Call of Duty Vanguard delivers exactly what fans of the franchise expect with an action-packed story, incredible first-person situations and locations and an excellent multiplayer mode.
The game is set during World War II and looks and sounds amazing.
We were really struck with the incredible photo realistic world and extraordinarily lifelike characters we were watching.
This is without a doubt the most advanced Call of Duty game ever produced with incredible realism combined with excellent performances and jaw-dropping action sequences and challenges.
It takes players to multiple locations and puts them right in the middle of some of the key battles that shaped the outcome of the war.
When the game opens in Hamburg in 1945, we’re introduced to the main characters including Australian soldier private Lucas Riggs, British officers Arthur Kingsley and Richard Webb, Russian Polina Petrova and American Wade Jackson.
They are part of a squad whose immediate mission is to retrieve sensitive documents before they are shipped out on a submarine.
And keep an eye out for Lost and Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan who plays one of the German officers who is tasked with interrogating the squad.
It’s action from the outset with a dramatic pursuit and shootout on a high-speed train in a downpour.
The game changes points of view so players get to assume the roles of all the squad members at one point.
The Australian soldier Riggs is one of the main characters and it was great to hear his Aussie accent, slang and sledges throughout the game.
And while there is a solid narrative and missions the squad must complete, a lot of the action takes place in a series of flashbacks that offer the colourful back stories of each of the characters and how they wound up together.
The game takes you through the main theatres of the war and into various terrains and situations.
Locations include Berlin, Hamburg, Tonga, Stalingrad, the Battle of Midway, Papua New Guinea, Tobruk and El Alamein.
But the story also weaves in the machinations of the upper echelons of the German war machine and the strategic movements officers are making to advance their own careers.
The game does a great job in weaving in the game’s story with actual events of World War II.
And while the game is meant to be a first-person shooter, there is still plenty of variety in the tasks and missions a player must complete.
At one point you are even given a tremendous first-person experience in the cockpit of a dive bomber while involved in a dogfight with Japanese aircraft and facing off against monstrous enemy aircraft carriers.
But Call of Duty vanguard is not always about shooting.
There are sections of the game where you need to remain in the shadows and use stealth to complete your missions.
There were some sections of the game where it wasn’t immediately obvious where you needed to go.
There were also a few frustrating points where more checkpoints could have been added to avoid having to replay long and arduous battles after being killed near the end of the mission.
But these are only minor complaints.
Overall, the campaign is an enjoyable adventure that provides a stunning audio and visual experience and puts you right in the centre of the battle so you can appreciate what our soldiers were up against.
The multiplayer mode, a true favourite of diehard Call of Duty fans, does not disappoint with 20 maps available from day one – the most ever released with a new Call of Duty title.
They also cover numerous locations across the Pacific, Eastern front, North Africa and the Western Front.
There’s also a nice variety of map sizes so you can get the tight run and gun scenarios along with larger maps where tactics and weapon choice play a bigger part.
The multiplayer games also pit varying numbers of players against each other so it’s not just a straight 6 v 6 for your Team Deathmatch.
There are sometimes up to 24 players on either side to really create some mayhem.
We loved the added touch of choosing an MVP from the game.
The top three players a nominated for their achievements in the game while others can vote for their favourite.
We’re proud to say that we were awarded an MVP during one of our online battles.
For the diehards, it’s not much different to what we’ve seen in the past, which is a good thing but there are several new features to entice new players including the ability to work on your own or as part of a roaming patrol unit.
VERDICT
Call of Duty Vanguard delivers an incredibly sensory experience in the campaign and multiplayer modes that will be enjoyed by long term fans of the game and will be equally attractive to anyone new to the blockbuster franchise.