Since the peak of Call of Duty way back in 2007, Treyarch and Infinity Ward have been doing a back-and-forth dance with Black Ops and Modern Warfare, respectively. This back and forth between two storylines has been hit or miss for the most part, with their success and failure ending up at extremely opposite ends of the spectrum.
On good days, you would get something as revolutionary as Modern Warfare 2017 and Black Ops 2, but on bad days, you would get the recently released monstrosity that is Black Ops 7.
And now that we’re over a dozen games into this little dance, all I have to ask is: Where is Call of Duty: Ghosts 2?
Bad Reputation
Okay, I’m not dumb, I know the answer to my question. The answer was that Call of Duty: Ghosts is in development hell because it was received poorly by critics and players alike, but when have bad reviews ever stopped Call of Duty? The reason I think Ghosts stopped at just one entry is that they tried to change things too much, too fast. Call of Duty is a game that’s fallen into its own niche in the FPS genre. If Battlefield fills the niche of large-scale combat, then Call of Duty is the more fast-paced arcade-style FPS where you could just run, gun, and have a good time.
Now imagine releasing a game like Call of Duty: Ghosts that flips the entire identity of Call of Duty in more ways than one.
The Campaign
Something I hope developers never lose sight of in Call of Duty Games is the importance of having a solid campaign. Modern Warfare understood this, while Black Ops 7 obviously didn’t get the memo. Personally, I really liked the Ghosts campaign.
Ghosts revolves around the fall of America after being overwhelmed by The Federation, a group of South American countries that banded together to take over America. Presentation-wise, the story adds a lot of spectacle as you and your group of soldiers traverse a war-torn America. One scene that stands out for me is the assault on the ruins of what once was Las Vegas, a statement to how far the world has fallen.
Other than the setting, the story itself actually does a good job of introducing characters that I love and hate. The family dynamic between siblings, fatherhood, and the introduction of a lovable canine companion are things that I’ve always loved, although I wish they took more time to flesh these stories out. In a sequel, perhaps?
Slower Pace
Call of Duty: Ghosts is a game that forces you to play slowly and carefully, rewarding you for approaching every encounter with tactics in mind, and on paper, that sounds exciting. You were meant to be a ghost of death that sneakily swoops in and claims the kills. This is further reinforced by the game having probably the shortest time to kill in any game of the Call of Duty franchise. There is also a lot of praise to be said about the audio design in this game, heightening small sound effects like gun reloads and footsteps to help players pinpoint each other without necessarily looking at the mini map.
But, sadly, this concept is something that reads well on paper but lacks considerably in execution.
As I’ve said before, this is the complete antithesis to the Call of Duty genre. Running and gunning was the bread and butter of Call of Duty, and now every player is being rewarded for camping out in hiding spots and slowly turning around corners. It also didn’t help that the game’s visuals were pretty uninspired, putting everything (including player models) in the same black, grey, and brown. Camouflage that would make a ghillie suit blush.
Short of Being Great
Looking back on all the small mistakes that have driven Ghosts to the top 5 most-hated Call of Duty games ever, I still believe that this game and its concepts can be salvaged. Personally, I feel a lot of fatigue whenever I see Call of Duty gameplay, and not because it’s the same military shooter. I like to believe the team that handled Black Ops 7 felt this fatigue too, but instead of going at it with small, precise changes to the system, they opted for the tactical sky machete.
A perfect comeback for the Ghosts brand would be perfect; smaller maps, cleaner visuals, and a better netcode that doesn’t have players screaming who shot first. I also believe that the future of Call of Duty shouldn’t lie in futuristic military tech; it should rely on tactics, perks, and satisfying gunplay.
But my biggest gripe out of all this is the huge cliffhanger at the end of the campaign that has left me hanging for years since its release. Please, Infinity Ward, get out of the warzone and into the shadows!
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