Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is here!
Another year, another Call of Duty...but based on the review, it seems this year's installment has done enough to revitalized the tired CoD formula.
I went in with renewed hope and the outcome was mixed. The graphical overhaul designed for the current gen consoles shows up nicely during the campaign and some of the cutscenes were very well done. In-game though, the framerate of the singleplayer campaign is not consistent with noticeable slowdowns at various points in the game.
This years single player campaign lasts for about 6-8 hours depending on how you fare. Kevin Spacey delivered a top-notch performance, though some might say he just did a digital version of Frank Underwood. The campaign missions are slightly varied, peppered with some new varieties seldom seen in a CoD game. Some of the missions that stood out were stealth infiltration, hoverbike driving sequence, movie-inspired highway action, sniper drone mission and a frustrating spycam recon mission. Although the addition of the exo suits lends itself to more variety in movement, it is sadly missing in the single player campaign as the mission loadouts are hardwired for you. Story-wise, while more coherent compared to some of the recent instalments, is linear and too predictable.
So, multiplayer, is where it is at...but unfortunately, Activision/SledgeHammer games did not deliver on their promises of dedicated server. The game can't even deliver an hour of stable game session without dropping out several times. The networking code of the game also seems to matchmake unsuitable players together, adding lag and bullet detection problems to the mix.
It seems that Call of Duty Advanced Warfare is my final straw. Call of Duty Ghosts last year didn't impress me but this years installment makes it even worse than before. Twitch shooting with the comically fast movements further accentuated by the exo suits special ability and poor netcode, makes the whole thing feels fake and not even fun. Deaths in the game becomes so cheap, as most of the time you die because someone just sits and waited for you to appear at the doorway or someone runs behind you.
There, I have put my copy of COD:AW for sale to someone who can better appreciate it. I experienced it and I sure hope I won't be tricked into buying another Call of Duty next year.
