‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’: The Underdogs

When the new consoles were announced, Activision announced a new “Call of Duty” series for the next generation. “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is the beginning of a new “Call of Duty” franchise, where the soldiers fight for their freedom after the US has been taken over. This new series adds several features never before seen in “Call of Duty” games, as well as brings all the same features that fans can enjoy.

In the campaign, the game takes place in 2023. The United States is no longer a superpower and the Federation, a collection of South American powers, conquers it after the group causes a satellite to attack California. While the Federation takes over the U.S., special military teams develop from the ashes of the fallen military. These teams, known as Ghosts, attack the South American powers using guerilla warfare against the Federation. This game focuses on one such team, consisting of a retired Army captain, his sons, a Navy SEAL commander, and a German Shepherd.

One of the new features in “Ghosts” is the German Shepherd, Riley. Riley helps sniff out bombs and attacks soldiers. The canine can even be in multiplayer as a perk. Riley is one aspect that showcases the artistic detail that Activision has taken with “Ghosts.” An attention to detail is present, from the scars on Riley’s nose to the large scale dynamic multiplayer maps where buildings can be destroyed, killing players. Even the sniper rifles will allow for sight outside of the scope.

As far as multiplayer is concerned, new modes and features have been added to mix. While “Ghosts” includes classics from “Modern Warfare 3,” like Team Deathmatch, Infected and Kill Confirmed, it includes others, such as Search and Rescue, a take on Search and Destroy where players search to revive an ally and Cranked, a time-based mode where players must gain kills in order to fill a timer before the timer reaches zero.

Along with these game modes and multiplayer maps, a new form of multiplayer called Squads is included. Here, players build up a team of six characters as a whole to challenge other squads around the world. The difference between squads and multiplayer is the new AI system developed to better mimic human behavior.

A new aspect of “Call of Duty: Ghosts” takes the game mobile with the Call of Duty app. Using the app, players can manage their squads on the go as well as post their results on Facebook and Twitter, showing their prowess online.

“Call of Duty: Ghosts” will be released for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on Nov. 5. The next generation versions are scheduled for release when the consoles debut. For those wanting to upgrade their systems to the next generation, an incentive program encourages those to buy the current generation versions of the game and upgrade for $10 when the next generation versions are released. The save data from the current generation games can even transfer over the next generation consoles, but only for multiplayer, as single player data cannot be transferred.

The Call of Duty app will be released sometime in November for tablets and mobile phones.