While some players have been calling the “Call of Duty” franchise stale and unoriginal for the last few years, it’s clear that Activision and their developers are still putting a lot of effort and thought into the games every year. There were a few slightly less interesting installments recently indeed – particularly “Ghosts” – but it looks like the franchise is back on the right track now.
The upcoming launch of “Infinite Warfare” has given hope to many players that we’re going to see a revival of the classic fast-paced arena gameplay that shooters used to be known for in the past. We’ve seen various improvements to the “Call of Duty” formula over the last few years that have brought it even closer to games like “Quake”, and now it looks like “Infinite Warfare” is going to push that trend even further.
The new game is going to offer users even more customization for their approach to combat, including a choice of different exosuits, and even more variety in the game’s perks. The suits will function like core classes, allowing players to go for a certain archetype of gameplay while still heavily customizing the finer aspects of their behavior.
The foundations for this system were already established in previous “Call of Duty” games to some extent, and it’s good to see that each developer is building on top of what the others have achieved and blending it all together in one great mix.
Perks have been getting more and more specialized with each game, and this time we’re going to see some unique perks for each type of suit that players can choose from, further separating the different combinations they can create and making each class more unique than before.
This has been a common complaint within the franchise’s community, as classes have been getting more and more homogenous since around “Modern Warfare 3” and “Black Ops 2”. This could also be seen in the choice of weapons, with the line between SMGs and assault rifles becoming more and more blurred.
Now, however, the franchise is moving back towards separate classes with a unique purpose, and we may even see some inspiration from the gameplay of “Call of Duty 2” if some rumors are to be believed. Of course, we don’t mean things like the setting or the game’s pace, but the overall way players had to cover for each other’s weaknesses.
A new game mode is being introduced with this game too, continuing the trend of this franchise exploring every possible combination that works for the shooter genre. This time, we’ll see teams fighting for control of a drone.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of buzz around the game’s single player campaign as well, as it looks like we’re about to see some interesting innovation in that aspect too. People may love to criticize “Call of Duty” for its alleged staleness, but the franchise actually does quite a lot to push the shooter genre forward.
The developers behind the series have shown that they have a very creative approach to their high-level design, and when that’s combined with some fine polishing and finishing touches, the final result is a game with a very high value. It may not be the kind of shooter everyone is looking for, but it’s still hard to deny the constant innovation that we’ve been seeing on the “Call of Duty” front.