Advanced Warfare presents the biggest step forward for Call of Duty since… well, let’s be honest, the last one. As the series strives to reinvent itself annually, it’s become increasingly sci-fi-influenced. This year’s entry is set in the 2050s, a time when soldiers rumble into conflict wearing exoskeletons, lay down silencer mines and can shoot highlighted targets through walls. It is, frankly, one step away from being Crysis.
However, developer Sledgehammer has actually succeeded in making the series feel fresh. It’s still CoD, with all its heavy-handed statements on the nature of war and the role of the soldier playing out through its story campaign, but the new exo-driven abilities – enhanced leaps, boosts, shields, cloaking and more – allow an escalation of scale. Even in single-player, the sense of power is an improvement on Ghosts.
The exo-suits also dramatically change the experience in multiplayer. Bouts are faster and feel more evenly matched. It’s no longer just about pinpoint accuracy, but how well you can balance gun skill with your suite of exo-powers. Yet for all the additions, the core equation of CoD remains unchanged. The new features aren’t new to shooters, only to this particular franchise. A great progression, then, but a safe one.
