We have been a firm follower of Call of Duty games since the Xbox 360 era. We even won an award in a quiz organized at a COD launch, which is shameful to say. Activision; It is one of the companies that likes to add a new title to the popular game series every year, such as Origin and EA. It seems that the production line will continue to work as long as there are players who are willing not to miss the series that have become a part of popular culture such as COD, Battlefield and Fifa. What we need to evaluate here is how different content is offered to us each year and how much content we receive for the money we pay!
It is an undeniable fact that this year, the rivalry between Battlefield and Call of Duty, the great duo of years, was overshadowed by Halo. We’ll be bringing you a detailed Halo Infinite review very soon. For this, of course, we expect the release of the story mode first. But if you want, let’s first look at what kind of game the new Call of Duty: Vanguard is. Since we do not prefer to evaluate games that do not have a story in them, we will not go into the review of Battlefield 2042, which has a very problematic debut this year. It’s not worth wasting your time.
Until now, the subject of World War II has been exploited so much that many people, including us, are tired of this type of FPS games. Happily, Call of Duty has long focused on the modern world, with the exception of WWII in 2017. The new Vanguard, on the other hand, brings the series back to its roots, namely the World War II era. But do not be upset right away, this is not such a return. Vanguard offers us a completely different approach with a well-constructed story that is free from all clichés. This story mode, which averages six hours, is acceptable compared to the average of recent COD games. Of course, it was still not enough for us, but at least unlike Battlefield 2042, Activision still offers an impressive story, which we can’t miss. Plus tons of multiplayer fun, 20 new maps and of course the tried and tested Zombie mode.
The taste of the story stays in your palate
COD: Vanguard’s story mode looks more like a Michael Bay movie than anything else. It promises a lot of excitement, fun and action. As we just mentioned, the game takes us back to WWII and this time we control a group of people who come together as a special unit to hunt down a Nazi officer who is leading a special mission called Project Phoenix. The game, which starts with an action-packed episode on the train, which can be counted as a prologue, takes place when Hitler committed suicide and was in the last throes of the Nazi army. The main story is based on a real person, and our team consists of a Russian female sniper known as Lady Nightingale, a cheeky American flyboy, an Australian bomb expert, and a British commander by a Nazi officer named Jannick Richter, played by Dominic Monaghan with a brilliant performance. It starts with the capture. Then, with flashbacks, we have the chance to play the background of all the team members’ stories one by one and see how they got to this point.
The story takes us to all the famous fronts in WWII, from the D-Day landings to the Battle of Stalingrad. Sometimes we are fighting in a desert, sometimes we are diving with an airplane to drop bombs on the Japanese aircraft carrier. However, Lady Nightingale’s story is particularly striking, as it contains action-packed but emotional moments that allow us to escape the Nazi occupation and the destruction of the city around it. It is a really impressive and unique story, and if it became a stand-alone game, it would be a game that most people, including us, could buy and play. All the dialogues are very well handled, dynamic and feel fun with the weird but funny lines interspersed in between. It is clear that more effort was put into the team formed with these individuals than in all previous Call of Duty games, and if I have to deduce from the end of the game, it is most likely possible that we will encounter this team in another game in the continuation of the series.
New mechanics enriched the game
The story uses game mechanics that we are used to from previous games. The FPS camera angle and plenty of battle are of course the driving force. Many of the weapons of World War II pass through your hands, including the ones you will get from the enemies. We really like this feeling. Depending on the stories, there is a wide range of weapons you can use, from the humble pistol to the flamethrower in the Pacific story. There are also a few new additions worth mentioning, especially in the Lady Nightingale episodes, as she can climb walls. (Yes, the places where we can climb are marked with a yellow cloth 😀 ) The level designs that were created to allow us to take sniping from positions where we could sneak through the ventilation holes and hunt the enemies were really successful.
There are some nice innovations in other sections as well. For example, when playing as the British commander, we can order our troops to focus their fire on certain areas. There’s also a flight section that takes us into the sky, where we get into big dogfights in the sky and bombard Japanese warships. There are some really good chapters included. It was a story mode that did not repeat even for a moment, and the excitement never diminished.
A brand new multiplayer mode: Champion Hill
As we all know, COD is a game that has come to the fore with its multiplayer modes rather than stories. It’s something that we personally have slowly moved away from over the years. It may be because our reactions worsen as we get older. But mostly the low and abusive conversations in chat with cheaters can also be an important reason. Call of Duty is predominantly a multiplayer game and we recommend you to buy it knowingly. As long as there is a story mode, we will continue to play and review. We can say that there is not much change in the general structure of the mods. Still, there are those that are mostly featured on maps. There are 20 huge arenas at launch, and these are great places to hang out while trying to take out other players. Some of these maps that you play in the main story are quite fast, while others vary from large areas that require a game style where you need to make more detailed calculations.
Normal modes like team deathmatch, Capture the flag and our favorite Free for All have all been preserved. Additionally, there is the new Champion Hill mode, which brings the player together in teams of two or three. This is a place where you enter an arena and try to beat the opposing team. You start with a single gun and $500 at the beginning and you have to spend your money carefully. When your spawn number, which is 6 per player and 12 or 18 depending on the total number of players, ends, you lose. It’s a very addictive mod and we recommend playing it with your friends rather than random strangers to enjoy it to the fullest. Because in this mode, communication is really important.
Zombies, one of the only multiplayer modes we continue to play, is also included in the game. For those who don’t know, this is basically a serial mode where you have a lot of zombies flocking to you and you have to clear them. You can play by yourself or with a team of four friends by teleporting to various areas through portals. Sometimes there is a time limit, sometimes there are objects that you need to collect and drop off. Zombies fans will enjoy it once again, but there doesn’t seem to be much innovation in terms of content.
Conclusion
In addition to the multitude of game modes available and its impressive story that is rendered as if it were an action movie, I can’t help but add that Call of Duty: Vanguard looks great on the Xbox Series S we tried. Most cutscenes are really hard to distinguish from reality, and even the level of detail in an apartment where you just sprint through in a mission is incredibly detailed. Definitely one of the games that does justice to the new generation console. In addition to the awesome effects, everything is truly worthy of a AAA game, with excellent music from Bear McCreary, who also composed the music for TV series such as Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead and Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D., as well as games such as God of War and League of Legends. As an overall package, Vanguard can provide hours of entertainment, all presented with great visuals. If you are planning to go back to WWII, there is no better way than this for now.
75
Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4
Genre: Action, FPS
Web: www. callofduty. com
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