Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Review

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Review ~ Feel the Power

Advanced warfare has catapulted the Call of Duty series far ahead. It has gone a great deal to rejuvenate the entire series. From the utterly stunning visions of the future to the cybernetically enhanced soldiers, this particular title from Sledgehammer games is the biggest and most successful departure from what’s expected of a Call of Duty game, which has now been delivered. The game hasn’t discarded the fast-paced gameplay, the excellent and smooth run-and-gun but instead has taken it and stuck to the idea that mobility is what makes an excellent game. This version of the Call of Duty series feels faster, fluid and more focused than any other Call of Duty game I have ever played.

The theme of Advanced Warfare focuses on the futuristic reflections of real-world issues like development of new weapons of mass destruction, a dysfunctional government, growing power of private corporations and most important of all, American interventionism. What’s actually scary about all this is that it may be a made-up storyline, but genuinely, there happens to be a certain layer of truth beneath it all.

The story focuses on two main characters, Private Jack Mitchell, a strong-willed soldier who is dangerous but loyal and Jonathan Irons, the CEO of ATLAS, the private military corporation focused more on policy than power. Jonathan Irons played by Academy Award Actor, Kevin Spacey exuberates unwavering confidence and has the kind of charisma which makes him the kind of bad guy you just can’t hate. It is not only the character performances that make this game great but what brings the game to life is some of the best animations and character models I have ever seen in a very long time. On the next generation console, I was able to see the pores, hair and creases on the characters faces. This displays the level of details added to the game, which makes it possible for the players to assess a situation just by being able to look at the facial expressions of each character.

Not to spoil anything about the story, but Advanced Warfare has to be commended on the kind of risks it has taken with how its campaign plays out. I must say, it is a huge success for the folks at Sledgehammer Games. But, this is still a Call of Duty game so you can expect the stereotypical follow the guy in front of your missions. The levels are linear just like the previous games but adding variety to spice up these linear levels has added to my interest towards the game. Every level comes with a unique gadget upgrade like for example you can sonic stun your enemies thus helping you target larger groups or another time when drones suddenly pop up to attack you. You can take control of an attack drone to clear out areas festering with enemies thus helping you clear a path while throwing a ‘smart grenade’ which by itself can find its way towards an enemy combatant.

Other gadgets like a grapple hook can help you play cat and mouse with the enemies while in one level you get to drive a hover tank making you feel almost invincible. The incredible level designs have shocked and awed me at levels unimaginable. But not all the missions in the game have a linear perspective. In one of the games stealth level, the players are given complete freedom of choice as to how they want to approach their objectives. I preferred to grapple my way through rooftops, sneaking through bushes and stealth killing guards. The stealth mechanics are good to play with and I am happy to say that Call of Duty made me feel like a real badass.

It’s not only the missions that awed me but the arsenal was also far too impressive. With a variety of great looking, sounding and functioning weapons, its safe to say that these amazing weapons get the job done with ease. There are a few standout weapons like a Threat Grenade which immediately highlights all enemies in the nearby area or the high powered weapons which fire lasers cutting through armor. Adding to these are a wide variety of attachments for your weapons which turn them into a fast firing monster.

The one problem, however, was that I did not have access to all exo suit abilities in every campaign levels which made me feel like a bit of a cripple. But this is not the case as far as multi-player was concerned. Multi-player gives you full access to all your abilities thus helping you feel like you have an edge over the other players. The multi-player functions smoothly and there are really no complaints about it.

The Verdict

The folks at Sledgehammer haven’t been lazy as far as making the game or designing the levels have gone. This happens to be the best Call of Duty game I have played and with the integrated abilities and enhancements, the game functions on a whole different level. This is a Call of Duty game all the way to the core and the developers have played completely to their strengths while retaining the basics of course. I rate the game a 9.6 out of 10.

(Reviewed on the PlayStation 4)

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3
Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Publisher: Activision-Blizzard (ATVI)
Released: November 4th, 2014
Price: For current price, check the links below
Rating: 9.6/10

Friends, what are your views about the game ‘Call of Duty Advanced Warfare’? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Subscribe to our Newsletter (Subscribe option available on this page) to get latest updates from Telecom Panda in your email. Also please share this post on various social media networks.

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare is available here :
Snapdeal
Flipkart
Amazon

You may also like to read:
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Review)