Shooting for the Stars [OPINION]

The Call of Duty series has been the most successful franchise since the developers launched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare back in 2007. With its loyal fan base, yearly release and simple mechanics, the franchise has created a legacy that shows no sign of slowing down. While its most recent project Call of Duty: WWII didn’t appeal to the mass audience, it still had a successful year and with its upcoming project Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, consumers are turning their attention to what the team has in store this year. Rather than addressing these games in this review, I want to cover a game that did not receive the praise most Call of Duty games usually get; Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. This was a game that received harsh criticisms upon the release trailer back in 2016 with the trailer being the most disliked video in YouTube history. As someone who is a casual gamer and does not annually purchase a Call of Duty game, I sat down and played the campaign to get a better understanding as to why gamers had a sour taste in their mouths with this game. The question that I will be addressing in this review is how a game from a beloved franchise betrayed its loyal fan base.

One of the things that Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare does well in is the pacing of the levels. The titles before Infinite Warfare would drop the player head first into the battle with your soldiers explaining to you, the player, what the situation was and what to do next. Most players wouldn’t even listen to the dialogue and begin the hunt for whatever enemy they see which started becoming a problem from a plot perspective. For every explosion and gunshot that may surround the player in one level, a silent infiltration in the next mission can create tension which results in excellent pacing. It is for that reason why fans praise Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Infinite Warfare does the same thing in this title. After a violent battle on Earth and then in space, you are informed that you are now taking control of one of Earth’s few remaining spaceships. Rather than the game sending the player to the next mission, you are left in the captain’s quarters alone. The game allows the player to take in what just happened in the previous levels and to reflect on their actions in silence. It allowed me to be immersed within the world after all of the running, shouting and shooting.

Another thing that was different from other Call of Duty projects were the characters. This game had me legitimately caring about some of my crew members. The voice acting was believable as well as their facial animations. They were lifelike and varied in personality that complement each other rather than cliché cutouts. The beginning stages of the game had me emotionally caring about each one.

But here is where the problems begin to arise. The player is put in the role of a soldier who is now the head captain of one of Earth’s remaining spaceships and its crew, yet the only decisions that the player is given to choose is what mission to select. Our subordinate characters are instructing us, the player, where to go and what to do next. It creates a disconnect between the protagonist and the player. Many gamers also found it hard to believe that the crew would send its head captain to the front lines for every mission.

Levels in this game feature objectives that gamers have seen before in various Call of Duty titles. Objectives are simple and repeated numerous times throughout the campaign while following non-playable-characters (NPC’s) that would truly test a mother’s patience. But one of the biggest faults Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has lies within the plot. The player is tasked with searching for clues on how to reach the game’s antagonist only to find that a behind-the-scenes character has suddenly found the villain and where to reach him. Meaning, all of the work the player did to hunt for him was completely useless.

For every stride that the developers make with this game, Infinite Warfare beats itself back down. I commend the game for trying to change the narrative and pacing but with its major plot holes and disconnect, I understand the reason for the distaste Infinite Warfare had on fans. While I admittedly enjoyed playing the campaign as a casual gamer, there just wasn’t enough for me to go back in and try again. There is a lack of intensity that makes Infinite Warfare … well infinite.