Multiplayer-only review.
I always like progression systems that encourage you to use a variety of tools, and I certainly don't mind making the sweatiest knife-and-riot shield dorks on the planet use other guns so they can unlock attachments. That being said, it turns this game into a massive time-sink, and there's no way for you to be more efficient in getting these unlocks. Sorry kid, you just gotta play the game. While I enjoy this kinda thing personally, I think there's no denying that it's a slimy tactic obviously created to keep people hooked on COD for as long as possible until the next one comes out. The playstyle customization it results in is really fun, but at player level 40 (out of 55 max) I still have the tiniest fraction of options available to me and would have to play five times the amount to both unlock a good number of weapons and also upgrade those weapons.
Worth mentioning too that all the upgrade systems and camos and unlocks are explained, but those explanations are pretty front-loaded in this experience and you'll be clicking through 5 minutes of them as you try to play with friends for the first time, so if you're like me and haven't purchased a COD game in literally ten years you'll still be sitting there ten or fifteen hours in, going "ohhhhh that's how that works". It's not really helped by the menus being laid out so poorly - it's never really clear what actions are possible because you're not sure where you'd even find them, assuming they even exist. I think this is just the result of putting too much strain on the loadout customization feature - clarity would improve greatly by moving challenges of every kind to a single, separate tab in the menu. I can't speak to how confusing this is for loyal Call of Duty fans, but the onboarding experience for new players is not going to win awards.
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Other Notes:
- I don't think I've heard this many slurs since playing Overwatch
- Seeing a lot of gameplay elements/gadgets/etc. that have been shamelessly lifted from other games. The people I play with complain a lot about drill charges (for Siege players: think "throwable Fuze charges") so perhaps I'm a fool, but these seem to be categorically good for game health/balance.
- As someone who is fascinated by guns as pieces of engineering, there's something satisfying using the gunsmith and watching a gun transform into other guns from the same family - watching a boring old 7.62 AK assault rifle transform into an RPK, a Bizon, a Vityaz, etc. It's cool! It's half the reason I keep playing this, honestly.
- Can't really see any of these maps becoming "classics", as each of them is downright miserable in at least one of the core modes. None of them are awful all the time, but playing Domination on Embassy could be used as an alternative to community service for well-behaved criminals.
- Still can't get over the awful menus. A $300 million budget with no UX designer.
I always like progression systems that encourage you to use a variety of tools, and I certainly don't mind making the sweatiest knife-and-riot shield dorks on the planet use other guns so they can unlock attachments. That being said, it turns this game into a massive time-sink, and there's no way for you to be more efficient in getting these unlocks. Sorry kid, you just gotta play the game. While I enjoy this kinda thing personally, I think there's no denying that it's a slimy tactic obviously created to keep people hooked on COD for as long as possible until the next one comes out. The playstyle customization it results in is really fun, but at player level 40 (out of 55 max) I still have the tiniest fraction of options available to me and would have to play five times the amount to both unlock a good number of weapons and also upgrade those weapons.
Worth mentioning too that all the upgrade systems and camos and unlocks are explained, but those explanations are pretty front-loaded in this experience and you'll be clicking through 5 minutes of them as you try to play with friends for the first time, so if you're like me and haven't purchased a COD game in literally ten years you'll still be sitting there ten or fifteen hours in, going "ohhhhh that's how that works". It's not really helped by the menus being laid out so poorly - it's never really clear what actions are possible because you're not sure where you'd even find them, assuming they even exist. I think this is just the result of putting too much strain on the loadout customization feature - clarity would improve greatly by moving challenges of every kind to a single, separate tab in the menu. I can't speak to how confusing this is for loyal Call of Duty fans, but the onboarding experience for new players is not going to win awards.
-----
Other Notes:
- I don't think I've heard this many slurs since playing Overwatch
- Seeing a lot of gameplay elements/gadgets/etc. that have been shamelessly lifted from other games. The people I play with complain a lot about drill charges (for Siege players: think "throwable Fuze charges") so perhaps I'm a fool, but these seem to be categorically good for game health/balance.
- As someone who is fascinated by guns as pieces of engineering, there's something satisfying using the gunsmith and watching a gun transform into other guns from the same family - watching a boring old 7.62 AK assault rifle transform into an RPK, a Bizon, a Vityaz, etc. It's cool! It's half the reason I keep playing this, honestly.
- Can't really see any of these maps becoming "classics", as each of them is downright miserable in at least one of the core modes. None of them are awful all the time, but playing Domination on Embassy could be used as an alternative to community service for well-behaved criminals.
- Still can't get over the awful menus. A $300 million budget with no UX designer.
Reviewed on Nov 14, 2022
anatolikbelikov
5 months ago
I think it's the worst UI I've seen in video games.
It took me longer to learn UI than to learn how to play the game and gitgud.