A New Type of Campaign
Call of Duty: Black Ops III gave players their first taste of a sort of free-form campaign for Call of Duty. Missions could be chosen once you unlocked your base, and even played with your friends for more tactical approaches or strictly just for fun. Infinite Warfare takes things a step further by putting players in command of a Capital Starship. With this ship, the UNSA Warship Retribution, you’ll be able to choose which missions you approach, and have the option of going on secondary missions to obtain gear and useful items.
Additionally, players will also have the ability to launch raids against hostile warships. You’ll be able to take down enemy forces during epic space battles, and it’s all as you command. It’s an interesting approach to the series, and we can only wait to see how it shapes up.
Space: The Final Frontier
If you haven’t figured it out already, Infinite Warfare has a lot to do with the great unknown that is space, but it’s more than just a backdrop. Space, along with several planets and moons, are where players will spend most of their time throughout the game’s campaign and multiplayer components. Since Earth has been used up to the point where it can no longer support the vast amount of human life that lives on it, humanity has sought out colonies across the galaxy.
Players will be visiting our own moon, as well as Europa (one of Jupiter’s moons), and Titan (Saturn’s largest moon). Venus and Mars have also been shown to play major roles in the story as well, with the big red planet serving as the home base of the antagonists. Perhaps the human race is moving much closer to the future seen in another major Activision published title: Destiny.
New Weapons
With every Call of Duty comes new weapons, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is no exception to the rule. While fans can expect the classic armory that includes all of your favorite handguns, sniper rifles, automatic weapons, and more, there are also more futuristic offerings that fire lasers and other goodies. The armory is being adjusted to fit the new battlefield that the game is thrusting you into, so you can expect to see more conceptual weapons that don’t necessarily rely on standard ammunition.
For example, there are Directed Energy Weapons thrown into the mix which use energy rather than ballistics. These don’t reload from a stockpile of bullets. Instead, they rely on a battery who’s charge you must watch to keep the weapon going. From this new weapon type springs new damage, functions, and combinations.
Crafting
Of course, you may not like all of the new and old weapons that Infinite Warfare is bringing into the fold. For players who want something different, Infinite Warfare will introduce weapon crafting so you can create the exact gun you’d want to use. Using Salvage that is earned while playing, fans will be able to create Prototype Weapons that can be customized with a number of different cosmetic options as well as Gun Perks. Those perks are what will set your weapons apart from everyone else’s as you create something that is tailored to your specific playstyle.
Call of Duty is embracing the RPG nature of this new mechanic and even offering different rarities to items and weapons based on the perks you can obtain through them. This should hopefully help to keep things balanced as well as keep crafting relevant for some time, rather than players just crafting the best in the game immediately (we’re looking at you, The Division).
Combat Rigs
While Black Ops III tried to shake up multiplayer by introducing classes in the form of Specialists, Infinite Warfare looks to add a bit more control to just how each individual option plays. This is done through the Combat Rigs which are customizable fighters that start with a base approach. Each Combat Rig will suit a different common playstyle.
You have the:
- FTL – Lightweight assassin.
- Merc – Tank
- Phantom – Sniper
- Stryker – Support
- Synaptic – Close-range
- Warfighter – Assault
Each one will have abilities and perks that you can customize and adjust as you level up.
Multiplayer
Aside from Combat Rigs, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer will see some other changes as well. Scorestreaks make a return, rewarding players for various actions that help out their team rather than just focus on those getting kills. This encourages teams to work together in a strategic fashion rather than just rushing to hog all the kills (although, some players may still do that). Mission Teams are a new feature that allows players to side with a faction that suits their playstyle. This offers additional challenges on the side that will grant extra experience, items, gear, etc. A lot of the gear will be team-exclusive, incentivizing players to complete objectives and try out each faction in the game.
The mission teams revealed for Infinite Warfare are:
- JTF Wolverines
- Orion Initiative
- Sabre Team 7
- Wraith
It will be interesting to see what each one brings to the table, and if they can reshape the battlefield.
Zombies!
Infinite Warfare will feature its very own, unique take on the Zombies multiplayer mode that has been made a fan-favorite by Treyarch (the team behind the Black Ops series). This time, players will explore an 80’s theme park as one of four aspiring actors as they end up trapped in a horror movie full of neon, good music, and deadly zombies.
It will be an all-new, original story that will hopefully be built upon in future expansions. It’s great to see that Infinity Ward is apparently having some fun, throwing in some much-needed color and levity for players to enjoy. Meanwhile, those looking for a more traditional Call of Duty experience will be satisfied by the Campaign and Multiplayer modes on offer.
VR
Later this year, Infinite Warfare players on PS4 will get a free add-on that offers an experience for the PSVR. Players will take control of a Jackal, a personal space-fighter in a fast-paced assault above Earth. This will be the Call of Duty franchise’s first foray into VR, so it will be interesting to see what Infinity Ward has up their sleeves.
Hopefully, this is just a timed exclusive and other platforms will be able to experience the rush of piloting a slick fighter through an epic battle.
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