For years, Call of Duty has been one of the go-to franchises for first person shooting, selling millions of copies with each new release. It helps that it has the best multiplayer in the business, along with enjoyable single player campaigns. The latest entry in the series, Ghosts, is no exception, with a compelling new mission that has you battling terrorists.
This time around, Infinity Ward added more diversity. You’ll still have plenty of run and gun action, but some new features have been added to keep things interesting. We had a chance to check these out with a recent behind-the-scenes demo that highlighted two key stages.
Shortly following tech footage from the game’s new engine – which was specifically modified to take advantage of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 technology – we checked out the first of the two stages. Titled “No Man’s Land,” it has you teaming with a fellow soldier along with a loyal dog by the name of Riley. This is no picnic, however – Riley has been trained to be as lethal as the soldiers. He doesn’t go chasing Frisbees.
After making our way around a small cliff side and entering an enemy gate, the action changed to Riley’s point-of-view. The player controlled his actions using an in-game digital tablet, which sent signals through his collar indicating where he should go. When needed, a “kill” command could be given, which enabled Riley to take out an enemy by lunging at his neck.
Following that segment, we were back in control of the foot soldier, setting up an ambush inside a nearby farmhouse. This soldier took position on the side of the entry doors, with his partner opposite him and Riley working his way inside. It went off without a hitch, as the guards rushed out while Riley chased them off, allowing us a few precious seconds to gun them down.
That concluded the first part of the demo, leading into the second, titled “Into the Deep.” In this stage, you’re underwater alongside your compatriots, slowly swimming your way through sunken ships en route to the objective. At first it’s a moderately casual swim, as you keep your water-modified gun that shoots bullets at rapid speed on stand-by. However, after a couple of minutes the action picks up, with a mine exploding underwater and your team forced to take cover.
As a ship arrived overhead, you receive the order to take it out with a mini torpedo. After activating and sending it off, you’ll once again switch back to a tablet, where you can guide it all the way to the destination – the hull of the ship. After that, your player must scamper to cover while staying in one piece.
Your player is eventually recovered by your partner, but soon after a structure comes crashing down. From there, an enemy patrol made up of several divers appears, shooting bullets in your general direction. Sadly, this is where the demo ended.
Even though what we saw was brief and offered no hints to the multiplayer portion of the series, Call of Duty: Ghosts looks fantastic. The swimming segment offers something new, particularly its underwater combat. The dog control seems cool as well, as it’s not often you get the opportunity to take down enemies with a dog bite.
While both “No Man’s Land” and “Into the Deep” look impressive, they were point-A-to-point-B, where your player simply followed commands. We’re not sure if all the levels will be like that. At least the shooting action is good – and that underwater gun is really something special.
Call of Duty: Ghosts will arrive November 5th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, and Xbox One and PlayStation 4 shortly thereafter.
