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With Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, new franchise developer Sledgehammer Games is hoping to carve their own niche for fans, while still retaining the series’ core elements. So far, it looks like they have succeeded in that endeavor, with a single player campaign that still pushes the envelope but also features some interesting slower-paced moments.
Sledgehammer is also introducing some unique elements into multiplayer while also trying not to turn fans off in the process. They had their big reveal for multiplayer early last month, and today the developer has released a more comprehensive trailer.
While the trailer above doesn’t feature anything we don’t already know, it does put all the important new features from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s multiplayer in one place. It highlights the new Exoskeleton’s abilities and movement options as well as player customization in the new Pick 13 system.
Obviously, the exoskeleton (or exo suit) in Advanced Warfare is the biggest change to the multiplayer formula. Giving players a greater freedom of movement – in addition to offensive and defensive capabilities – this futuristic suit has the potential to change Call of Duty’s multiplayer dramatically.
With the suit, players can jump, dodge, slide, dash, and slam their way around the multiplayer maps. The suit also offers battery-dependent abilities like cloak, a hover ability, a trophy system for eliminating enemy ordinance, a shield, and a grenade launcher of its own. So while the exosuit’s greatest advantage might be its mobility, it’s also plenty useful as a weapon.
Other highlights from the trailer include the new Pick 13 system, which builds off the Pick 10 system from Black Ops…only with, you know, 13 choices. What’s unique about Pick 13, however, is that scorestreaks will now count against the system, meaning players can skip the controversial advantages in favor of more grenades, attachments, etc.
Customization also extends to the Create-an-Operator system, which offers players hundreds of ways to outfit their multiplayer combatant. It’s not entirely clear from the trailer, but it appears those new customization items will unlock through supply drops, which come in three different tiers. The higher the tier the greater the chance for better loot, and the cooler your Advanced Warfare multiplayer character will look.
Overall, it appears Sledgehammer has packed in a few new twists to the Call of Duty multiplayer formula, while retaining much of the franchise’s identity. No question, the game looks as good as it ever has, and the multiplayer is much faster and chaotic. Whether these new changes will improve, or diminish, the franchise’s appeal is another question.
What new features for Advanced Warfare are you most interested to hear more about? What feature has you the most concerned?
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare releases November 4, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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Source: Call of Duty
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