Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS3)

If you know me then you'll know that each year I swear up, and down I will not be getting another CoD (Call of Duty) game. You'll also know that I usually don't make good on my word, and that I end up getting the game anyways. In all honesty part of me loves the arcade style FPS experience that CoD has to offer, and the other part of me loathes it's repetitive bad points. Playing a game that requires one to camp instead of "run & gun" in order to stay on top of things doesn't exactly make for a fun experience. Unfortunately over the years, and through several releases this is what CoD has evolved into, a camping, and sniping competitive multiplayer battle that caters to the worst of online participants.

I could complain all day about CoD's long list of faults, but we all know about Infinity Ward's, and Treyarch's stance on the whole thing as well as the poor efforts they apply to making each release an enjoyable one. I also know that you've probably heard everyone share their concerns about the game via the social sites. Opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one. Even so I'm here today to let you know what I think about the whole thing, my two cents worth as it were. I'm going in unbiased, and will try to explain everything in a thorough, and professional manner, so that you can better understand what you're getting into if you have not already bought the game. Without further ado let us get into this ghastly review of the arcade shooter known as "GHOSTS"!!! ...

Yesterday while ending my day with a usual send-off message via twitter my friend @WOLFZKRIEGER asked me what I thought about GHOSTS. We discussed the map issues, and other concerns he had about the game. Eventually the conversation led up to a unique topic of discussion regarding the look of 'CoD: Ghosts'. My friend had said that the game has a 'Gears of War' look about it with all it's brown, and neutral colors. I agreed. The game definitely has that post-apocalyptic look about it. The fact that the 'Extinction' mode plays a lot like Gears of War's "Horde Mode" only serves to make the topic what we were talking about a more valid point.

If you, yourself were to look at the maps of GHOSTS like me, and my friend did you too would find that the landscapes feature neutral toned areas of mass destruction, and fields of debris. This is definitely a first in the CoD series, because until now Infinity Ward, and Treyarch have never decided to tread upon the post-apocalyptic nature of warfare. Is this a good thing? Is it bad? In my opinion it all goes along with what's happening in the real world today, so in a manner of speaking Infinity Ward is staying true to the nature of war. It's definitely a step in an entirely different direction for the CoD franchise though.

As far as the maps are concerned their large size, and debris scattered lands offer too many hiding places for would be campers, and snipers. It will all become more evident to you once you begin playing GHOSTS as you will no doubt run into plenty of campers, and snipers should you opt to play the game in a run & gun manner. Aside from the vast areas filled with ambushing opportunities you'll find that the respawn system is the worst it's ever been in a CoD game. Often times you'll respawn only to be killed off a second later by a respawn camper, or someone on the opposite team who is passing by. With people camping all over the map you also run the risk of respawing within a sniper's line of sight. Seeing that there are only so many places for a respawn point to be, and that campers are spread out far and wide on the maps the possibility of the respawn issue ever being fully fixed is slim to none. The only way it could be fixed is for Infinity Ward to fix the other problems currently ruining the game including that of the lag issues.

Lag in 'CoD: Ghosts' is of course another one of the more dominant issues going on right now in the game's online modes of play. Whether its lag compensation, or something else altogether it is obvious that certain gamers are taking full advantage of the exploitable opportunity. Even after landing a solid shot, or two on your onscreen opponent (with confirmed hit markers) you'll often times find that the opposing gamer can still retaliate, and come out on top killing your soldier in the process. This is one of the many things that leads me to believe lag issues are present in the game. Alternatively it could be the gamers who are lagswitching, or the development team's fault. There's no conclusive evidence as of yet to support either theory though.

I have also considered the fact that the guns themselves could be to blame for the unfair kills. Keep in mind that some guns in this particular game are obviously more powerful than others, and that the evidence of such a claim is easy to notice during an online playthrough. One thing's for certain though, if Infinity Ward fails to fix the issues at hand we will once again be left with another broken CoD experience. As such it'll once again be left up to Joe & Jane citizen to put a hurting on the pockets of Infinity Ward/Treyarch in order to break the abusive cycle of poor game development. This act of greed cannot, and must not be allowed to continue folks otherwise it will set a bad example for other game developers, and end up ruining the gaming industry as we know it.

With all that aside I know that you guys want to know about the "New" stuff in GHOSTS. When it comes to new offerings 'CoD: Ghosts' is worlds different than previous CoD experiences, especially in the online modes of play. Not only are the maps huge in scope, but the small selection of initially available battlegrounds are littered with plenty of hiding opportunities. More so than usual. If you are a sniper there's plenty of roosting spots on each map. If you're a camper then you can easily hide amongst the building debris as you anxiously await a passerby. I for one prefer to run & gun, but if I'm going to lose every time I do so, I'd rather be a camper (To the victor goes spoils). Aside from the maps, and their vast camping opportunities you'll find that the game has a brand new Squad/Soldier setup that will allow you to customize everything about your squad of purchased soldiers. Keep in mind that this time around there is also an online/local "Squad Mode" available in which you can take your purchased, and modified soldiers to battle against other squads in an online/local match setting.

