Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – E3 Shows First Single Player Gameplay

The Call of Duty franchise is back in Advanced Warfare, this time with a future twist. At Microsoft’s conference we got a glimpse of the single player gameplay and, as per quota, there were huge set pieces, explosions, and highly detailed faces. Yet with the future comes new gadgets and interfaces. The first thing I noticed was the display on your gun. Your ammo and reticule had a fancy holographic look to them, and it even told you when to reload. Nice touch, but we’ve seen it before.

Then the crew jumps down several stories without ropes or grappling hooks. Wait, they didn’t die? You now have a jetpack ability that they referred to as Boost and it was used in spurts to let you fall gently. Ok that’s pretty cool and, wait for it, it can also be used at anytime during the action. Now this is starting to look familiar. Titanfall anyone? Of course this was a smart move by Activision as Titanfall has added yet another competitor in full force besides the Battlefront franchise. This new maneuver should make the gameplay in Advanced Warfare feel different and fresh from previous games.

There were also some very interesting grenades used during the show. As you hold the grenade in your hand, a digital readout displays which grenade you are holding and you can easily choose what type of grenade you want it to be, without have to physically grab a different one. They had some interesting abilities too. One grenade was able to highlight the enemies in a digital form while another would float midair momentarily before homing in on the nearest enemy. This really showcased how the word “Advanced” will impact the series as I’m sure there will be many new and exciting types of gadgets and guns that we haven’t seen before. As the player fights through and area to reach an enemy air vehicle, several other future things are to be seen. One man was in a huge armor suit that walked very heavily and slowly while a four legged mech-type vehicle passes over you. Will we get to drive one? I hope so!

As you reach the enemy vehicle, you plant a bomb with one of your teammates but his arm gets stuck. He pushes you off telling you to save yourself as the vehicle explodes in a glorious fashion, while a huge metal piece severs off one of your arms. Quite a gruesome ending to the demo, but it sets the stage for what’s to come. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is actually grabbing my attention much better than Ghosts did, and I am looking forward to more information later in the year. And don’t forget Kevin Spacey!