“Call of Duty returns once again bringing with it an awesome campaign, hectic multiplayer and tonnes of replay value. We all know what to expect and if you want more then fear not, this is everything you’ve grown to love about the franchise. “
The Gameplay:
If you’re one of the minority that actually happens to play Call of Duty campaigns, then you’ll be happy to know that Ghosts’ story is intriguing, shows signs of depth and takes you down some interesting paths both emotionally and through gameplay. Despite sharing its name with one of Call of Duty’s better known characters, Ghosts is actually set in a completely different universe and shares very little with previous stories in the series. The action is centred around two brothers and their awesome canine companion as you do battle across unique environments (including space?!), pilot a variety of different vehicles and delve deep into watery chasms. There’s plenty of fun to be had here and it’s pleasant to see a game that could clearly put all of its resources into multiplayer, still put out a decent campaign mode.
The real action of course is in Ghosts’ multiplayer. A largely untouched system bar a few streamlining additions and the introduction of character creation – this is the same fast-paced and exciting game mode you’ve come to know, love and expect from the franchise. Unfortunately when a series has been using a similar multiple times over, it becomes incredibly easy to pick out holes – for example Ghosts takes a step back in capping current generation console gamers with game modes that allow a maximum 12 players, not the possible 18 in Ground War. The maps aren’t the best in the series with a few feeling simply too big and a dodgy spawn system offers both cheap kills and deaths. Despite these issues the introduction of some new game modes, balancing of weapons, incredible diversity in class structure and dedicated server configuration make this a thoroughly enjoyable online experience.
The Presentation:
Call of Duty has never been known for top of the line graphics and presentation so don’t come in here expecting mind-blowing visuals. It’s worth noting that during the campaign there’s actually some pretty good voice-acting and Ghosts takes pride in really investing you in its surroundings. This is done not primarily through the graphics, but the atmosphere developed through destruction that occurs around you. Ghosts really made me feel like I was in warfare on ground zero fighting for my life and that’s what you’d hope for and expect from a war game.
The Verdict:
More of the same is ultimately the only fair way to conclude a discussion about Call of Duty: Ghosts. It’s fortunate that what we’ve come to know as ‘the same’ is pretty damn fun. Some view the series as a cash-cow, others see it as genuine arcade fun. Whatever side of the fence you sit on – there’s enough content here for a variety of gamers. To answer one final question “Is Ghosts better than Battlefield 4?” – the former is an arcade drop in and out shooter, the latter is a comprehensive war simulator, one cannot compare!
Gameplay – 8/10
Presentation – 6/10
Replay Value – 10/10
Verdict – 8/10
Call of Duty: Ghosts at CeX
