Call of Duty: Vanguard

[Neon Ignition]

I don't have time in my life for the countless hours I used to put into franchises like this and so if any stick around it's solely for TDM and the one I'd gravitate to. Vanguard isn't going to be that game with the more freeform BF2042 on the horizon but these games are often solid enough to enjoy for their campaigns etc assuming they have one. Vanguard does and I'm now just reaching the final mission in it and the result is... pretty solid to be honest. It's very by the numbers by franchise standards but it looks decent and plays well. I'd say the first half of the game is better than the second half but there's a solid attempt at presenting a mixture of settings and gameplay tweaks as you switch from POV to POV across the campaign.

Multiplayer wise it's a very traditional set up but once again, I've yet to play a map that felt like an outright duffer. It seems like there's enough content to keep things mixed up and interesting, it plays well too with any real notable snags like spawn points being a common issue across the games rather than Vanguard alone being an issue. It's nice to see some World at War maps finally get to shine again too. The issue with the game really is how it's content with being a solid all rounder, there's nothing that pushes the series forward or feels new. But for what it is it seems decent and I think I prefer it at first glance to Cold War.

[Atticus]

Yeah, no great surprises really but then again I tend to play it safe with these games, settling into my usual zones of comfort (very much like Neon above I generally stick with TDM, Kill Confirmed and maybe the odd other mode ... I rarely go much deeper). But I'm having fun. I've played a little Campaign and it's entertaining enough ... the usual big budget shooting gallery to whet the appetite and an opportunity reacquaint yourself with the controls. But as is usual these days it's mainly about the multi-player. On the whole I'm really enjoying it. There are always one or two bogey maps I tend to perform poorly on but I'm getting back into the groove.

As I mentioned in the xbox thread, a quick word on Dobly Vision. The game defaulted to this and I played some Campaign and it was okay (though I felt the controls were a bit sluggish). But some of the visuals popped ... especially a village at night with something burning in a courtyard ... it was intense, like looking into real fire almost. But then I loaded up multi-player and I thought I was just rusty, but turning Dolby Vision off and putting the TV back into Game Mode made a massive difference. Game was razor sharp again. I was able to shoot other players. Normality resumed. I'm sure Dolby Vision will be great with some games but it's not a good fit with CoD ... way too much lag. Game Mode is such a great feature on the Bravia it's hard to beat ... and it's simply not available when DV is on).

[wakka]

Thanks for the impressions guys. I wouldn’t mind giving this a blast but I’ve got so many different bits and pieces I want to play at the moment. Sounds like a decent entry. I promised myself I’d keep my powder dry, COD-wise, till MW2. Maybe I’ll pick this up in the New Year for a blast though, idk.

[nonny]

Hard pass from me... it looks completely forgettable every time I see it.

The only scenario where I would buy it is if it flops hard and its half price by Xmas. Something I can actually see happening.

[Golgo]

I have this, my first CoD in a looong time, and I'm actually enjoying it. Maps are very good, diverse and colourful. Hotel Royal, Berlin, Desert Siege, Gavuto, Tuscan, Castle and Sub Pen are my favourites. There's a little bit of destructibility to them that does actually add an extra tactical wrinkle (doors, shutters, walls and floors that can get blown out), but not very much. The weapons are chunky, sound is great, and killstreaks aren't overwhelming as they have often been. The new Patrol mode is more fun than it has any right to be. Me and my mate got our arses handed to us on a plate in the new Champion Hill mode, but definitely want to give it another try.

The ability to adjust combat pacing (basically, player numbers) is a godsend, saving the game from the headless chicken runaround that it can become. We set everything to tactical, which is a low player count and gives a chance to strategize a little bit. And for players who like a mad runaround, there's blitz. I've only dipped into zombies, which looked pretty well-made, but haven't tried the campaign at all. But on MP it offers a very enjoyable game of playground soldiers - there's nothing wrong with it on that score. I've even started dabbling in modes I've never countenanced before, like Search and Destroy, and Domination. I'm enjoying those too and my K/D (or E/D as it is now called) is woeful. I'm quite looking forward to what they do with the warzone component, new maps and zombie mode when they flesh them out for the official season start in early December, although who knows how this will affect install size. I think I may have to rinse and delete the campaign component before that point.

[Golgo]

I got stuck into the campaign and it's bad. It feels really slow and stodgy to control, and altogether just odd. One section almost goes for a first person Uncharted vibe with climbing everywhere (using conspicuous yellow-marked handholds). I like some of the non-interactive bits where you are treated to walking through some beautifully detailed environments

->Open Spoiler<-

(e.g. Stalingrad, the aircraft carrier)

, but the actual arenas you fight in are not so thrillingly designed. It's an international tour of trenches and dugouts for the most part. The story I don't like. They've gone for some kind of ensemble cast of rough but honourable heroes, who squabble violently amongst themselves but have always "got each others' backs", and the cheesy heroics is several steps beyond my level of tolerance. It's a bit embarrassing to witness, especially the loading screen quotes where the heroes offer pithy reflections on the nature of war, honour, comradeship, leadership, etc. Probably the worst CoD campaign I've played - it just doesn't flow.

[Neon Ignition]

It's definitely interesting that the campaign is set to control at a much slower pace than the multiplayer. Would be better to have a balance between the two as the MP in COD's has generally become too twitch paced

[Atticus]

I thought there was something sluggish about the controls in campaign. When I realised Dolby Vision caused lag I put it down to that.

Still, multiplayer is pretty solid. Still having plenty of fun with that.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, I presume it's done to try and set a pace through the campaign etc but it moves at about half the speed of MP. Another area where Modern Warfare seemed to strike things better

[Golgo]

I haven't even got Dolby Vision. I think it's just sluggish. Funnily the first level was really bad, so bad I thought I had a defective thumbstick and it wasn't registering the run. Then it got a bit faster in the second major scenario, then it sludged right down again.