Call of Duty: Ghosts

Two years after it came out, I decided to pick up Ghosts. Having played COD since Modern Warfare, I stopped around Black Ops – partly due to other demands on my time, but mostly because the games had moved so far from the sheer fun I had on COD4, that I really no longer enjoyed it. With MW3, I enjoyed the spectacle of the single player, and the fun of survival, but barely put 24 hours into the multiple player before getting bored – a big contrast compared to the days when COD4 was the only game I owned, and clocked a shameful 40+ days into it (over several years it must be said…but it is still shameful).

With Ghosts I was one of the rare breed buying it for the campaign. I was never one to jump into multiplayer on day one, I always enjoyed the Michael Bay style action and OTT spectacle of the campaigns. Ghosts tries to open on this, but just comes over silly and immediately making the player feel like they are on rails (which we are for the whole game – but the game doesn't need to always be reminding us of this). As a narrative the tight focus on a family in the midst of such a conflict might have worked, but really it doesn't. Instead we get a tired and surprisingly bored story rolled out over missions which rarely excite or thrill. With the other games there are several levels that I can always return to for how much fun they are to play, but with Ghosts I do not think there is one that I felt this way. Indeed at one point I Googled to see how many missions the game had, just so I knew if I could face pushing on through them – seeing I only had 2 left, I preserved.

This is not down to a fan-boy complaint (my days of buying this game on even year 1, far less day 1, are long gone) but just a simple observation: in terms of gameplay and narrative, it really feels nobody had the energy for this. Technically it looks good, but the music doesn't add as much, and the gameplay choices (and lack of choices) are poor – even for those who love the campaigns in the other games, this just comes over like going through the motions. On the other game modes, the aliens one didn't inspire me. More annoying though is survival; it was so great in MW3 but here I just couldn't get into it despite my efforts. Squads seems like a massive waste of time (if you want to play against 5 bots and a human, why not just play against 6 bots offline?).

Multiplayer I had limited exposure to, but I found it perfectly okay for a quick game here and there – but noticeably never felt the passion or addiction I once did. The maps are more and more complex and the vast majority are too big for the type of intense conflict I used to love in COD4. This in turn means that the fun and sheer sense of contest is very much gone from the game. In COD4 the killstreaks were simple and not such an obsession – okay we are far from the "nuke chasing" days of MW2, and I appreciate that the killstreaks and scoring methods is trying to force people to play the games, not play for personal kills – but it is too little too late, they shaped the community too well years before. I still pick it up occasionally because I liked the "offline" version of online with bots and the silliness of "levelling up" removed, but even still it is not really a game with heart.

When I bought this game, I did worry a little that maybe it would trigger COD addiction, and Xbox Gold, and days lost to prestiging again; no such risk with Ghost. It is a game that really lacks enthusiasm in itself, and therefore has none to share with the player. Characters are weak, narrative is hollow, and gameplay never gets the heart pumping. Multiplayer continues the overblown, kill- obsessed path, and, despite some chances to address this, ultimately it never feels like anyone is trying to win the game so much as just pad their k/d ratio, get their killstreaks, and not really care so much as grind – accordingly, the game does takes the same approach.

People hated this game because youtubers hated it so they jumped on the bandwagon

When it comes to the "Call of Duty" series, the first things that spring to mind are Russians with thick accents straight out of '80s action flicks, devious terrorists, and Germans who are always the bad guys. But the entry subtitled "Ghosts" took a different path. This time, the villains aren't Russians, Germans, or Middle Eastern fanatics - they're the "Federation", a coalition of South American nations that suddenly decides the U. S. is a great testing ground for military operations. The writers clearly tried to do something a bit different with this story, but as often happens with CoD, the result is grand, expensive-looking, but ultimately a bit predictable. Fans of clichés could even place bets on which character is doomed. That said, the story is easy to follow.

One thing that can't be denied - the game hits the ground running. Instead of the usual slow-burn intro missions, we're immediately dropped into high-stakes action. There are space sequences, exploding satellites, cities in ruins - all accompanied by punchy one-liners in the best action movie tradition. And that's just the prologue. Sure, the game leans hard on familiar tropes, but it hooks you fast.

At the center of the story are the Walker brothers and their father, a former member of the elite "Ghosts" unit. What follows is classic CoD storytelling: betrayals, supervillains, tough choices, and "unexpected" twists - though you'll likely see them coming if you've played any CoD before. The story revolves around the Ghosts, with the occasional attempt to confuse the player with intertwined fates. By the final missions, you may find yourself yelling sarcastically at the screen: "Oh come *on*, seriously?" - because the turns feel all too familiar.

Whatever issues the story may have, the visuals are undeniably impressive. Collapsing skyscrapers, burning cities, and space scenes - damn, it looks good. The space mission in particular stands out with its vivid presentation. Overall, the shooting effects, animations, and explosions are well done, helping you fully sink into the game's post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

One particularly interesting part is the mission involving a dog. Who would've thought a canine companion in a shooter could actually be useful? It was a bit strange at first, but okay - it's something new. And let's be honest, you end up caring way more about the dog than most of the humans.

"Call of Duty: Ghosts" is a solid game. Yes, it has its flaws: the story is predictable, the epic moments feel like they're being shoved in your face, and logic occasionally takes a backseat. But the game looks great, plays with energy, and delivers a ton of stylish action scenes - which is pretty much what CoD is all about. It's no masterpiece, but if you're in the mood to shoot some bad guys and experience a few badass moments, this one will do just fine.

7 out of 10.

Such an improvement from the crappy black ops duo treyarch put out. Campaign-7 why: not as good as the mw series but it is quite enjoyable. Multiplayer-10 why: the multiplayer is absolutely brilliant from the maps to the gameplay to the weapons. Such a great multiplayer. Extinction-7 why: not quite as good as survival or zombies but still a solid bonus game mode. Enjoyable to an extent but really frustrating at times. Overall: 8/10 Really good other notes: Call of duty ghosts is a game that must be played through to enjoy its not like the mw series where you can just pick it up and start loving it immediately. You have to play through it to find it enjoyable.

Here we go again with our Call of Duty makers revamping the single player, multiplayer, and our brand new mode Extinction! First all COD:Ghost should be priced as a $40 and not a full on $60 game. Ghosts isn't a game you should be getting now, wait until its price is lower.

The Multiplayer- Maps are huge barely finding anyone on the map, spawn- camping is way horrible in this COD, confusing customization, less weapons, useless character customization, new modes, and this happens to be the worst COD:MP I've ever played. Trust me you wanna blow your brains out.

The Singleplayer- A decent story that has some cool scenes but the ending left me with a bad taste.

Extinction- Now this mode is completely fun with challenges within a onslaught of aliens slashing out. What ruins it is that you only get one big map out of the whole game. Makes it a waste since you have you purchase another $50 on the season pass to get more maps.

They sure did screw up a lot things in COD:Ghost.