Since then, each passing year has witnessed small, incremental changes rather than an entire series overhaul. Mind you, as last-gen architecture wore on, the franchise was arguably hamstrung by tiring hardware; but when an entire sequence from Ghosts is called out for resembling a scene from Modern Warfare 2 pixel for pixel, it raises the question: where is the innovation?
Nevertheless, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will be built from the ground up with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in mind; although, it’s worth noting that recent listings by retailers suggest that the title will indeed release on last-gen hardware, too. And while this doesn’t immediately guarantee a better game, that extra horsepower will be vital if Sledgehammer Games is to truly bring the franchise back to relevancy. Because since the heyday of Modern Warfare, Call of Duty is no longer at the top of the food chain in terms of mindshare. There’s no doubting the series’ success, and truly, Activision’s juggernaut is one of the very few franchises that permeates the mainstream audience with each passing year — thanks to its 40 million active users, no doubt.
Even still, the FPS landscape (or, more appropriately, battleground) has changed considerably in those seven years. Studios such as Respawn and Turtle Rock have branched off in order to carve out different and frankly overdue sub-genres. In fact, games such as Titanfall, Evolve and even Bungie’s bold and futuristic Destiny all represent some form of competition to Call of Duty going forward. And from the trailer alone, it’s wholly apparent that Advanced Warfare intends to acclimatise Activision’s behemoth to compete with these new franchises on the block.
In the wake of Titanfall’s liberating jetpacks, verticality is all the rage. And it’s clear that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will look to bestow players with a similar degree of locomotion through cutting edge technology such as the hoverbikes and the Avatar-esque helicopters — although how these vehicles will be incorporated into the multiplayer component remains to be seen.
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