CALL OF DUTY GHOSTS: A REVIEW

Call of Duty has been with us as a franchise now for nearly twelve years. On over eighteen different (and even now defunct) platforms from GameCube to Xbox One, the franchise has sold over 100 million copies of the game. Infinity Ward and Activision have really pushed the boundaries of first and third-person shooter gaming. However, the latest release; Call of Duty Ghosts fails to really ignite the same passions as previous CoD titles. As a headliner of the next-gen consoles lineup, Ghosts has been caught with its pants down – to date the game has had over 3Gb of updates. Issues with multiplayer, single player and engine-based issues have caused the developers to issue patch update after patch update. This has really affected the game and how its been perceived. UGP has decided, in the post patch period, to put the game through its paces.

UGP believes games have three unique elements that, when combined, makes a great game – even greater! Therefore, using the UGP Ozone review system, which means we focus on three elements that surround; the perspective (the storyline), the difficulty (how challenging the gameplay was) and how indulgent the game is – we decided to put Call of Duty Ghosts to the ultimate gaming paradise test!

 

THE STORYLINE?

The 10th installment of the CoD franchise moves on from Captain Price and his cohorts. The next wave, after Black Ops, sees you experience the campaign through the eyes of one Logan Walker. It all starts when Walker’s father, Elias, tells his son about the ‘Ghosts’. These clandestine warriors become a legend the Federation enemy came to fear. This back story is told in tandem with an attack on a US satellite system and an assault to destroy the oil producing nations of the Middle East. This alternative World sees old superpowers destroyed. The rise of a new power, called The Federation, in South America assumes a global dominance. The Federation has an ace up its sleeve; the main bad guy is Rorke, an ex-Ghost turned Federation supremo. Walker and his team play a game of cat and mouse with Rorke across the globe from Antarctic oil refineries to desolate US outposts.

The story seems half-baked. The ending, without any spoilers affects the overall ‘feel’ of the storyline. The lack of a more defined prologue introducing the Ghosts and more of the actual history of the War means you’re left guessing – and even Riley your pet dog doesn’t really make a difference in terms of experiencing this lack of knowledge.

 

HOW CHALLENGING IS THE GAMEPLAY?

In an attempt to sex-up the gameplay, Activision and co have created a new type of gameplay format. This is called Squads mode. There is still the single player mode and the Multiplayer mode. However, Squads has been debated as the main ‘killer’ reason for the gameplay’s successes. Or in my opinion lack of success. The challenging nature of CoD is stymied by this title. It ends way too soon. The online multiplayer and squads don’t really offer anything different. It all seems like Activision and co are now simply in ‘launch mode’. They’re counting down to the next November launch and don’t really care about the nitty gritty of gameplay. Modern Warfare 1 and 2 really changed the dynamic, Black Ops 1 changed the aspect of gameplay. However, Ghosts fails to really change anything. The lack of a storyline and a short campaign mode really means the title has a stymied gameplay. The lack of a challenge really focuses the title’s failure to define itself in a better context.

 

HOW INDULGENT IS THE GAME?

Call of Duty Ghosts is however fun, regardless of a crap storyline and a feeling you’re constantly being underwhelmed in terms of being challenged. The fun factor of the game does come out. This is a saving grace in terms of buying the game. The multiplayer game has its moments, as does squads and campaign. The killstreaks have advantages – from the dog to juggernaut maniac – it’s all fun. It’s a bad storyline concealed in a challenge-less context which is partially saved by a fun gaming experience. The guns, the dogs, the explosives, the maps and the kill streaks really do bring the game’s fun factor to the forefront. However, is this enough to save CoD from ruin?

 

OUR VERDICT?

Call of Duty Ghosts is part of a long line of pedigree war-based first/third person shooter titles. The franchise is one of the gaming sector’s biggest moneymakers. However, these aside, there is a sense that Ghosts is a shop/online store fodder filler. It’s there because they have to release a title in November. The storyline is ill-defined and the context of structured gameplay challenges leaves little in the way of true gaming challenges. These two attributes, of the UGP review system, mean it has one possibility of a partial redemption. This comes in the guise of fun factor. However, the fun factor alone is not enough to really justify the game as a great game. The dogs, ODIN killstreak or the new guns aren’t enough of an allure to really give the game top marks. It’s not enough, winning a Juggernaut Maniac to justify a short campaign mode, a schizophrenic Squads mode or even the lack of any real gameplay challenges. As such Ultimate Gaming Paradise can give Call of Duty Ghosts a waning: 6 out of 10.