Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

An interesting entry for the series. The parts I enjoy have been improved, and are the best they have been in years. The campaign is one of my favorites of the year, and Zombies continues to innovate and find ways to be super fun. The multiplayer though feels throwaway and not all that exciting, which is what gives the series legs. The inclusion of Modern Warfare Remastered softens that blow, but I am curious how the community will react over time.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a definitive evolution for the franchise, an evolution we desperately needed.

Infinite Warfare features a compelling single-player experience with plenty of optional missions for those looking for more, and robust multiplayer modes for players of every style, whether you’re leading the scoreboards in kill confirmed or goofing around with friends taking on an alien invader in an over-the-top amusement park.

As a whole Infinite Warfare is not perfect game, but that doesn't make it a bad game as all three gameplay elements (story, multiplayer, cooperative) combine to make a solid game that fans, and even non-fans, can enjoy and one that shouldn’t be overlooked this year.

Infinity Ward's new game introduces an exciting new campaign while being more conservative on the multiplayer side, with a mix of Ghosts and BO3 mechanics. The end result is a good but not outstanding game, something that will please lovers of the series but won't do anything to attract new or lapsed players.

In a way, what makes Call of Duty Infinite Warfare so successful is personality, whether that’s via creative future tech, or the earnest single player story or even the over the top Zombie mode. This has been an incredible year for shooters. Thankfully, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare completes 2016 with a bang.

We'll be damned if Infinity Ward hasn't gone and pulled it out of the bag this year. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is yet another delectable dollop of shooty blockbuster entertainment that somehow manages to exceed expectations. Yes, it hasn't really come all that far and no, Infinity Ward hasn't reinvented the wheel. But as Call of Duty experiences go, Infinite Warfare hits the mark.

While no Call of Duty game has matched the comprehensive excellence of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the exploits of Reyes and Ethan are at least as memorable and moving as any deeds from “Soap” MacTavish and John Price during from the series' heyday.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is not the abomination haters would want it to be but it is clear that the franchise is going through an identity crisis. Under its bizarre sci-fi concept, the campaign still has some of the core elements you would expect from the single player mode, but the overly convoluted structure of the multiplayer, chaotic rhythm, the flashy presentation of Zombies in Spaceland and a few technical hiccups will make you hesitate when calling this a Call of Duty game.

There's a massive amount of content in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, though especially if you played Black Ops 3 last year there’s little of it that’s particularly impressive.

A mechanically sound shooter that's hampered by a lack of scale and inventiveness. [Jan 2017, p.88]

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a mess. There is fun to be had but there it really feels like Infinity Ward really had no idea what direction they wanted to take the series in. Space battles are fun, the campaign missions are fun and the new Zombies mode is a blast, but everything else is just so mediocre that it really brings down the experience.

With an enjoyable campaign and zombies mode, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is still a worthwhile purchase, although your mileage may vary when it comes to the game's competitive multiplayer. The campaign in particular is well-acted with moments of levity and gravity. However, while these are still good games to play, the now ordinary gameplay may feel a bit stale, particularly for those who have kept up with the series' annual releases for the past decade. After a particularly good year for the first person shooter, Call Of Duty is not a particular stand-out, a far cry from the series must-buy status at its height.

Though I wasn’t sold on the futuristic setting for the campaign, it still showed promise for the future of the franchise when it comes to storytelling and character development. And while its multiplayer feels far safer than the disappointing experience to be had in Ghosts, Zombies in Spaceland is one of the most enjoyable incarnations of the mode since its inception both when you’re playing with friends and alone. It’s not the quantum leap fans may have hoped for, but it’s a solid starting point for future expeditions.

The campaign is really good, the competitive multiplayer is pretty boring, and the Zombies in Spaceland mode is lighthearted fun. As a whole, the package is a little disappointing, especially if you put a lot of weight onto the MP side of COD. But if you're down for another solid, entertaining shooter campaign, then I think Infinite Warfare is definitely worth a look.

If the zombie mode in your game is the part that feels best, you know you have some patching to do. It just feels very unbalanced and rushed here at release.