I'm currently on my third playthrough of the Call of Duty Infinite Warfare campaign. I'm not going to talk about multiplayer here since I don't play online. I heard it was poor, and this led to a lot of people dismissing the game entirely. So I want to focus on the single player in this thread and tell you how great it is.
I felt compelled to make this thread because, on this 3rd playthrough, the game still manages to constantly amaze me with its incredibly bombastic rollercoaster of a campaign, that also manages to develop characters you care about and build its sci-fi world throughout the entire adventure. I often find myself biting my lip and smiling from all the awesomeness that is thrown my way every second.
If you like The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, or Mass Effect, you cannot afford to miss out on Infinite Warfare.
So... What's so cool about Infinite Warfare ?
For a sci fi and space settings lover like me, every moment is a treat. The designers and artists had a field day on this game. Every weapon, machine, robot, spaceship (more on the Jackal below), and interior shows a great attention to detail, and I often find myself walking around examinig every nook and cranny trying to notice tiny details that I would miss if I followed the game's frantic pace. A lot of the designs "make sense", you could very well imagine this kind of tech in the far future. For example, the game has a VR training room where you can test your weapon loadout before missions.You can often see an NPC crew member using it, and she is holding a fake rifle that changes its shape to match the weapon it's simulating, and features a part in the front that moves back and forth to emulate recoil. The game is full of little elements like this you can easily miss.
The view from the bridge of your ship
The "Jackal" space fighter
As a military aviation fan, I must give a special shoutout to the Jackal, the spaceworthy jet fighter you get to fly on a lot of missions. Take the F-35 and make it 100% more F-35, then make it more futuristic and capable of space flight. As unrealistic as the Jackal may really be, it remains very believable within the context of the game, taking a lot of details from modern jets and the F-35 in particular, such as stealthy design (both general outline and close details like the beehive shape of the various trapdoors), internal weapon bays, VTOL fan, and adds many futuristic elements such as the throttle handle turning into a second stick when hovering, or the in-flight weapon refill drone.
Yeah I'm totally nerding out, but it really is a very well thought out craft.
A lot of missions begin or end with you launching from your carrier (think Vipers launching from the Battlestar Galactica) and landing back on it. The dogfight sections feel like a 360° fps with aim assist that put you in some kind of pursuit mode that looks and feels awesome.
Dialogue is very well written, often witty and funny. A couple of random quotes that made me chuckle (both from the same character) :
"Don't call me 'sir', I work for a living"
"Only the navy could make a boat designed to sink" (talking about submarines)
There are many more like this, and they often contribute to characterize the character saying them. The game's cast is well developped for such a short game (very solid actor re-creation and animation by the way), the characters have their personalities, likes and dislikes. The standout character is, ironically, a humanoid robot that follows you throughout the game. He is very witty and fits in fantastically with the crew and the main character.
Of course the game is still a fast pace FPS above all else. I don't usually play FPS, but IW has a LOT to like :
- Mobility features such as jump boosters, wall running, and (zero G only) a grappling hook,
- Gun customization
- Guns with special secondary modes.
Let me elaborate a bit on that last one, because it's one of the most fun aspects for me. A lot of guns have a toggle function that changes their behavior, making them more versatile, and all come with very snappy and cool animations. Again, this game is a designer/engineer's wet dream. You have an assault rifle that splits into guns, an SMG that can double as a shotgun... lots of very cool stuff.
At times the game feels like a mini Mass Effect. You command a carrier where you can walk around a bit between missions (including your quarters with a computer) and have a solar system map where you can pick your main and secondary missions. Each area and celestial body on the map has a description very reminiscent of what you can read on Mass Effect's galaxy map. When you walk towards your shuttle for the next mission, there is always something interesting happening somewhere as you walk by, NPCs talking, techs working, soldiers prepping. You feel like you're in the middle of a blockbuster movie.
IW makes very creative use of its setting, taking advantage of zero G or its futuristic tech to create interesting situations. The missions are very varied, mixing intense action moments, more stealthy (but not annoying) segments, jet fighter dogfights, and zero-G gameplay with a grappling hook. The optional secondary missions often have a unique gimmick, for example one has you hack into a ship's camera system, and lets you see enemy soldiers' silhouettes through walls.
I suspect this is standard fare in CoD, but Infinite Warfare is absolutely chock full of "wow" moments that you will remember long after you put down the controller. Between breathtaking sci-fi panoramas, larger than life ship crashes and explosions, shit happening everywhere around you, every mission is a thrill. The game has no low point and is pure entertainment throughout.
Screenshots are mine (added film grain through Reshade, sorry if you don't like it), the GIFs I found online
I felt compelled to make this thread because, on this 3rd playthrough, the game still manages to constantly amaze me with its incredibly bombastic rollercoaster of a campaign, that also manages to develop characters you care about and build its sci-fi world throughout the entire adventure. I often find myself biting my lip and smiling from all the awesomeness that is thrown my way every second.
