Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Edition PS4
£39.99
Pros
- Decent Graphics
- Modern Warfare Is Back!
- Zombies Is Pretty Fun
- Lots to unlock on multiplayer
Cons
- Weird Game Mode Names
- Campaign is short
- Zombies have neon lights on...
I am reviewing the Legacy Edition of this game. I will also avoid as many spoilers as possible.
Ok, I’ll start with Infinite Warfare:
INFINITE WARFARE
-SINGLE PLAYER-
The single player used to be the main reason that I would purchase Call of Duty games. Titles like World at War and the Modern Warfare series had some of the greatest story telling in first person shooters to date. But as call of duties progressed into what we know it as today – fast paced futuristic shooters, personally I feel as if the campaigns have become lacklustre in contrast of what they were once before. So, does Infinite Warfare provide a fresh new campaign? The short answer is not really.
The campaign still feels like a kind of over-the-top Michael Bay film, in game form. There are stunning set pieces that will leave you gawking for sure, and can’t have been easy to make. But these set pieces are heavily overused and become quite numbing after a while. When everything is complete chaos around you all the time it loses its impact and wow-value.
Another negative is that being set in the future, Infinity Ward has to create a good villain who is completely fictitious. They did this with Makarov in Modern Warfare. Ghosts’ villain, Rorke and the federation was ok, but not the most compelling.
But in Infinite Warfare the Settlement Defense Front (which is the enemy) and its main antagonist ‘Salen Koch’ just don’t feel genuine. Emotions are portrayed poorly here, rarely making me care to much of a degree about the problems all the characters face, protagonists and antagonists alike. Interaction between you and your squad isn’t great ether. The main characters share little resemblance and are completely impossible to compare with Soap McTavish, John Price, and any other close protagonists from the Modern Warfare series.
Having someone who clearly cares about their cause, no matter how evil their intentions are, is an important factor to make you feel emotion toward the main enemy. This was done brilliantly in
MW2 on a level of the game called ‘No Russian’, which I believe was one of the most shocking experiences I have yet to come across in a game. The enemy in Infinite Warfare just comes off as one of those stereotypical villains who want to take over the world and enforce their way of rule blah, blah, blah… We’ve all seen it before.
If there’s something that I’m happy with though, it is the graphics. Especially in some cut-scenes. While the core game sees a decent improvement over the previous CoD in this area, the cinematic scenes are delightful in this regard. It’s almost as if this game is trying to be a movie at times, and funnily enough it seems like it would make for a good one.
There’s definitely some talent in the cut-scene department of Infinity Ward. And the department that designed the areas set in space also have done a fantastic job here. I absolutely love how beautiful the scenery looks, from debris floating all around you to the planets in the background. But it’s just not Call of Duty. That’s the problem. Going back in time, or staying in the modern era would be a wise choice for the next CoD in my opinion.
So, the campaign doesn’t really bring anything too new to the table here. It is mediocre at best, that’s all. This is a shame because I have thoroughly enjoyed every Infinity Ward campaign up until now. The lack of a compelling enemy with a good enough motive, and with your squad not being very intriguing, I can’t really defend this story even though I really wanted to.
-MULTIPLAYER-
Nowadays people buy CoD for the multiplayer most of the time, so you would expect it to be high quality. I’ll start by saying that it’s better than the campaign.
Infinite Warfare lets you progress, earning new items by leveling up.
The multiplayer has a few new systems in place with many new features. First, the weapon system:
There is now a system where you need to unlock a ‘base weapon’. Once you have obtained a base weapon you can get upgrades for it in four different rarity levels – common, rare, legendary, and epic (ascending from least rare to most in that order).
Each level of gun has perks. These perks will suit certain playstyles that players may have. Depending on if you’re a camper (please don’t camp though), or an on-the-go runner there’ll be a combination of perks for you. There’s even a perk that let’s you obtain a tactical nuke at 25 kills, but I don’t think that my skill level is anywhere near ready for something like that.
There is now the ability to ‘craft’ weapons aswell. The way this works is that you collect ‘salvage’ which allows you to alter the perks of the gun you want to. You collect salvage by simply playing the game. It is very similar to how Black Ops III gets you to collect ‘Cryprokeys’ to unlock a supply drop.
