War. What is it good for? For Activision Blizzard – the publishers of Call of Duty – it’s good for driving the world’s biggest-selling video game franchise onward and upward. The first Call of Duty game came out in 2003 (correct, you are that old) and put you in the shoes of three allied soldiers tasked with kicking the snot out of Nazis.
In the near two decades since; the game has expanded all over the shop – from the Vietnam and Cold Wars, to the fight against terror and even into outer space. But this month will see Call of Duty return to form, with the action placed firmly back where the series began: in World War II.
Call of Duty: Vanguard sees you play as one of four multinational Special Forces heroes, fighting across every front of World War II – from Western Europe to the Pacific Ocean. You’ll fight them on the beaches alright (them being the Axis forces), as well as in the skies and both on and off roads (tanks go where they please). On the multiplayer side, you get 16 core maps and a new king-of-the-hill style game mode, as well as the series’ highly-popular collaborative Zombie mode. Vanguard will also be incorporated into the series’ Battle Royale game mode Warzone – which will feature a new map and weapons.
Of course, this is a Call of Duty game – and so the launch has not been absent some drama. Previously, critics spoke out against the series for its portrayal of terrorists and torture (albeit, the game never went so far as to force a player’s involvement with either). This time around things are a little different, as it’s the publisher which has caught the ire of the world’s media – over a lawsuit alleging years of workplace misconduct. And while the new game does feature a diverse cast of soldiers – both men and women – Activision Blizzard has even managed to draw criticism from an unlikely source: the country of New Zealand.
Indeed, the single player campaign sees you play as four soldiers, a Russian sniper, a British paratrooper, an American pilot and an Australian infantryman. Each of the characters is supposed to be based on a true historical figure from the war, and the Australian is based on Charles Upham, the only man in history to be awarded two Victoria Crosses for bravery and valor. Except he isn’t Australian. He’s from New Zealand. Why one of the world’s biggest gaming publishers and franchises decided to declare war on New Zealand remains unclear.
However, the drama will do little to deter most people from picking up Call of Duty: Vanguard. At this point, Call of Duty has become synonymous with first-person shooters (a bit like how Marvel owns the superheroes space) and picking up the latest game is less of a “should I” and more of a “when can I” purchasing decision (and the answer to that is later this month).
