Call of Duty: Vanguard

Call of Duty: Vanguard is a standout shooter experience. A globetrotting campaign that features some of the franchise’s best visuals features a core mystery that is over far too quickly but remains strong. I also wish the Zombies mode wasn’t impacted by a content drop that is expected a month from launch, meaning that players are given an engaging but sometimes toothless wave-based assault on the undead. Yet the multiplayer is an exceptional entry at the heart of Vanguard. It offers refinement on the standard set by Modern Warfare and gives players an incredible amount of challenges to complete to best show off their combat prowess. While a new Warzone map isn’t here yet, there’s plenty to look forward to in the months to come. Despite skipping a year, Sledgehammer Games is at its peak with Call of Duty: Vanguard, delivering a premium World War II shooter and an incredible Call of Duty game.

This is a good installment, but the stutter in combat makes me wonder if it’s as polished as it should be. The game has crashed on me sometimes during Blitz modes in particular, with a lot of players. But overall it held up tremendously well in multiplayer as I fought my way to the first Prestige level and got through it with a 0.84 kill/death ratio. In fact, the more I played the more I enjoyed multiplayer.

The stars have aligned for Call of Duty: Vanguard. For the first time, this truly feels like a full package without any caveats. Sure, some parts are naturally stronger than others but there isn’t a weak link in sight. After back to back triumphs, Call of Duty is now on a killstreak.

Even failing at "showing World Wart Two like never before", Call of Duty Vanguard is a great FPS. Campaign is full of epic (and some dramatic) moments, multiplayer is fun and fast, and includes 16 maps (twice as the previous Call of Duty game) with plenty of modes and progression elements, and the new zombies mode is incredibly fun.

Aside from breath-taking visuals, the campaign mode of Vanguard doesn’t have much to say, as it’s the standard short and sweet Call of Duty campaign that we’ve known for years, but when it comes to multiplayer Vanguard is a beast, offering the most content than any other COD game before with some top notch map design and super smooth gameplay.

Vanguard is an incremental iteration for the Call of Duty franchise. It’s a solid entry in the series that does well what Call of Duty does well, but it doesn’t stand-out as a landmark release. If you enjoy Call of Duty, haven’t played for a few years, or are new to franchise, then by all means jump in. The water’s fine.

As a complete package, from a Call of Duty developer that hasn’t yet established its own Modern Warfare or Black Ops sub-franchise, Vanguard feels like it could end up being Sledgehammer’s tentpole. Iconic characters, unique multiplayer and map design, and overall integration into the wider Call of Duty experience set the pace for not only the next year, but whatever comes next from Sledgehammer.

Sledgehammer Games is back after 4 years and they are coming back in great shape. Of course, the different multiplayer modes are still effective, but this year the single player campaign really makes the difference. It has more depth with interesting characters and a spectacular setting. We did not expect such a graphically beautiful game either.

Call of Duty: Vanguard brings us a great mixture of thrilling story campaign, fresh multiplayer modes and an innovative Zombie mode. It is a fantastic experience for fans of the series and the 1st person shooters as well.

Vanguard doesn’t stray too far away from the classic Call of Duty formula we have come to expect from the franchise over the past several years. In many ways, it’s a little more of the same. That said, Call of Duty: Vanguard is an incredibly robust package offering up tons of content for the buck. Zombies mode is far more enjoyable and varied, the single-player campaign is a visual stunner, and 20 MP maps at launch is nothing to sneeze at. If you have passed over Call of Duty over the last several years, it might be time to come back.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is another strong entry for the franchise. It offers a lackluster campaign, but makes up for it with a frenetic and fun multiplayer experience. It doesn't bring anything new to the table in the FPS genre, but many of its elements definitely feel like an evolution for the franchise.

While not quite hitting the series high of Modern Warfare, Vanguard is Call Of Duty as it should be: fast, satisfying, and always calling you back for more. [Issue#10, p.92]

Well-curated and polished trip to battlefields of WWII in the campaign mode is worth remembering mostly for its work with lights and shadows. You will fear for your life, crawling through the night before D-Day or Pacific jungle – which is undoubtedly a good thing. The multiplayer is a completely different experience though. This is not a WWII shooter anymore but rather a Fortnite-inspired battle arena with some WWII skins and guns. Is it realistic? Hell no. Is it fun to play? Hell yeah.

Once reinforcements do come for Zombies, it will be hard to argue against Vanguard as one of the best and most complete Call of Duty titles in the last decade, potentially of the franchise's entire history. This is one of the rare times Call of Duty has seriously dug into its past, learned from it, and delivered a new and improved experience. Vanguard sets a high bar for Call of Duty as the franchise moves into the next generation.

Even with a lacklustre Zombies experience, Call of Duty: Vanguard is Sledgehammer Games’ best Call of Duty to date. The studio is finally hitting its stride in getting its vision of the series to where it should be. The campaign is a rip-roaring five hours of fascinating character stories mixed with memorable locales, while the new additions to the admittedly by-the-numbers multiplayer are more than welcome. While it may not change the formula in any meaningful way, what you’ve got here is a great Call of Duty game.