As with everything else in the game customizing your soldiers comes at a cost, and a rather steep cost at that. Buying things this time around involves using the points that you earn from playing in one of the several different online multiplayer modes (TDM, Cranked, Domination, Search & Rescue ...). By performing well online, and racking up the kills you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts with CoD points. Of course your point earnings, and purchases only apply to the current soldier you choose to play as though making the task of setting up all of your soldiers a daunting one. In the end it's the earned points that you gain from multiplayer gameplay that will allow you to set up your soldiers with the best of perks, weapons, lethals, tacticals, and character customization items (Head, Torso, Legs ...). As you continue using your soldier/s (whether they be male, or female) in a multiplayer environment you'll level them up individually (via XP) in the process giving them each a rank deserving of their current progress. On a side note, you can even name your soldiers if you like making your squad a more personally recognized army to work with.

When it comes down to equipment offerings a lot of the things you'll find in the equipment setup section of GHOSTS is very similar to previous CoD offerings. Some guns you see will look oddly familiar, but will be sporting a slightly different look as well as a different name. There are even some return favorites to be found in the lot. Even with all these CoD knock-offs in place though you'll be glad to know that there are still a few surprises amidst the collection that will no doubt peak your interest. Guns like the revolver shotgun (forgot the name O_o), and explosives like the "I.E.D." lethal will likely catch your attention. As far as OP weapons go you could say that there are a handful available to choose from. While their stats may not show their obvious OP nature you can rest assured Infinity Ward has incorporated a weapon, and equipment system that will cater to those looking to win a shoot out in a quick manner. It merely takes some experimentation, and time online to find out what's good, and what's not.

Also making a return in a newly designed fashion are the background images, and badge system. Players of previous Infinity Ward releases will be familiar with the background image options which add flair to your username. As usual the backgrounds come in a unique assortment, and are separate from the badge. In actuality each background merely contains an artistic image showing off certain achievements you've accomplished during your online encounters. The badge, on the other hand acts as a patch-like add-on with a complimentary motto (My favorite being "S.S.D.D.") that is placed ahead of the background image, and your PSN ID. By completing specific online operations (via the "Operations" menu), and achieving certain goals through various game types you will be able to unlock these identifiable badges, and backgrounds in order to make your gaming prowess better known in the online community. In essence you can show the world just how badass you really are.

Something else new that's worth getting excited about is GHOST's "Extinction" mode. While this co-op experience which features an extraterrestrial invasion may seem slightly familiar in respects to the previous CoD "Zombies" modes you'll find that it is more like the offerings of Gears of War's "Horde Mode". As you play through "Extinction" you will pair up with other gamers via co-op, and support each other as you build your defenses, and fend of the attacking waves of alien beings. Like GoW's Horde mode you will find that paying up for defenses with your kill earnings is a must if you hope to survive. There's things like turrets, and traps that can be bought which will help to keep your enemies at bay.

As usual different guns can also be found lying around the apocalyptic landscape, and can be bought using the monetary credits as well. The ultimate goal in this endgame of sorts is to rid the planet of the alien's hives via a drill that can be carried from hive to hive. Once you place the drill in position next to an alien hive the next wave of aliens will arrive like locusts swarming your squad members as they try to drill the current alien nest into oblivion. It is up to you, and your co-op partners to keep things in check as you do the drilling, move the drilling apparatus to the next hive, and repair it if need be. For those of you looking for extra trophies for your survival efforts in "Extinction" mode there's plenty to be found, and there's certain badges, and name backgrounds that can also be unlocked through "Extinction" mode playthroughs.

Now onto the graphics ...

Graphics in 'CoD: Ghosts' is an interesting topic in itself. While this current-gen version of the game does sport some decent rendering there's still some details that look as if they were ripped from the more recent retro consoles. Things like pixelized headlights, and unprofessionally rendered tires on vehicles look about as primitive as last-gen's offerings. While some would argue that you won't be paying much attention to your surroundings these visual flaws are so noticeable that it's hard not to see how poorly crafted the game really is. Factor in the fact that Infinity Ward copy & pasted the ending from MW2, and the evidence I speak of becomes more prominent of a problem. My theory of course is that Infinity Ward made the game for the PS4/Xbox One first, and down scaled it to work on current-gen consoles. If they did so, and the next-gen's console graphics are running about the same as current-gen's then they have literally gone retro with this port of GHOSTS. While this is a theory it would definitely explain the poorly rendered details found on many parts the maps.

Now for the verdict ...

As of today I'm still undecided about my stance on this recent CoD release. It is by no means a perfect experience, or even a decent one, but at the same time I find myself warming up to it's offerings. Most of you who know me will understand that I gain a sort of sadistic pleasure out camping in a CoD game. I love teaching hacking dumbasses a lesson, and camping (as sorry as it is) allows me to do so. I think part of my unhealthy video game fetish stems from recent CoD experiences in which the only way I found I could come out on top was to camp my online opponents to death.

I was damned if I was gonna let Treyarch's half-assery cheat me out of my hard earned money in "Black Ops II", and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let Infinity Ward do the same to me again. I will get the most out of this poor excuse for a video game even if that means stooping down to the lowly level of a CoD Camper. It's just the way I roll (^.^). In all honesty though, this franchise is hopelessly lost. Corporate greed has taken over, and has replaced good old fashioned game development work. You've no doubt heard that there's another CoD on it's way in 2014, right? Just let the thought of that simmer in your brain noodles for a second. I think you'll get my point if you do. Anyways, I guess that about wraps it up. I hope you enjoyed the read, and that it gives you enough insight as to whether or not 'CoD: Ghosts' is the game for you. Until next time you will find OtakuDante camping it out in the online battlefields of 'CoD: Ghosts'!!!