There is nothing bad about Call of Duty being Call of Duty because that’s what made the franchise so popular.
Champion Hill, the glorified round-robin King of the Hill mode, was incredibly enjoyable when we got to play it last week. The mode added some variety at least and a new way to enjoy Call of Duty’s multiplayer mode. It was highly competitive even if the game was still your typical gun n’ run shooter.
Just recently, we were once again invited for another set shooting fun. Before the official multiplayer beta begins, we tested it out. Was it worth it? Yes. Was it fun? Definitely? Did Vanguard have anything new to offer? Aside from the new maps and a new mode called Patrol, not really.
It’s just difficult for studios to innovate when a franchise like Call of Duty has gone through major changes, tackling classic, modern, and futuristic themes, and refining the overall gunplay and experience. The only thing the studios can do is to add new game modes to give it something fresh. I can’t think of anything else to further innovate the franchise. It has reached its peak, the formula of a fast-paced, arcadey shooter with a buttload of excitement has been perfected as such.
First Impressions of Vanguard’s Multiplayer Experience
I still enjoyed my time during the closed multiplayer hands-on with the other press people. Call of Duty Vanguard is still your Call of Duty game. No more, no less. The studios behind the franchise have already perfected the game’s formula. I couldn’t care less about the game being stale because we all know that recent Call of Duty games have been incredibly fun.
Vanguard is no different, the game’s fast-paced nature still keeps my heart pumping, rushing to get more kills without having the objective in mind, that’s probably why Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed have always been my preferred mode in Call of Duty. But there’s a new game mode that was surprisingly enjoyable, and I didn’t expect it to pan out so well.
During our time in the hands-on event, we have played Patrol, Team Deathmatch, and Kill Confirmed with different kinds of “combat pacing”. The spawn issue still remains intact for both Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed, I know this may annoy others, but this is what made Call of Duty a Call of Duty game. It’s annoying but also hilarious at the same time, I don’t mind the spawn issues at all.
The new game mode is called Patrol. What you do in Patrol is you and your team should take control of the ever-constant moving zone to gain points. It’s a nice way to change up Hardpoint, a mode where two teams fight over to control a specific timed zone to score.
Instead of waiting for a timer to run out and by having the two teams rush to the next Hardpoint zone, Patrol makes an entire match a little wild by having the zone constantly move. Players are discouraged to camp as there’s always the constant need of attacking the zone.
I love the way it keeps the action going, and there has never been a dull time in Patrol especially when the game cranks up the number of players by a notch.
There’s this thing called “Combat Pacing” in Vanguard. Combat Pacing is a new feature that lets players choose if they want a more classic experience or something that’s more intense — this highly refers to the player count in a match. There are three combat pacing in Vanguard, and those are: Tactical, Assault, and Blitz. Tactical offers a more classic Call of Duty experience with 6 versus 6 players, while Assault and Blitz pile up more players in the map around 20 to 48 in total, making games enormous and chaotic.
These options are good for players who either want to see more action or to play competitively and with Champion Hill as one of those modes, we will definitely see more highly dedicated players spend more time in Tactical combat pacing and Champion hill. Assault and Blitz are for players who simply want to enjoy the game.
There’s no doubt Call of Duty Vanguard still provides the same enjoyment level the previous entries offered. It’s becoming stale, yes, but there’s no doubt that the franchise kept its perfected formula in good use by not making matches dull. I have enjoyed my time and I’m looking forward to experiencing this all-new World War II story.
Call of Duty Vanguard is going to release on November 5 for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