Call of Duty: Vanguard's campaign is meaty, the Battle Pass will keep you going a while, and Zombies is wonderfully addictive.

Whilst Call of Duty Vanguard does not innovate much to push the boundaries of the franchise further, The WWII shooter does deliver a compelling experience. The short, but action-packed single-player offers a nice introduction, although it could be a bit more coherent. The zombies' mode offers some new elements, while still feeling trusted. But by far the biggest reason to like Vanguard is multiplayer. With a nice selection of maps, plenty of modes, and some tweaks to the known formula, it truly delivers.

Offering a trilogy of solid content offerings with campaign, multiplayer and zombies, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a valiant attempt from Sledgehammer which maybe plays it a little too safe in the end. Despite the messy, disjointed design choices for online, Vanguard still proves to be a satisfying experience. It may not lead the line of CoD entries as its name suggests, but it nestles nicely in the middle of the pack.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is certainly a good return to World War II by Sledgehammer, especially in terms of multiplayer modes: many maps, customizable weapons with numerous options and a progression system to applause. On the other hand, the single player campaign is just enough, far from being considered epic, while the Zombies mode needs to be expanded as soon as possible.

Iterating on what Call of Duty diehards know and love, Vanguard has the potential to stand up alongside some of the series' best. Whether it be a bombastic, action-flick inspired campaign, endlessly addictive multiplayer or now-staple zombies mode, the game feels like comfort food. However, I remain doubtful that the game's new and updated modes will do enough to win over anyone that wasn't convinced with earlier iterations.

The frame rate appears anchored to 60 frames, without particular uncertainties, while the soundtrack signed by Bear McCreary boasts an excellent main theme and, in general, effectively accompanies the action.

A solid installment for the series with a satisfying story and great multiplayer balance.

Does Call of Duty: Vanguard advance the series in any meaningful way? Of course not, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic package for Call of Duty fans, or a good entry point for those seeking a way in. The campaign here is brief but captivating, managing to make you feel for its band of heroes despite your short time with them. Zombies has some interesting twists that keep you on your toes. And multiplayer is more of the same but with tweaks that some will love and others will hate, as usual. All in all, this is one of the best Call of Duty releases to date, and we’d love to see more of Vanguard’s exploits in the future.

Vanguard is a game with plenty of multiplayer content, far from the best ones but still enjoyable, and a campaign whose purpose seems to tick a box.

Call of Duty Vanguard is a solid yet unremarkable entry in the long running franchise. On a technical level it’s one of the most impressive games out there right now. On a gameplay level it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

Call of Duty Vanguard is a very good COD, more intimate and more human than previous episodes. The characters are at the center of the experience and we appreciate this more relaxed tone that offers something very cinematic with a classic and realistic gameplay that always works very well. An episode of quality even if it lacks a bit of the spectacular.

Sledgehammer Games clearly had high ambitions when approaching their third solo Call of Duty project. Doubling down on World War II was a smart idea to help the studio carve out its own identity separate from Infinity Ward and Treyarch. While Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn’t break the mold, it does succeed on most fronts, delivering one of the better multiplayer experiences in years for the franchise and a simplified Zombies mode that lowers the barrier of entry for those intimidated by past iterations.

Vanguard builds on the three pillars that fans of Call of Duty have come to expect. The problem: While the multiplayer mode plays great, the campaign is visually and acoustically well staged, but overall it's only "very solid" due to the weak AI and a far too predictable and short story. The zombie mode, on the other hand, is more beginner-friendly than ever, but the bottom line is that it disappoints, especially long-time fans, with an abundance of missing features. Provided that upcoming content updates improve the situation, there is still hope that the developers will make zombie hunters happy in the long run.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is one of the most anticipated shooters of the year, a year in which Battlefield was knocking on the door. While they do not risk in its highlights, they reinforce a game system that works this time as a complement to Warzone but an incentive to the height, with an outstanding campaign and multiplayer mode but with a forgettable zombie mode that does not detract from the fun that has given me Vanguard in all the hours I've played.

Although a solid offering overall, one can’t help but feel that the series has taken a step backwards in terms of the content available as well as the era depicted.

Perhaps the softest launch in Activision Blizzard's historic FPS series, Call of Duty Vanguard shows that there's much potential for this year's entry to grow. However with the weakest Zombies mode in series history, a shortage of cosmetics and upgrades for anything save your primary loadout, and a Campaign that could've offered so much more, Vanguard is a tough sell if you're looking for anything than your next TDM fix at the moment.

Call of Duty Vanguard is a particular episode, a collage of experiences that do not all have the same inspiration and quality. There is a very effective but not very original PvP, a short and breathless campaign, a Zombie mode that is almost a reward, with the promise of progressively growing. Depending on your needs, then decide whether or not to approach this year's chapter: if you like the cooperative experience against hordes of undead, you will probably just need a little patience.