Losing respect for Call of Duty

Last weekend, Call of Duty: Ghost was %50 off on Steam, this also included a Free Weekend trial where Steam users were able to play Ghosts Multiplayer for free for the weekend.

I was a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, until MW2 was released. (Black ops is still considered good, but not a good as the previous titles). The shift from gameplay and player requirements to pushing out content for investors is destroying franchise for gamers.

That said, I jumped on the opportunity to try out Call of Duty:Ghost. Hearing that how this is suppose to be next gen and new direction for the franchise I thought to try out to see if they were telling the truth. I had played around six hours of Ghost, and I can say the game was not worth it. Call of Duty:Ghost was not what the developers and publishers made it out to be.

So let me go through the list of problems that COD:Ghost has;

• Create a Class – From all the Call of Duty titles that featured Create a Class, I found that Black ops 2 was the best. Ten free slots that can be filled in a way that you want  to play. While in Ghost you provided with slots for weapons and attachments, and slot limit for perks (Each perk can take up a different amount depending on value given). Ghost also includes squad points which are used to unlock perks, weapons, attachments, killstreaks and loadout slots. Black ops 2 had squad points too but they could only be used to unlock weapons and perks when they were available when you reach a certain rank. Squad points in Ghost can be used on weapons and perks which are available to be unlocked from the start, ranking up only provides you with squad points. I feel that giving player everything from the start allow them.

• Weapons and Perks – The perks system is all over the place. There are so many of them, which spoils the game by making you and/or other players super soldiers. I prefer the Call of Duty 4 perk system where you are only given three slots without crossover perk selection and without perk pros. On the other hand there are a reasonable amount of weapons in the game but most of them are wasted because of the maps are stuffed with objects that could discourage you from using certain weapons. Weapon of choice in Ghost is an assault rifle, but overall the weapons are well balanced in terms of damage and recoil.

• Maps – There are two type of maps in the Ghost; maps with open mid-areas or very compact maps. The maps do may feel big, but it is actually an illusion, because they are quite small (Similar to the idea of meal on big plate). A few months back I watched a video on youtube that explain the map layout pretty well, unfortunately I was not able to relocate it. The video explains the difference of map development between standard mutiplayer map design (which I use when making CS:GO maps) and Ghost maps design ;

• Support – Zero. Just like MW2, MW3, and BO2. Matchmaking instead of dedicated servers, which means that you will be meeting cheaters, trolls, racists, brain dead players and more. I did not get to test out league games (if there was any) or Clan wars.

• Graphics – Next generation Call of Duty supposedly running on a new engine. When I first launched the game all of the video setting was set to low, this was recommendation setting. Played a few rounds and I found that the world seemed ugly and textures were rough. Then decided to set everything to high, and all I can say is that this was the outcome;

So from this I can say is that Call of Duty:Ghost PC is a cheap console port. Full of graphical bugs, cheaters, rude and naive players, re-used content and maps that have been designed horribly. Ghost is one of the Call of Duty game that you have to give a miss.

Call of Duty:Ghost is the number one most sold game on console, unfortunately not on PC, and after this player turn away from future titles. Ghost multiplayer was developed by Sledgehammer Games and with the announcement that they will also be doing the next COD game,  I have to say they will get very little or any at all support from PC gamers, after this ridiculous show of effort. That so, Treyarch now has an extra year to hopefully create a comeback. It’s too soon to say.

Thing they could do to make the next Call of Duty a success on PC;

1. Ranked Dedicated Servers (Let admins take charge of removing bad players. Also allow up to 32 for PC).
2. Mod Tools and Map Builder (Make good use of the Steam Workshop, allow players to help make the game grow).
3. Graphical change (Use modified Unreal or Cryengine, both have development kits that are free for the public to test).
4. Less Perks(Skill comes from the player not the game. No super soldiers).
5. Environmental Maps (Snow, Rain, Sand, Jungle. Add atmosphere. Different range of ideas).
6. Less Killstreaks (Don’t over reward the player).
7. Increase the number of weapons (10 per primary weapon class).
8. Player Customisation
9. New Co-op mode. (Similar to beast/zombies).
10. Singleplayer or Co-0p based storyline (Like World at War).

People say Call of Duty killed Medal of Honor, but in fact Medal of Honor was killed by EA. Now people say Titanfall will kill Call of Duty, but why all know Activision will do that job.

If everything fails there is always Valve with Counter Strike. Go download the Steam client and purchase the CS:GO for £11.99.