I saw many threads about resolution BS and one for reviews but saw nothing for actual impressions of the game. If I missed that thread please 360 tomahawk from across the map.
ANYWAY
Spent 2-3 hours in MP so far. It's a very mixed bag. To start, I'll just say this seems to be by FAR the most changed and refined CoD yet. You can tell this one was in the oven for awhile. Some of the mechanics really try to break the mold of CoD while trying to keep the fast paced twitch style gameplay intact. Which is where it fails imho.
This is why a game like Titanfall was possible. It's the people who made CoD, and they were able to incorporate many elements from their old game, but they were able to evolve the gameplay so that it felt fresh. What AW does is it tries to bring in something new but keeps too many of the CoD staples in the game. It prevents the new mechanics from really shining.
The biggest disappointment in this regard as the exoskeletons. I like many others laughed my ass off when this game was revealed because it looked like Titanfall ripped off to the ninth degree. But to their credit, they have brought a unique, CoD type of mobility into the game. It's faster, louder, more in your face. More dudebro. And to be honest, the mobility is awesome, in its own different way than the Titanfall mobility. In TF you can run on walls, double jump, basically fly around the map. In AW it's much more limited, but it still feels amazing.
The problem with it though, is it's chained down by the same shit mechanics that has plagued CoD for years. The main problem being you die way too quickly. There is no point to all of this mobility if someone can kill you with 2 bullets from an SMG. This is where Titanfall got it right, and AW gets it way, way wrong. What they need to do, is allow you to make many more bullets. But the problem then becomes... it's not CoD. That is too massive a mechanics switch. But the gunplay and overpowered kill streaks and low mortality are all cancerous tumors killing the amazing elements of the game like the mobility and the new Pick 13 system.
The game has lots of modes right now and to be honest, the maps seem surprisingly good. I paticularly like the one set in the prison. It's great. But another tried and true CoD element has seeped into the game: shit spawns. I guess good spawns is the hardest thing to put into a MP title? They are horrific.
Another thing hyped up for the game is its loot system filled with gear you can use for awhile until it expires. Think of them like Titanfall's Burn Cards mixed with Diablo 3 loot. You get sparkly new outfit pieces, but most importantly you can get unique twists on existing guns that offer new stats.
Overall I applaud the effort from Sledgehammer, you can tell they really tried to put their own unique spin on the MP. And as I progress further, maybe it will grow on me more. Right now though they have some delicious candy in the Pick 13 and mobility, wrapped around by a shit coating of spawns, and quick deaths.
