Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Overview -
With twelve installments in less than two decades, the 'Call of Duty' franchise holds a rare place in the gaming industry as a true juggernaut in terms of sales and widespread appeal. From its humble roots as 'just another' World War II FPS to its meteoric rise in popularity and dollar signs with the shift to the War on Terror in 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,' the annual 'Call of Duty' installment has, for at the past few offerings, began to turn once eager gamers, who were more than willing to put in double digit, if not triple digit hours into the multiplayer system, into fatigued skeptics with a true law of diminishing returns in not only the story department, but a multiplayer system plagued with griefers and exploiters, not to mention a lack of innovation and ingenuity. While not the first title in the franchise to make its way onto the current generation of consoles, 'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' marks the first time an entry in the series that was designed with the current systems in mind.
Video Review
The jump to the Xbox One for the 'Call of Duty' series harkens back to the same 'wow' factor elicited from the original Xbox to Xbox 360 leap, and later when the series abandoned its WWII roots and the original 'Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare' was released, in terms of visual appeal. The game might not push the new console to its full limitations, however that doesn't mean the game isn't stunning to look at. Character models are highly detailed, although not entering the uncanny valley in terms of realism. Still, the new attention to full actor motion capture is felt throughout the game's cutscenes. The detail of nearly all aspects of the game, and specifically, primary in-game assets, is well above-average; only under close scrutiny do background objects show some pixilation and lack of clarity.
On the stability front, 'Advanced Warfare' holds up like a champ, with a steady consistent frame rate that I would estimate in the highest 40s to mid 60s. There's no screen-tearing and unlike the so-so debut of the franchise on the console, 'Call of Duty: Ghosts,' 'Advanced Warfare' looks from stem to stern, like a title meeting the expectations of what a modern game should be.
Audio Review
Aurally, the 'Call of Duty' franchise has always sounded stellar, even with installments that were dismal in all other aspects. 'Advanced Warfare' sounds every bit the blockbuster it portrays itself as. Effects are realistic when applicable and even in instances where the in-game equipment is light years beyond our modern technology. Voice acting is stellar and at worst, merely competent, with Kevin Spacey delivering the most convincing and engaging performance of the game. Surrounds are utilized to great effect at all times, from in-game action to real-time cutscenes; there's never an instance where anything feels imbalanced. Even the generally overly grandiose soundtrack feels like it's been reined in at the appropriate moments.
'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' is a true hit; it may be too soon to call it a masterpiece in general, however, narrowing one's focus to the franchise, it is an unequivocal masterpiece, perhaps only outclassed by the now-dated but streamlined 'Modern Warfare 2' and mind-bending story of 'Black Ops.' Sledgehammer has stepped their game several times over and redeemed their reputation after involvement in the series' worst offering, 'Modern Warfare 3.' Gone are the days of modern terrorists and the exploits of Special Forces operators; 'Advanced Warfare' ushers in a sci-fi tinged universe that story wise represents the same shift from World War II to the War on Terror that occurred between 'Call of Duty 3' and 'Modern Warfare.' The stretch into the more fantastic might alienate some, then again it would be naïve to think that gamers nonplussed with the more grounded approach of previous installments, won't give this vision of the future a try. While by no means, a 'Game of the Year' contender as a whole, it is a must purchase and will serve, hopefully, as a template to be refined over this generation of gaming.
