Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare appears to be leaving behind the battlefields which made previous games in the series all look and feel the same. Unlike Ghosts , this COD is doing more than just adding the ability to play as a dog and a female soldier, and it almost looks like they’re emulating the classic N64 title, Perfect Dark .
It was recently revealed that some of the weapons are set to leave the bullets behind in favor of more energy-based ammunition, and they may have more than one function, much like the ones in Perfect Dark . When that game was mainstream, it was considered the next logical step forward from GoldenEye 64 , adding customization to the way you took out enemies (or friends). You could leave a weapon you didn’t really use lying around, and it could function as a proximity mine, for example.
The weapons in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare might not have dual uses, but it would be nice if they did. Developer Infinity Ward’s Brian Horton made an official statement about the direction in which the franchise is going this time.
“Our energy weapons are completely unique to this franchise; but there are a mix of weapons that you are accustomed to: ballistic weapons as well as energy weapons. The energy weapons each have their own uses and functions. But one of the things we’re really excited about are some of our advanced sights which allow the player to do things, like, with a shotgun they’ll be able to manipulate where their pellets are going to go. The pellets will have maximum effect on the enemy. We really wanted to use the advance sights as a way to augment the weapons that are both energy weapons as well as ballistic.”
Does this mean that Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be using slow-motion controls to emulate the James McAvoy film, Wanted ? In that film, the hero had been forced to learn how to “bend” bullets, making them travel around obstacles to hit their target. It was almost a super power in a real-world scenario, but that’s what the latest COD appears to be going for with some of its new guns.
Also gone is the ground-based scenario in favor of a return to outer space, almost like Ghosts . In this case, though, the entire game is apparently going to be set there. It’s doubtful that the game will go the way of Star Wars with lightsabers and such, especially since the makers of Battlefield already did that. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare could be the most jarring departure from the norm yet, rivaling Advanced Warfare , which seemed to take cues from Titanfall with its bionic movements.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is available for Preorder today! https://t.co/bAYDzxOy6G
— GAME Morecambe (@GAMEMorecambe) July 12, 2016
It’s possible if enough gamers are upset by this change, there could be a DLC expansion which returns to Earth for extra missions. Changing the formula in any franchise usually upsets fans. After Ubisoft had reworked Assassin’s Creed , and Unity launched with glitches that reportedly broke the game, fans had decided they’d had enough. They’ve since fixed the glitches and released a much more stable Syndicate , but the damage was done. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare could suffer from the same problems.
How Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare aims to shake up the franchise. #InfiniteWarfare https://t.co/uRlrGHY7dA pic.twitter.com/ERWbHUbkXs
— AR12GAMING (@AR12Gaming) July 9, 2016
On the bright side, gamers have also been complaining about how the COD franchise has been the same game over and over every year. If this title launches with a competent degree of stability, the series might reach a whole new audience as older fans decide it isn’t such a bad idea.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launches on November 4, and Infinity Ward will know soon after that whether these changes were a positive.
[Image via Activision]