Call of Duty Vanguard preview: A fresh look at a familiar setting?

(Pocket-lint) - Come rainfall oregon travel shine, there'll beryllium a caller Call of Duty to assistance you disregard the upwind - and 2021 is nary objection to that rule. Vanguard is connected its way, and a bid of Alpha and Beta tests person permitted america extended hands-on clip with the adjacent COD's multiplayer. Here's what we marque of it truthful far

A enactment of caller air?

Look, there's nary getting astir it - we've done World War II before, successful aggregate Call of Duty games, truthful there's lone a definite grade to which Vanguard's multiplayer offering tin look and consciousness genuinely "new". While the maps are refreshed, the locations aren't precisely mind-blowingly newfangled.

Still, though, we deliberation Sledgehammer Games deserves recognition for the ocular broadside of the maps we've played on. Whether you're tearing up a gorgeous hotel's precocious level and roof, sneaking astir a Pacific subject facility, oregon sprinting done a frozen municipality quadrate successful Stalingrad.

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Everything looks gorgeous, with large item and, astir noticeable of all, engaging upwind effects. In the Pacific, you'll spot thenar trees blowing successful the upwind and rainfall rushing crossed the sand; successful Stalingrad it's a much frosty country to beryllium found, looking conscionable arsenic superb successful its ain mode - though sometimes causing somewhat iffy visibility astatine times, which volition beryllium thing the competitory assemblage volition support its oculus on.

This is besides enhanced further by the awesome harm effects connected the maps, with plentifulness of demolition leaving them looking ruined by the extremity of a round.

The concern with dependable is besides coagulated - not rather arsenic punchingly almighty arsenic 2019's Modern Warfare, but with comparatively reliable footstep audio and a pleasing scope of assortment erstwhile it comes to the galore iconic weapons connected offer.

Evolution not revolution

We were disappointed by the mode Black Ops Cold War rolled backmost connected Modern Warfare's additions to the COD formula, mostly due to the fact that of moving a antithetic crippled engine, truthful it's large to spot the other is astatine play with Vanguard.

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Tactical sprint is backmost with a flourish, since it lets you burst done immoderate flimsier walls; meantime the weapon-mounting strategy from Modern Warfare is much in-depth now, letting you strafe a small on surfaces and truly rewarding those who tin usage it connected the fly.

Vanguard's time-to-kill, cardinal to a COD's game-feel, is besides a small quicker than successful Cold War, which is simply a bully happening - adjacent contempt it feeling brutal erstwhile you're caught cold. Similarly, possibly due to the fact that of the vintage arsenal connected offer, recoil power is much of a situation until you tin truly instrumentality a weapon out, and that'll hopefully beryllium a bully happening for the game's staying power.

Gunsmith is besides present a 10-attachment strategy alternatively of five, which really is person to Cold War's approach, but with constricted clip to play and a level headdress imposed, it'll instrumentality a portion earlier we tin enactment retired whether oregon not the attachments are robust capable not to messiness up the wide equilibrium of the game.

A accidental to reflect

Of course, these tests are conscionable that - tests. There volition beryllium perfectly reams of takeaways from these pre-release testings for Sledgehammer, and the magnitude of alteration betwixt the Alpha and Beta versions marque it wide that the developers are keen to larn from assemblage feedback.

For 1 thing, the flagship caller mode, Champion Hill, didn't support our attraction that well. It's a randomised round-robin tourney successful teams of twos oregon threes - and portion it tin beryllium bully fun, fishy spawns and flimsy limb imbalances mean it's not rather cleanable astatine the moment.

If Sledgehammer tin finesse things right, and wed the awesome visuals it's cooking up with wide visibility and balance, though, past there's each crushed to spot this arsenic an wholly decent COD-in-waiting.

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 14 September 2021.