Call of Duty Ghosts Pre-E3 Demo Recap

So, Activision just showed us huge amounts of gameplay over at the pre-E3 GTTV reveal, which all took place at some really impressive locations and made use of unique gameplay features. The game as we know, is crafted by the immensely talented writer, Stephen Gaghan and it takes place after a massive event that cripples USA, causing the once powerful military to become the underdogs of the system, rebelling against the extreme power that threatens their very own way of freedom.

Anyways, for our demo, it began with us submerging underwater as we made our way across a beautifully detailed ecosystem that was filled with lifelike fish, corals and rocks. However, this is not a luxury vacation for the ghosts and so, to emphasize that, the opposition starts diving in themselves. Silently approaching them, we hide behind some reef and rocks as we dispatch them in sync.

After that we head on through some wrecks, as the enemy starts sending out powerful sonar waves, that shatters structures around us. To stop it from continuing that, we are forced to destroy it with a remote controlled torpedo. However, that causes more damage then they had thought it would, and heavy debris from the aftermath of the explosion pins the main character down, and severs his oxygen tube. However the other operative frees him of the debris and they continue onward, only to be stopped in their tracks by a large number of enemy forces, who begin shooting at them.

What was interesting about this level, is that it was extremely detailed, with a lot of life and shrubs that went about their business around you, it was definitely gorgeous. For the combat design, underwater, I like how they’ve actually crafted set pieces for underwater firefights, providing you with the reef or rocks to take cover behind while you attack your enemies. We were probably going to see more of underwater firefights in the demo, but it cut-out to “in the interest of time”. And so, for now,we can only speculate as to how they actually will be, but from what we have seen, they look to be as epic as the rest!

The second demo was probably what everyone had been waiting for as it introduced the dog mechanics. You see, in the navy, a dog is given a vest that has a camera attached to it, and that camera emits a signal towards a portable screen that the handler has with him at all times. To issue commands to the dog, the handler talks through his comm, and an earpiece sitting in the dogs ear picks it up. For stealth purposes, a collar is attached on the dog that vibrates from one of the two directions to give the dog, silent objectives.

 

And that is exactly what was used in the gameplay, however this time, with us actually controlling the dog, using it to take out anyone standing in the way. What was really cool in this level was that ambush scene, where one of the operatives signalled Riley (who is the dog), to jump into one of the buildings and scare the inhabitants out. He does that, and after hearing a few screams of terror coming from the inside, the door breaks open in spectacular slow-motion as Riley takes out one of the guards, while we shoot the other two down. That was definitely impressive, as was the wide level design of the area, it seemed to come alive as we saw structures falling down and birds flying away from the danger.

The last thing we saw as the event ended, was the huge widescreen montage of locations that Activision plans to show on the gigantic widescreen they are building at their booth. They were set-pieces, showing you different levels while playing to the bombastic music in the background. Which, in my opinion was really exciting and beautiful. I am still wondering as to who the composer will be this time, but from what we heard in the gameplay, it looks to be someone well experienced and talented. However, we have no official confirmation yet if it will be someone from Hollywood, like Stephen Gaghan, or if it will be another well known videogame composer.

Lastly, look forward to an opinion piece that will be coming shortly, called “Why The Campaign Should Matter”. The game is set to launch this November in stores on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and as well as on the next generation of consoles.