Call of Dully

The anticipation for the next generation consoles is heating up.  Who will win the fight: X-Box One or Playstation 4?  Well that's not going to matter, because that's nothing compared to the one game that dominates every year:  Call of Duty!

2 days ago, Activision released the latest chapter in the Call of Duty franchise dubbed "Call of Duty: Ghosts" across the Playstation 3, X-Box 360, Nintendo Wii U and the Windows PC(Steam).  However, this also marks the first time the franchise will be on the X-Box One and the Playstation 4: The former out on the 15th, and the latter out on the 22nd.

However, not everyone is on board with this newest chapter in the Call of Duty franchise.  Case in point: a number of reviews.

Polygon's Russ Frushtick: 6.5/10

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Call of Duty: Ghosts is mired in a distinct lack of ambition. Outside of the stellar Extinction mode, Ghosts follows more often than it leads, bringing with it familiar missions, modes and experiences. Ghosts feels like an accountant's sequel, with just enough content to justify a new installment. It just never goes beyond that.

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 Giant Bomb's Jeff Gertsmann: 60

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Ghosts offers the same style of video game combat that Call of Duty has had since 2007. The core of it is still engaging and can be very thrilling, if you're receptive to this type of action. In fact, it's still my favorite online multiplayer shooter. But the bells and whistles surrounding the game are muted and missing, leaving behind that same core without giving you enough new and exciting reasons to come back. Even with the improved graphics to be had on next-generation consoles, I'd rather play Black Ops II.

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Quater to Three's Tom Chick: 40(The Lowest score so far)

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And so that’s the sum total of Call of Duty: Ghosts. The disappointing single-player, the usual multiplayer, the slightly confused squad bot matches, and a nifty co-op Extinction mode that could use more maps. When you start Ghosts, the logos for three separate studios flash onscreen, which speaks volumes about what follows. Here is several different things, some of them intriguing, some of them familiar, most of them slight. Frankly, I’d rather have fewer better things, because this is like picking through a sack of candy instead of having dinner. For those of us who aren’t devout adopters of the usual multiplayer, a big bag of modest distractions can’t compare to something with the depth, breadth, legs, and unique identity of, say, Battlefield 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, or Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Does anyone really like getting a gift basket?



And finally: Destructoid's Jim Sterling: 5/10

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Call of Duty may have picked up a reputation as one of the laziest, most callously developed cash cows in the business, but I've always believed that reputation was undeserved. Call of Duty: Ghosts, however, with its slapdash campaign and unambitious multiplayer, contains enough factory-standard cynicism to earn itself plenty of scorn. Nothing Ghosts does is especially bad, but nothing Ghosts does is worth paying any attention to. It exists to exist, a stopgap bit of filler spat out as the industry transitions from one generation of consoles to another. 

Contrary to the old saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Black Ops II demonstrated that with style. Ghosts, however, is a dog that simply doesn't want to change. It knows what it is, and sticks with it. It would be a respectable endeavor, if it didn't lead to such an underwhelming and predictable little product. What a sleepy, sleepy dog. 

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Metacritic currently points it at a 74/100.  A good score, but not as impressive as the previous chapters in the franchise.  Which gets to one question: What happened?  Has the Call of Duty franchise finally lost its midas touch?  Do people no longer care about serving up American Patriotism?  Or is it just Infinite Ward mucking up the game?

Regardless, it seems Call of Duty: Ghosts is not without its own flaws that weights it down from being terrific.  Time will tell if this game makes the November NPD next month, or if it finally shows its age and marks a decline in the franchise overall.

One last thing before I go, Jim Sterling's review of Call of Duty: Ghosts marks the final review of his on Destructoid.  From 2006 to 2013, Jim Sterling has provided comical articles on the website and his Escapist video "Jimquisition."  He will now join Escapist Magazine as apart of the same team that Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw and Bob "MovieBob" Chipman are apart of.

Thanks for those memories, Jim.  Though I haven't forgiven you for giving Sonic Lost Worlds a better review than the other sites.  XP

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.832758-Jim-Sterling-Leaves-Destructoid-UPDATE-Jim-Joins-The-Escapist

 Works Cited:
Polygon
Giant Bomb
Quarter to Three
Destructoid
Metacritic