Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Preview
When the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare reveal trailer dropped a sea of hatred cast a shadow over the franchise. The nerd rage was at an unprecedented level. The vitriol was mostly felt on YouTube where the Infinite Warfare reveal trailer is now recognized as one of the most disliked trailers of all time. That’s right, of ALL TIME! Perhaps franchise fatigue is in full swing or maybe people have simply had enough of what they feel is the same old Call of Duty. Whatever the case may be, the hatred is unwarranted as this Call of Duty is shaping into a refined experience and one that will see a significant amount of changes.
One thing is for certain, you can expect a lot of ‘new’ this time around and it all starts with the game’s combat as Infinite Warfare is going to space. Zero gravity combat and futuristic space dogfights blended with a classic war story is the direction Infinity Ward is headed. While at E3 we had a chance to get a hands-off look of Infinite Warfare’s single player experience and there is no question in my mind this a bold new direction for the series. At least when it comes to the game’s campaign as none of the Infinite Warfare multiplayer elements were on display at E3.
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“One thing is for certain, you can expect a lot of “new” this time around and it all starts with games combat as Infinite Warfare is going to space.”
During the demo at E3, Design Director Jacob Minkoff explained that for the first time in franchise history, Call of Duty extends beyond the reaches of Earth and into our solar system. With a story inspired by Saving Private Ryan and Blackhawk Down, you play as a commander of a ship forced into a leadership role due to a series of unfortunate events. As a leader, you are forced to make difficult decisions every step of the way, all of which take an emotional toll on our hero.
Granted, Infinite Warfare is set in a futuristic setting which isn’t exactly new for the franchise; however, it is a classic war story in the sense that it is good versus evil but where the enemy battles to take control of the solar system.
During the demo, we watched the space dogfights in action. What is unique about the space battles is the fact they are not on rails at all. There is a sense of freedom I have yet to see in a flight combat sequence in any Call of Duty game to date. Minkoff explained that you can use the freedom to your advantage as you can use counter-measures, and blast the enemy with your heavy cannons and missiles. All of this with full 360-degree control in space.
Infinite Warfare is extremely large in scope as well. You’ll go from having boots on the ground to launching up in space and right into a jet fighter dogfighting sequence. You can then land on your retribution, which is your hub, where you can choose which mission you can venture into with no loading screens. Call of Duty has always had vehicles but it has never had a persistent vehicle that goes along with you from mission to mission. It is a cool concept and if Infinity Ward pulls this off it might rejuvenate some of those fans who have become a little tired of the AAA shooter from Activision.
While the dog fights appear as though they will be enjoyable, the zero gravity combat really shined. The combat was smooth and floating through space making kill after kill seems refreshing. We saw new weapons and new combat mechanics at play. The demo also had some earth sequences which came across as more of the same old Call of Duty. That said, the visuals looked sharp and crisp. It was graphically impressive and one I am confident fans will be impressed with.
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“Call of Duty has always had vehicles but it has never had a persistent vehicle that goes along with you from mission to mission.”
We also had a glimpse of Modern Warfare Remastered at E3 which looks absolutely stunning. The fresh coat of paint makes a remarkable difference. It is amazing to see the difference between the 9-year old version of Modern Warfare compared to the remastered one. The remastered MW game includes enhanced textures, physically based rendering, and high-dynamic range lighting making for a game fans of the original will want to play all over again. You can’t buy it as a standalone game yet but I suspect Activision will eventually buckle to the pressure and sell it by itself. I guess we’ll see about that one.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is getting a bad rap and for no good reason as Infinity Ward appear to have put together a single player experience that looks fresh and promising. Throw in Modern Warfare Remastered into the package and you get yourself what will surely be a rewarding silky smooth Call of Duty experience.
