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Call of Duty: Ghosts promised a revitalization of the franchise, a bold step into the next generation of consoles. Developed by Infinity Ward, the studio behind the acclaimed Modern Warfare series, Ghosts aimed to reignite the passion that had arguably cooled since Modern Warfare 3. However, instead of praise, Ghosts has been met with widespread criticism, leaving many to wonder: has Call of Duty lost its way? This review delves into the game’s strengths and weaknesses, exploring why it falls short of the series’ legacy.

Graphics: A Disappointing Specter

Infinity Ward touted a new engine for Ghosts, designed to leverage the power of next-gen hardware. The reality, however, is far removed from the pre-release hype. While the engine incorporates advanced graphical techniques, their implementation feels rushed and ultimately underwhelming. Effects, rather than impressing, often hinder performance. A particularly egregious example involves a waterfall scene where simply looking at the flowing water causes the frame rate to plummet below 30fps, an unacceptable technical flaw for a flagship title. Furthermore, the promised improvements to texture quality are largely absent, with blurry textures often blurring the distinction between environments and enemies.

Call of Duty: Ghosts gameplay screenshot showing a waterfall

The disparity between the advertised visuals and the final product is stark, leaving a sense of unfulfilled potential. Infinity Ward’s new engine, while ambitious, fails to deliver a truly next-gen experience.

Story: A Forgettable Narrative

The narrative of Call of Duty: Ghosts feels like a bizarre blend of heroic war drama and a Disney cartoon. The plot revolves around a predictable chase between skilled soldiers and even more skilled adversaries, traversing various global locations and even venturing into space, all for a purpose that remains frustratingly unclear. The story is unnecessarily convoluted and drawn out, leaving the player with more questions than answers. Who are these characters? What motivates them? Why are they doing this? These questions linger like ghosts, haunting the player long after the credits roll.

Call of Duty: Ghosts gameplay screenshot showing characters in a cutscene

The characters themselves are largely forgettable, lacking the depth and charisma that defined previous Call of Duty protagonists. The one shining light is Riley, the German Shepherd companion. With realistic animations and an endearing personality, Riley provides some of the game’s most enjoyable moments. Unfortunately, Riley’s presence is limited, fading into the background as the story progresses. This further weakens an already lackluster campaign, leaving players lost and confused in a narrative fog.

Multiplayer: Below Expectations

Call of Duty’s success has always been rooted in its multiplayer. Sadly, Ghosts’ multiplayer falls short of the series’ high standards and the “next-gen” experience it promised. Inexplicably, Infinity Ward has restricted player customization options. Players cannot choose specific servers, forcing them to rely on a matchmaking system that can be inconsistent. Creating custom servers with unique rules is possible, but relies on peer-to-peer connections, making the experience heavily dependent on the host’s connection stability. This severely impacts the competitive viability of Ghosts’ multiplayer.

Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer screenshot

Further hindering the experience is the automated Contextual Lean system. Instead of manually leaning around cover, players now lean automatically when aiming near a wall. This seemingly minor change disrupts the established control scheme, removing player agency and adding unnecessary complexity. Visual customization options are also limited, preventing players from adjusting field of view, sound levels, or other graphical settings.

Bugs and Performance Issues

Compounding the game’s issues are numerous bugs and performance problems. Crashes to desktop, both in single-player and multiplayer, are frequent and disruptive. The menus suffer from stuttering and lag, making navigation a frustrating experience. In single-player, enemy AI can be erratic, with enemies sometimes ignoring the player even at close range. Multiplayer is also plagued by glitches, including instances where players lose their planted bombs or experience severe frame rate drops when interacting with certain objects.

Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer gameplay screenshot

Redeeming Qualities: Gunplay and Customization

Despite its flaws, Ghosts does have some redeeming qualities. The gunplay, a core element of the Call of Duty experience, remains satisfying. Weapons feel weighty and impactful, providing a visceral sense of power. The game boasts a wide array of weapons and equipment, allowing players to customize their loadouts to suit their playstyle. The unlock system, using “Squad Points,” is also streamlined, allowing players to unlock any item regardless of their level or playtime.

Call of Duty: Ghosts character customization screen

Map design, while not groundbreaking, is generally well-considered, offering a variety of environments and playstyles. Maps cater to different weapon types, with open areas for rifles, tight corridors for shotguns, and vantage points for snipers.

New Modes: Squads and Extinction

Ghosts introduces new multiplayer modes, most notably Squads and Extinction. Squads allows players to create and customize their own AI-controlled teams, offering a new layer of customization and strategic depth. While the concept is intriguing, its execution feels somewhat shallow, primarily serving as a way to show off custom loadouts. Extinction, a four-player co-op mode pitting players against alien creatures, is Infinity Ward’s answer to Treyarch’s popular Zombies mode. While it offers a different flavor of Call of Duty, it feels underdeveloped and ultimately less engaging than its inspiration.

Call of Duty: Ghosts gameplay screenshot showing the Extinction mode

Conclusion

Call of Duty: Ghosts, while not entirely without merit, ultimately fails to live up to the series’ legacy. A disappointing campaign, a flawed multiplayer experience, and persistent technical issues hold the game back from greatness. While the core gunplay and customization options offer glimpses of the franchise’s potential, they are overshadowed by the game’s numerous shortcomings. Call of Duty: Ghosts is a ghost of its former self, a specter of what could have been.