Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare review

For the first time in years, I like a Call of Duty game. I’ve been absent from the series for some time now. I played my friends’ copies of the last two entries in the franchise, and I found them unworthy of my hard-earned dollar. There was just nothing that stood out to me, and I grew tired of the tired Call of Duty tropes that were brought out year after year.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare effectively changed that, bringing with it the best campaign mode the franchise has seen since Modern Warfare. The effort Sledgehammer Games has put into the campaign and story really pays off.

First and foremost, this is still a Call of Duty game. If you didn’t like the fast-paced shooting action and in-your-face explosions from years past, you’re not going to like this one. That said, if you used to like Call of Duty and didn't enjoy the direction of the past few games (like me) then I’d give this one a try. The direction of the weaponry and how wars might play out in the future is stylish, creative and, well, kind of scary. It introduces not only new weaponry into the game, but exosuits — an exoskeleton support system that, depending on which you’re wearing, grants the user some special abilities. Every soldier in this future setting has one, and the ability you’ll use the most is boosting. You can fall from high up and slowly lower yourself down by boosting, or you can boost left or right to avoid fire, but the best one is the double jump. It gets used a lot, and it takes some getting used to, but it’s something that you’ll have to master. While exoskeletons and double-jumps/boosts are nothing new to first-person shooters (Titanfall and Crysis come to mind), they’re implemented well here, and it doesn’t change the Call of Duty gameplay that fans of the series have come to love.

The exosuit and new means of movement have obviously helped shape both the campaign and multiplayer. The maps encourage the boosting and double-jumps, adding more verticality to the gameplay. All of the levels in the campaign are diverse in both actions and environment. There’s a good amount of stealth in there, some nice vehicular sequences, and environments ranging from an abandoned Detroit overgrown with plant life, to urban environments, to mansions, and to Antarctica. There’s a good amount of maneuverability during the gun fights, as well. The campaign, of course, features plenty of explosions and slow motion events — it wouldn’t be a Call of Duty game without those, but overall the campaign keeps the action coming in a way that actually had my heart racing a few times. And I experienced a jump scare or two. Unfortunately, Sledgehammer must’ve gotten the Activision memo on how to end a Call of Duty game, because it feels all too familiar.

Much was made of the addition of Kevin Spacey to the game, and it does not disappoint. I think Kevin Spacey is an excellent actor and love everything he’s done with House of Cards. While his character in Advanced Warfare is like others he has recently done, he doesn’t phone it in (unlike a certain Lannister in Destiny). The story actually depicts a realistic landscape of private militaries and the route things might go in the future. There is a sense of urgency once the truth starts to unfold, and it never really lets up. The characters of soldiers that you’ll roll into combat with (and even your character, Mitchell, portrayed by Troy Baker) are excellent, too. My only complaint about the story would be that the resolution to the conflict felt a bit rushed, and emotional connections to the characters are kind of hard to make. Also, at times the AI and pathing can get a bit wonky.

The campaign took me about six to seven hours, and that’s without finding all of the Intelligence to fully upgrade my exosuit. It keeps things moving along and doesn’t overstay its welcome. There’s reason to replay if you want to go back and finish all of the challenges; each challenge (like every 100 kills, or finding Intelligence in the levels) grants you an upgrade point at certain milestones. You use those to upgrade your exoskeleton, like reducing recoil, taking less damage and sprinting longer. Overall, I really liked the story — it’s the best in years — and the campaign was enjoyable when I expected otherwise. That’s high praise for a Call of Duty game, and I’m hoping that Sledgehammer can take the next step forward and make the campaign great.

Multiplayer in Call of Duty has always been a mixed bag for me, but I understand how some people are addicted to it. The multiplayer in Advanced Warfare is affected by the exosuit, and it’s up to each player whether that’s a good or bad thing. Like I already mentioned, the maps are more vertical. There’s no safe spot to be found, and death can come from any angle. The maps play right into the double jump and movement of the soldiers. It’s very fast-paced and you’ll find yourself aiming in directions you’re not used to as you boost over an enemy or try to hit one jumping over you.

The Pick 10 system now gives 13 points, so there’s more customization in your loadouts. The exosuit allows you to choose new abilities and perks like cloaking, enhanced healing and an energy shield — all of which run off of a battery that resets when you die. The thing is, I rarely found myself using these exosuit abilities, and they kind of get lost in your loadout and the chaotic matches. The best part of putting together a new loadout and experimenting with weapons and attachments is the firing range. No longer do you put together a kit with a weapon you’ve never used and hope for the best in-match. During intermission between games, you press a button and are taken to a virtual firing range so you can test out the weapon and see if it suits you. There’s also the Combat Readiness Program in the multiplayer menu, which makes multiplayer matches more inviting for those that don’t enjoy the stress or toxicity that can sometimes accompany it. No gamertags are shown, everyone is marked as friendly or enemy, there’s a mix of players and bots on both sides to put together killstreaks, scores don’t show deaths, and voice chat is disabled.

Even with the boosting and double-jumping now in multiplayer, there’s still a good amount of camping; some of my matches came to a stand-still as neither side wanted to move from their camping spots. I also experienced a fair amount of lag during the matches I’ve played, including a couple of matches that just ended and sent everyone back to the multiplayer menu.

Visually, this is the most impressive Call of Duty game yet. Character models are great, the rendering is terrific (even if Spacey is a little dead in the eyes… eyes are tough), and every explosion is like a Christmas gift for your senses. The design of the weapons, armor and environments are beautiful. The only way I can describe it is eye candy. What really takes the cake are the sounds in the game. My god — every gun sounds like a symphony of deadly destruction. Seriously, the guns sound awesome and unique. The voice acting is top-notch as well.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare may have borrowed some ideas from other franchises, but they’re implemented in a way that works within the boundaries of the franchise. If you’ve never liked Call of Duty, Advanced Warfare won’t change your mind, but it should bring back former fans of the series. With an emphasis on the campaign (that paid off), the Spacey effect, gorgeous visuals, and fast-paced action, this is the best Call of Duty game in years, but it still has room to grow.

Reviewed on Xbox One with provided copy from Activision.