Secondly I will talk about the new ‘Combat Rig’ system:
The combat rig system is similar to Black Ops III’s operator system. There are six types of combat rig that all support different playing styles. There is:
– Warfighter – The Warfighter Combat Rig is for the kind of people who like a balanced style of play. It supports medium range combat with an emphasis on both offensive and defensive methods to win the game.
– Stryker – Stryker is a Combat Rig that heavily leans on being defensive, supporting their team by utilising it’s equipment to tactically secure an area. It is best used for close to medium range combat.
– Phantom – Like snipers? Then this is the class for you. Phantom focuses strongly on long range engagement with the ability to use stealth much more effectively than people using different Combat Rigs. (And yes, you can quickscope).
– Merk – This Rig will work well when working together with the Stryker Rig, as Merk is also heavily defensive. Merk can lay down protection for the team, such as force shields. They also use heavy weapons that I have found very useful for suppressing the enemy. (And they can use a shield to hold their position.)
– FTL – Those who enjoy the new fast-paced style Call of Duty has begun to grow into will love this class. It is designed to be lightweight, letting you move with speed. I find that close range weapons work best with the Rig Setup.
– Synaptic – The final Combat Rig, Synaptic, is for those who like to use melee and close range weapons. It has the ability to engage a ridiculous melee mode where it turns you into a sort of robot dog, akin to the ones from CoD World at War that would be called in as a killstreak.
Each Combat Rig has its own ‘Payload’, which is a type of perk that goes with the Rig. Following the Payload, is a ‘Trait’, which is another perk that you get to choose after the Payload. There are perks that will be helpful to any playstyle.
There are many smaller variables aswell, and all this does feel over complicated. I think that there is definitely more than one system in place that isn’t really necessary to enhance the overall experience. It is as clear as day that the developers are attempting new things, just unfortunately they’re not the things many of us want.
-GAMEPLAY-
Probably the most important aspect of a game is the gameplay. And as much as I dislike the setting of the game (I don’t dislike the artwork, but space just isn’t TRUE Call of Duty for me), I must say that the gameplay is actually very smooth, feeling like a more… ‘relaxed’ version of Black Ops III’s movement system, with gunplay being as entertaining as any other Call of Duty. The verity of guns is also quite good. There is a mixture of the classic ballistic (weapons that shoot normal rounds) weapons and the addition of energy weapons, which to me only seem like a flashy re-skin of the bullet-shooting weapons.
The multiplayer maps are cleverly designed to encourage all sorts of engagements. Long range positions and tight choke-points have been placed in good locations that make for some tactical moments. However, the maps really do feel very open with not much littered around for cover which I worry could make them feel a bit stale after a while.
-ZOMBIES-
The zombies mode in this game is the first time Infinity Ward has developed one. For their first attempt they’ve done an alright job. The characters are diverse and very, very stereotypical, but intentionally. You have classics like the ‘nerd’, the ‘hip-hop artist’, the ‘jockey’, and the ‘cheerleader’. All behave and speak just like you would imagine the 70’s would depict them.
The map suits the style of all the characters. I think Infinity Ward was going for a more over-the-top cheesy style than the original zombies mode we all love and know. And suprisingly it kind of works. The map itself is fairly large and should keep you occupied for a decent amount of time. There is plenty of stuff to do on it.
–INFINITE WARFARE CONCLUSION-
When it boils down to it, fun is all you should really need from a game. As long as you’re able to have fun without getting bored over short periods of time then that’s really all that matters. And this game IS fun, just nowhere near as much as the older Call of Duties.
If you’ve never played CoD before then I recommend Infinite Warfare to you, but If you’ve gone through at least 3 previous Call of Duties, then I think that you should wait until there is a change in the setting as 3 futuristic games in a row may just be too similar. Although, if you are a Call of Duty enthusiast or have some extra cash to spare, BUY MODERN WARFARE REMASTERED. I will now talk about this amazing game that comes with the Infinite Warfare Legacy edition.
–MODERN WARFARE REMASTERED–
-SINGLE PLAYER-
The single player of the original Modern Warfare was phenomenal, and the remaster is legendary! Raven has done a perfect job of modernising the visuals for the game. It looks amazing. I actually believe that the graphics for MW Remastered are better than Infinite Warfare‘s. And that’s a heavy blow for IW I must say.
The campaign is believable. This is what I think makes it so good. If you believe in what your characters are doing then I makes for a much more engaging narrative. Those hectic moments feel genuine and not forced like in Infinite Warfare. There is an excellent balance of action and stealth, with strategy also being involved.
