Call of Duty: Ghosts - Multiplayer Preview

A few of the maps also offered the destruction capability that has been so heavily focused on in promotional materials for Ghosts. In one map, as seen in the Multiplayer Trailer, a gas station’s roof can be collapsed. It’s about as non-impacting to the flow of the game as it sounds, unless some fool was unlucky enough to stand under it. In another map, later into the round a bomb goes off and changes the whole layout considerably. Sadly, there’s a certain lacking of finesse or presentation elements for this dynamic map event, so it’s essentially nothing more than teleporting players from one map to another, with a simple flash of white light. It’s a decent idea, but one that doesn’t really showcase any particular strengths in the maps that we’ve had a chance to play. One map’s event was non-impacting, while the other map was sort of switched out and while it’s cool to see, it’s akin to just having a map change mid-round. Some players, especially in the competitive scene, will possibly find these dynamics to be game-changing, but most of us aren’t likely to linger on the idea for very long. Still, in the end these are new mechanics to the franchise that has so long used static environments, so most players will be able to appreciate something new and fresh.

Both versions we’ve played looked visually impressive, which can be considered a compliment for the Xbox One version. As promised, the game was running at a smooth 60 fps framerate, and there was never a slowdown during the action. The textures appeared sharp and with high definition, although the game lacked any particular details or memorable visual style. New animations and motion mechanics were noticeable as well, from vaulting over objects to context-based lean system. The audio design deserves a particular mention – everything that was promised in the trailer was in full effect during our gameplay time. The guns sounded satisfying and different, outdoor versus indoor locations provided new effects; hearing your empty shell casings hit the ground added another aspect of immersion. Radio chatter is now effective thanks to identifying enemy position based on actual map locations and landmarks.

And of course, the controls themselves are just as tight and responsible as players expect, though the recoil was notably stronger and provided greater challenges when handling weapons. Grenades have also been tweaked it seems, as they can’t be thrown quite as high or as far as before, likely a change that came directly from player feedback. A new Field Orders system was also noted, that provided a player with a bonus objective to execute – such as a jumpshot kill or a prone kill. Success meant more experience, while being killed allowed another player to pick up the Order and attempt it themselves.

While all of the action was taking place, the jumbotron was showing a game of VIPs at the center arena as well as the stats of the Clan Wars metagame. Each set of pods in the area was assigned to one of two global player teams, and after a few hours of play the Ghosts team won out by controlling the biggest number of objectives on the California coast, just by performing the best in their own multiplayer matches. All players were awarded bonuses and the Clan as a whole also earned rewards for winning the metagame round.

From everything we’ve seen at the Multiplayer Event, Call of Duty: Ghosts promises to be yet another fine tuned, massively accessible shooter. The quality of the new gameplay modes and the dynamic map mechanics currently feel as either hit or miss, but everything else – customization, game world, and presentation – should have fans very excited. More info on the game is promised at Gamescom in late August. Call of Duty: Ghosts is expected to launch on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Wii U on November 5, 2013.