision’s ‘Destiny’ and ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ booths at E3 this year one thing jumped out and slapped me in the face: Destiny hauled in a crap load of E3 awards while Ghosts had none.  Not one award at E3.  Okay, maybe one award for “best use of a dog in a game”, but when it comes to somewhat meaningful awards Ghosts was goose egged at the show.  How could this be?  How could a billion dollar franchise get shut out like this?  This was puzzling as I found the Ghosts demo impressive with some of those fancy next generation Call of Duty visuals on display.  Yet everyone seem...

Let slip the dogs of war.

If you’ve come to love Call of Duty over the years, this game delivers what you are accustomed to. If you’ve been put off by it in the past, Ghosts probably isn’t going to reel you back in.

An addictive multiplayer and an improvement in gameplay mechanics are the only support structures keeping the series up high.

Call of Duty is once again, Call of Duty. From that sentence alone you’re likely to know whether there’s anything here for you or not. The series has become this behemoth blockbuster that somehow has nearly as many people that despise its existence as it has die-hard fans. To some, the proposition of “on-rails” first-person shooting is too limited, but to others, it’s the perfect outlet to turn off your brain and let this rollercoaster take you for a ride. Call of Duty: Ghosts is a finely-tuned game that offers loads of quality entertainment for those interested, it just isn't reinventing the ...

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Ghosts fails to stand up to its competition with a lackluster campaign, lousy graphics and the same old multiplayer.

So, while the game looks the best Call of Duty ever has, it also carries too many flaws to make it a must-have title for next-gen console owners, or casual Call of Duty fans for that matter. Die-hards will still log countless hours, but long-time detractors will finally have new ground from which to criticize the franchise.

Contrary to the old saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Black Ops II demonstrated that with style. Ghosts, however, is a dog that simply doesn’t want to change. It knows what it is, and sticks with it. It would be a respectable endeavor, if it didn’t lead to such an underwhelming and predictable little product. What a sleepy, sleepy dog.

For a multiplayer shooter, framerate consistency is paramount. Given its relative visual parity with the PS4 release, Call of Duty: Ghosts is a more playable, slightly superior (albeit disappointing) game on Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Ghosts does a good job on all accounts. The single player eventually goes in a direction which I liked and enjoyed, while the multiplayer holds onto what it does best, with a few tweaks to the formula. It even manages to straddle the generational divide quite well, even though the current machines suffer badly in comparison.