Call of Duty Ghosts Single Player ~ The Watcher

Sometimes awaiting a pre-order game can seem like an eternity; checking the calender constantly and frequently logging in to check the progress of an on-line order. However this latest edition in the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Ghost, made little impact on my life, failing to inspire frantic postman watching. Perhaps its just got to the stage where its annual foray into the world of guns and glory is simple expected, rather than anticipated.
Released on the 5th of November, it flew under the radar of the festivities of Halloween and Fireworks (undoubtedly The Controller would disagree). It
actually resided under the letter box for a good hour before it dawned on me to check if there was any post.

The 10th game in the series and the 6th by Infinity Ward , it was designed as a launch title for the 'Next Gen' consoles the XBOX One and Playstation 4 . Set in the near future (no sky mono rails, but plenty of oil issues), the game follows the antics of an earnest father throwing his sons head long into battle while lying thoroughly to them about his own identity crisis. Throw in some absurd gadgets and as many different scenarios as possible, you get a shooting/ driving/ swimming/ space-faring/ dog whispering game (the fathers confusion clearly setting the benchmark for the gameplay).

Well that's my take on it. Regardless of 'King and Country' logic the idea of sacrificing your own offspring, on the basis of an ill thought out back story, could appear a little 'off'. When you tell fire side tales of mythical gun toting heroes, and parade around in a painted balaclava like a bank robber in your spare time, you know its time to give up on parent of the year awards.

I could enlighten you to more of the story line but in lieu of spoilers (readily available across the internet by now) I'll stick to the basics and wait for your friends to blab the key plot points on Facebook. After the middle East oil reserves were nuked, an over powered amalgamation group from the oil fields of South America appears called Federation (The Baddies). They hijacked a 'Defense' space station  (ODIN) and destroyed several American cities, America then went to hell in a handbag.

In a refreshing take on standard games the Almighty US of A (The Goodies) is the underdog fighting a defensive war against the Federation. You and your brother fight through various worldwide stages to wipe out America enemies and ensure the survival of good, add in a hint of revenge and strong moral stances and you've nailed the entire game.

The addition of a dog into the game has been previously limited to the multi player, but this time the dog is a character to interact with. Cue disorientating moments where you leave its viewpoint to find that your human body has magically moved 30 feet into clear eye shot of  a trigger happy nemesis. Or finding out if you don't follow closely enough the darn thing dies, and boom mission over and a happy screen saying its all your fault appears. Additionally if your Controller isn't an avid animal fan, the novelty of having to cart it around with you, is negated by the vocal irritation of trying to keep it alive. As if this wasn't bad enough the fish almost induced an apoplectic fit!

Following characters is a major fail in this game, sometimes they will just plain vanish, leaving you to hunt aimlessly for the owner of the increasingly angry voice. More often than not you will get stuck behind them on a path or corridor and be stuck at a snails pace whilst they demand you hurry up and get to a door they are incapable of opening. Try to avoid AI's if in a fire fight as they often decide to jam you in the worst place, leaving you unable to gain cover or move as the enemy gleefully butcher you.

Whilst the single player is often viewed as a chance to show the financially robbed consumer the breathtaking graphics and full capabilities of the design team, this game fell a little flat. The story line is in line with females skirts:  fashionable getting shorter every year. An awful stereotype, and I dare say my age plays a part in the comparison, but being female I can get away with it. The game play is lacklustre, resorting to firing and the occasional interactive open this, blow this up moment. The walking isn't as smooth as previous versions, in fact the first scenes, though essential for the character growth, are down right poor. Getting stuck on random pebbles or clumps of grass doesn't let up as the game progresses, surely something that should have ironed out before release.

However Call of Duty has discovered that the real money lies in online play and appears to intend to keep it there. Personally I couldn't justify full price for the single player alone, which to my old fashioned mind set seems ridiculous as the multi-player is traditionally the add on. Yet I know many people only buy the game to butcher their friends online, and theses people will no doubt be enthralled. I'm just glad I managed to get for £17 (Superb combination of discount codes).

The multi player awaits, and I shall be back to update once The Controller has learnt enough of the new maps to desist from complaining and actually play satisfactorily. Such a tough life he has with someone as demanding as myself at the helm!

Fun Fact: You can now customise your character in multi player to that of the female form, yes bountiful demands of fellow gamers have resulted in the inclusion of fighting women More information and interesting facts on women in American forces here.