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Call of Duty
Opening the Microsoft press conference, developer Slegdehammer games revealed a new trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The trailer followed past Call of Duty E3 coverage, as a live developer played through a segment of the upcoming shooter. A number of new to the franchise features were seen, ranging from major to minor.
The game now has a release date of November 4, 2014 for PS4. PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC and Wii U.
The gameplay begins with a very Call of Duty action sequence as a team fall to earth in a drop pod. The new updates begin immediately thereafter, as the player jumps from a drop pod and lands without fall damage. Numerous times throughout the gameplay the soldier leaps and falls with a soft air cushion catching him, presumably shrinking the impact fall damage has in the series. As the character moves in and out of environments it becomes clear that a serious overhaul has taken place. Lighting and detail within destroyed city blocks look many times better than past entries, and the near-future tech lent the game a more unique visual style than other Call of Duties. Around 5 minutes in, the player is assaulted by a swarm of droids, and grabs a nearby car door for cover. It’s unclear if this is a new mechanic or simple a one time action, but interactive cover like this would go far in spacing up the traditional gameplay. From here the gameplay skips ahead, we reappear and see some new combat tech. In a quick sequence around 5:40, a new grenade type that highlights enemies and a shockwave shotgun. Immediately after that a new dash move is displayed, as the character dashes back around five feet. The quick movement making Call of Duty even faster seems cool, hopefully ridding the round a corner and get shot loop in multiplayer. Instead of getting mowed down, players may be able to dash back through the door and determine their next move.
Next a new laser weapon is showcased, and it also teases a change for the franchise as well. Lasers may become the new favorite weapon, as they seemingly have no kick and infinite range. It also sets a new president, as two of the three guns seen so far DO NOT fire regular bullets. If Sledgehammer goes the non-traditional route with all of their weapons it may make the game more interesting by far. In the environment there are shields that will lower when you aim own sights and raise after you fire, taking the work out of cover in and making the space feel more ‘futuristic’. While behind the cover, the main protagonist pulls out a grenade, which he then selects a mode on. He cycles through a number of modes before settling on a mode where the grenade flies into the air and targets enemies. Having a single grenade that can fill the slot of traditional lethal and frag seems like another simplification that fits with the futuristic settings.
The trailer ends with another typical Call of Duty setpiece, but with another interesting twist. Instead of the usual power fantasy Call of Duty panders to this cutscene features our soldier not being able to rescue a fellow and then being hit by debris. It ends with the protagonist being rescued at 7:45 that showcases some more beautiful lighting. After the scene fades to black a sizzler plays that really only shows a new hover bike that assumedly only appears in the campaign, but we can hope it appears in multiplayer as well.
All the changes compile into a more seamless, fluid Call of Duty than we have seen in years. I like the world and narrative, along with the chance that the story might be a bit darker. We still have a few months until it launches in November, but this gameplay has made me more excited for Call of Duty than I have been in years.
Check out out all of VgamerZ E3 coverage here.
