Power Hour Reviews are a new NYMG feature in which we spend one intense hour playing newly released games in order to get a sense not only of the game’s mechanics and characterization, but its narrative as well. Let us spend our time first, so that you don’t have to waste yours.
For the first time in my Power Hour review history, I limited myself to a very strict 1 hour of playtime. Partially because I only had an hour of my spare time to commit to any game this past week, but also because the whole point of these reviews is to just give you a taste of what the game is and for us to speculate about what the game will be after more playing time. I figured that Call of Duty: Ghosts would be the perfect game for this because of the negative reviews that people keep telling me the game has received. I have been intentionally ignoring reviews of any kind so that my own could be based off of experience and playtime versus bias obtained from other people’s experience. Plus, it’s a Call of Duty game; I know what I got myself in to when I bought the game and I fully expect it to be terribly awesome.
Another side to this review is that normally when a game has a multiplayer element to it I will review both an hour of campaign and an hour of the multiplayer, but my time was so constricted this week that I wasn’t able to even consider touching multiplayer. I have spent many hours of my life in the multiplayer world of COD games, and it is very easy for me to lose all track of time. SO, this review will be void of overplaying and multiplayer game time.
Since I knew very little about this game before purchasing it I wasn’t expecting the story that was thrown at me the very moment the campaign begins. A male voiceover tells (basically) the same story as the premise of 300, a smaller group of soldiers fights a large group of soldiers using sneaky and ghost like tactics they defeat their enemy and become infamous. It’s a very well done animation and I can tell that Infinity Ward is trying to give me the feels already. We flip to what appears to be present day California as two young men are listening as their father tells the story we just watched. You play as one of the sons, Logan, and your group makes a trek up a hill to go back home. On key with any other COD game, your serene surroundings turn chaotic within five minutes of you controlling a character and shit hits the fan in terrible/awesome COD fashion.
This first scene set the pace for the rest of my hour of playtime. One minute I’m in space fighting to keep U.S. control of a massive weapon, and the next I’m thrown into a desolate and post-apocalyptic world where the U.S. is nothing but a war zone. It’s extreme and exactly what I’d expect from this series. Many of the mechanics are the same; you can choose which button layout is your favorite and play this game like any other COD. There are a couple of new elements that I discovered in the first full battle scenes, your reticle also acts as a positioner around corners; when you see a yellow arrow and you take aim your character will peak around the edge providing cover tactics that we haven’t seen in a COD, yet.
The biggest new element to the game is the interaction with your canine companion. I am a dog lover, so having the dog around in the game has been quite fantastic. He’s a ruthless and quiet killer, but he’s also adorable throughout any scene he’s in. One minute he’s ripping some bad guy’s throat out and the next he’s perched up in a tank riding with you and your buddies. It’s a strange dynamic that works for this game (or at least does this far). I am going to be heartbroken if this dog ends up dying in the campaign, so no spoilers in the comments! Aside from his ruthless/adorable nature, he also becomes a key part of the stealth factor in the game. Logan (your character) can “link up” with Riley (your dog) and take control of his actions. This allows you to sneak up on enemies and take them down quietly. I’ve only had a couple of times when this element came up in the hour gameplay, but it’s a pretty cool idea that seems to have been executed well.
I only barely ran in to the ghosts in the time I played so I’m not entirely sure what our interaction will be further into the game, but I have a hunch that my players will become one of them. Go figure. For the most part they seem to be badass soldiers that have been hardened by their war experiences, but there’s another element to their story that once again is attempting to give me the feels. Like I said, I haven’t had enough time to figure them out quite yet.
Infinity Ward seems to be going all out on the story this time, typical one man trying to ruin the world, but I kept getting the feeling that they are trying to make me more connected with my characters and the people I’m fighting next to. Normally I just run around and enjoy the chaos, but I’ve already become more attached to these characters than any other they’ve presented.
All in all I am extremely excited to keep playing this campaign, hello binge playing this weekend, but I am even more interested in taking part in the multiplayer portion. I love COD online multiplayer and I truly hope that this game does not disappoint.
I know you’re all focused on your shiny new PS4’s, but let me know what your impressions of the game have been thus far! I’m sure my review is a little naïve since I refused to take into account other people’s reviews, but I’m curious to know whether you’re all on the negative train or if you’re enjoying this game for exactly what it is; a Call of Duty game.