The villain of Modern Warfare Remastered is well depicted and has emotions behind his actions, you strongly believe that he is intent and brutal, but also can see from his perspective why he makes the decisions he does.
Because the game is set in modern times the troubles that the main antagonist goes through are in a way, understood by the player. Unlike in Infinite Warfare where the villain’s motives are alien to us as it isn’t something we have ever actually witnessed before. And in my opinion Infinite Warfare did a poor job of trying to make an interesting NEW type of enemy with a cool type of motive that we haven’t seen some varient of before.
The whole campaign of this game is an absolute joyride, and I loved literally each and every bit of it. Raven truely has done a stunning job with the updated visuals and sounds, and have also listened to fans and have changed the smallest of things, like making the some guns sound more like the originals, alongside changing the headshot icon in multiplayer from the one that was in Advanced Warfare to the one from the original Modern Warfare.
So, the single player is improved enough to warrant a purchase of this even if you’ve played the original. Now, multiplayer.
-MULTIPLAYER-
Yes, we all know that there was a bit of controversy over only ten maps being initially included for the multiplayer of Modern Warfare Remastered. People were concluding that we would have to pay for the other 6 maps in DLC. This is NOT the case however. It has been confirmed that the missing maps will be added after launch for free. So don’t worry!
The multiplayer for Modern Warfare Remastered takes the simplicity of the original game and turns it into something more modern, making the interface that you go into pre match refreshing to any Call of Duty veterans.
You don’t have any of the newer things you see in CoD’s today. It is a simple menu with the classic ‘create a class’ screen. The set up of a loadout is very easy. You pick a primary waepon, a secondary weapon, a leathal equipment piece, a tactical equipment piece, and three perks. That’s it, you’re good to go! I really miss how easy these older CoD’s were to just pick up and play. It’s definitely refreshing to re-visit the old system.
The remastered maps look very good, far far better than Infinite Warfare‘s, which look more cartoony. Modern Warfare’s ones have a more realistic and down-to-earth feel to them. The detail has been increased tenfold compared with the original Modern Warfare.
-GAMEPLAY-
Ah, how I have missed the gameplay of Modern Warfare. It was so satisfying back in the day to load up a team deathmatch and just shoot away. And everything just worked so perfectly (In terms of having fun anyway).
It’s not just nostalgia. The remaster confirms that for me.
There are plenty of things that could be considered ‘broken’ in this game that have carried over from the original. Having three grenades to throw each life is quite ridiculous. And allowing you to drop a grenade upon death can feel cheap aswell. But the broken elements don’t take away from the experience as a whole.
Back when CoD was a new thing, the maps were completely different to what they are now. There were no real areas that encouraged specific types of engagement like sniping or using close range weapons. You could normally use whatever weapon you would like and it would be similar in effectiveness as any other weapon.
Obviously snipers were better from further away and SMGs were better at close range, but they still were effective to use when not operated in their intended environment. The maps of Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered are very similar to the originals – hectic and unpredictable which makes for a more dynamic type of gameplay when compared to Infinite Warfare, where the gameplay is more or less the same each time.
The guns handle fabulously in the re-installment of Modern Warfare. I love using classics like Desert Eagle or the Barret 50.cal. A lot of the weapons have had updated sounds since the original Modern Warfare, and most of the new sounds make the guns sound more real and true to life.
Raven even listened to people when they complained about the Deagle’s updated sound not being like the original iconic one, so they actually changed it! I think Infinity Ward could learn a lesson or two from Raven when it comes to listening to the community.
Another addition to the gunplay is the ability to ‘inspect’ your gun. You press the button that corresponds with the platform you’re using (PS4, Xbox, PC, etc…) and your character moves around his gun, admiring it. It may sound silly, but it’s actually a cool little addition that I use from time to time.
-MW REMASTERED CONCLUSION-
The remaster of Modern Warfare has been made perfectly and in itself is a very fun game to play. If it were available to purchase as its own game and not along with Infinite Warfare I would recommend it to almost anyone.
-OVERALL CONCLUSION-
Overall I would recommend the Legacy Edition to the people who haven’t played the original Modern Warfare and want to play Infinite Warfare aswell, or to enthusiasts of the Call of Duty series. If you don’t fall under those categories but are still interested in the Remaster of Modern Warfare then I think you should wait until (hopefully) Activision sells it separately as a standalone
game. I rate the Legacy Edition 7.6/10.