Another year, another Call of Duty.
Sledgehammer Games’ maiden entry into Activision’s franchise is out in the open. Though it was revealed a little ahead of schedule, with the formal unveiling pegged for tomorrow morning, the studio has raised DEFCON levels across the gaming community by confirming the title, setting and general gist of 2014’s iteration, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
First off, let’s recap the happenings of that all-important debut trailer: Advanced Warfare will leapfrog the franchise into the not so distant future, one which introduces private military corporations (PMCs), bleeding-edge military tech and even exoskeletons. Part Metal Gear Solid, part Elysium (and indeed Edge of Tomorrow), 2014’s entry into the annualized series has a considerable responsibility on its broad, metallic shoulders.
It’s no secret that the series as a whole has garnered a general feeling of apathy, an apathy which was typified by Call of Duty: Ghosts. Upon release, 2013’s iteration failed to eclipse sales of its immediate predecessor, Black Ops II, and was ultimately dwarfed by the release of Grand Theft Auto V two months prior. Activision has since attributed the dip in performance to the recent console transition along with the rise in digital distribution systems, understandably, but Advanced Warfare represents a window of opportunity for Call of Duty to reclaim its throne of sorts.
For a franchise renowned for aping the Hollywood blockbuster, Advanced Warfare appears to take that trait to a whole new level. One glimpse at the trailer is all you need to tick off the overly familiar tropes: gung-ho set pieces, hyperbolic narrations and of course, the seemingly ubiquitous addition of dubstep. But Friday’s trailer revealed something rather surprising; an ace in the hole, if you will.