So here it is, it’s that time of year again when the shelves of our local video game retailers, dashboards of our consoles and almost every other advertising space imaginable are splattered with Call-of-goddamn-Duty. This time it’s from those brilliant minds at Infinity Ward, the brain boxes behind the better installments in the franchise, yeah I went there. Ghosts is the result of several years of development, extensive focus group testing and a stale franchise trying to break out all the bells and whistles to try and look good on the next generation consoles. The real question is: has Infinity Ward performed miracle CPR on a series suffering from chronic cardiac arrest or left it spluttering in the corner whilst Activision bathe themselves in hundred dollar bills?
Set in an alternative timeline, Ghosts focuses on South America, which has grown into a superpower known as the Federation, and its enduring conflict with North America. The opening act of the game sees you take control of a space station astronaut who works on ODIN, an orbital weapon that fires rods to the Earth’s surface with devastating results. Federation forces attack the space station and the astronaut suddenly develops excellent firearms expertise in a dramatic slow-motion-zero-gravity shootout. You’re overpowered and the Federation fire upon North America, leveling huge expanses of the country leaving it looking more like the environments seen in Crysis 3 than anything else. This scene sets the tone beautifully and is one of the most ambitious (and illogical) openings to a game I’ve ever experienced.
Down on the ground you usually possess the torso of lovable mute, Logan Walker. Whilst in Walker’s boots Ghost’s sees you seek to win the war against the Federation with the help of the Special Ops forces from which the game takes its title. These guys are the best of the best with an almost mythical reputation. What else would you expect from a CoD game? An unknown force associated with the Federation is hunting members of the team and it’s down to you to catch the killer and ultimately save America. Whilst the story itself is the recycled all-American mumbo jumbo we’ve come to love to hate in all Call of Duty releases, the gameplay more than makes up for just about everything.
Little additions to movement mechanics like new ways to scale ledges, sliding instead of that ridiculous dolphin dive and an even quicker knife attack all play their part in the enjoyment of Ghosts but the highlights are where Infinity Ward have noticeable flexed their imaginations. Almost every level has some kind of deployable weapon or machine that adds a whole new dynamic to the gameplay. One mission you’re using a remote 50.cal to wipe out a room before you breach, another time you’re calling in a squad of drones to wipe out resistance on a beach front. They’ve taken all the special moments from almost every Modern Warfare game and mashed them all together like some kind of magical milkshake. It’s not often a game is this exhilarating, especially when it’s an annual franchise like Call of Duty.
Maybe that’s half the issue. Expectations for the franchise have been inconceivably low, as have first week sales, however this is arguably the best Call of Duty I’ve ever played and one of the few Single Player campaigns I’ve played through twice in a CoD game. It seems like Ghosts was an ace hidden up Infinity Ward’s sleeve that they’ve been just dying to deal. The hype was certainly there, Microsoft have shoved the title down our throats at every opportune moment, especially at the Xbox One announcment where they bragged about the newly animated hands which frankly I don’t see, especially as you’re wearing gloves for 75% of the game.
Nonetheless, graphically it’s a strong title. Not quite the step up you’d expect from a game that’s supposed to be being ported to the next-gen but definitely in possession of some progress. Lighting is the main advancement, which is really quite immersive, albeit rather overused. Other graphical aspects like fire and concrete are still underwhelmingly rendered when you consider how much they’re used but things are usually too fast paced for you to give two hoots, who stares at a wall in Call of Duty anyway, right? Missions like the underwater or space assaults show how ambitious Ghosts really is with whole new physics engines being employed to successfully make you feel the difference in gameplay. Bullets are less effective underwater whilst rapid movements send you miles in space.
I’m also yet to mention Riley, the canine companion that was set to “make you feel something” in a CoD game. Riley is downright brilliant. Not only are you able to synch with him, allowing Logan to navigate him through enemy infested areas or to clear out a room, he’s also able to order him to attack enemies mid-combat. This varies combat like never before, you can focus on the main square whilst Riley goes off and chows down on the sniper’s face. They were right too, you do get attached to the little guy, probably thanks to heartwarming cut scenes where you pat him on the head and such. Unfortunately Riley plays an extremely small role in the game, making an appearance in only a several missions. Something they kept fairly quiet during the build up.
Even though the single player campaign is notoriously short (a solid 6 hours if you take the scenic routes) it’s actually the perfect length. Just before missions get repetitive or strenuous, they end. Nothing outstays its welcome, in fact it all feels orchestrated to start and end at all the right moments. The story plays out with twists that won’t shatter your sense of existence but provide the odd gasp here and there. Then there’s always the task of completing the game on Veteran, which, as always, will make you despise your console, Infinity Ward and inevitably yourself.
Ghosts isn’t something fresh and new, in fact, it’s the same ingredients mixed up in a different way, but it’s still fantastic. It displays ambition that the franchise has lacked since the first Modern Warfare and gives me so much hope for the franchise and its time on the next-generation consoles. The space and underwater missions are testament to this ambition whilst everything in-between shows that running into a room and killing everybody is a million times better when you’re wearing a poorly painted hockey mask.
Later in the week I’ll be reviewing the Multiplayer modes of Call of Duty: Ghosts including Extinction and Squads mode. What did you think of Ghosts? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and remember to add your own rating at the top!
Reviewed on PS3 – Review copy supplied by Activision
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