If you like The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, or Mass Effect, you cannot afford to miss out on Infinite Warfare.
So... What's so cool about Infinite Warfare ?
The world design
For a sci fi and space settings lover like me, every moment is a treat. The designers and artists had a field day on this game. Every weapon, machine, robot, spaceship (more on the Jackal below), and interior shows a great attention to detail, and I often find myself walking around examinig every nook and cranny trying to notice tiny details that I would miss if I followed the game's frantic pace. A lot of the designs "make sense", you could very well imagine this kind of tech in the far future. For example, the game has a VR training room where you can test your weapon loadout before missions.You can often see an NPC crew member using it, and she is holding a fake rifle that changes its shape to match the weapon it's simulating, and features a part in the front that moves back and forth to emulate recoil. The game is full of little elements like this you can easily miss.
The view from the bridge of your ship
The "Jackal" space fighter
As a military aviation fan, I must give a special shoutout to the Jackal, the spaceworthy jet fighter you get to fly on a lot of missions. Take the F-35 and make it 100% more F-35, then make it more futuristic and capable of space flight. As unrealistic as the Jackal may really be, it remains very believable within the context of the game, taking a lot of details from modern jets and the F-35 in particular, such as stealthy design (both general outline and close details like the beehive shape of the various trapdoors), internal weapon bays, VTOL fan, and adds many futuristic elements such as the throttle handle turning into a second stick when hovering, or the in-flight weapon refill drone.
Yeah I'm totally nerding out, but it really is a very well thought out craft.
A lot of missions begin or end with you launching from your carrier (think Vipers launching from the Battlestar Galactica) and landing back on it. The dogfight sections feel like a 360° fps with aim assist that put you in some kind of pursuit mode that looks and feels awesome.
Dialogue is very well written, often witty and funny. A couple of random quotes that made me chuckle (both from the same character) :
"Don't call me 'sir', I work for a living"
"Only the navy could make a boat designed to sink" (talking about submarines)
There are many more like this, and they often contribute to characterize the character saying them. The game's cast is well developped for such a short game (very solid actor re-creation and animation by the way), the characters have their personalities, likes and dislikes. The standout character is, ironically, a humanoid robot that follows you throughout the game. He is very witty and fits in fantastically with the crew and the main character.
On the left, your robot BFF Ethan
The gameplay and weapons
The grappling hook in action
The gameplay and weapons
The grappling hook in action
Of course the game is still a fast pace FPS above all else. I don't usually play FPS, but IW has a LOT to like :
- Mobility features such as jump boosters, wall running, and (zero G only) a grappling hook,
- Gun customization
- Guns with special secondary modes.
Let me elaborate a bit on that last one, because it's one of the most fun aspects for me. A lot of guns have a toggle function that changes their behavior, making them more versatile, and all come with very snappy and cool animations. Again, this game is a designer/engineer's wet dream. You have an assault rifle that splits into guns, an SMG that can double as a shotgun... lots of very cool stuff.
Push the front grip forward on this SMG and it becomes an assault rifle. Also, here is a cool mech.
The campaign and missions
This guy played too much Dark Souls
The campaign and missions
This guy played too much Dark Souls
At times the game feels like a mini Mass Effect. You command a carrier where you can walk around a bit between missions (including your quarters with a computer) and have a solar system map where you can pick your main and secondary missions. Each area and celestial body on the map has a description very reminiscent of what you can read on Mass Effect's galaxy map. When you walk towards your shuttle for the next mission, there is always something interesting happening somewhere as you walk by, NPCs talking, techs working, soldiers prepping. You feel like you're in the middle of a blockbuster movie.
IW makes very creative use of its setting, taking advantage of zero G or its futuristic tech to create interesting situations. The missions are very varied, mixing intense action moments, more stealthy (but not annoying) segments, jet fighter dogfights, and zero-G gameplay with a grappling hook. The optional secondary missions often have a unique gimmick, for example one has you hack into a ship's camera system, and lets you see enemy soldiers' silhouettes through walls.
I suspect this is standard fare in CoD, but Infinite Warfare is absolutely chock full of "wow" moments that you will remember long after you put down the controller. Between breathtaking sci-fi panoramas, larger than life ship crashes and explosions, shit happening everywhere around you, every mission is a thrill. The game has no low point and is pure entertainment throughout.
I have the exact same view from my apartment
If you've been sitting on this game because you're not interested in FPS or CoD, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I wish it could be 3 times longer, but it being short means I can find the time to replay it once in a while. And on this third playthrough, I'm still enjoying it just as much as the first time, and savoring every moment. Infinite Warfare is truly one of my all time favourite games.
Screenshots are mine (added film grain through Reshade, sorry if you don't like it), the GIFs I found online
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