As sure as a family meal will end up being inconvenient, Activision will release a new Call of Duty annually. And this year, it's back to basics for the guys Kotick's teams. As he had already done in 2017 with the aptly named WWII, Sledgehammer Games sends us straight back to 45 during World War II.
A theater of operations that old grumps like us know by heart, but that the younger generation may not have had so many opportunities to experience. And the opportunity is offered to them this weekend during a beta available on all media (currently closed, it will be open from September 18 to 20). We took the opportunity to try the M1 Garand and see what awaits us on November 5th.
New modes to change the air
During this second weekend of beta, Activision opens the doors of the content of its next FPS a little wider. Several game modes are available, and give us a glimpse of 4 of the 20 cards that will be available when the game is launched.
Besides the usual Team Deathmatch or Domination, it was especially the new Patrol mode that caught my attention. Rather original, it twists the Headquarters formula to make it…mobile. Clearly, a small area appears on the map and begins to move following a certain course. The goal is to stay as long as possible in this area to claim it and score points. The downside being that the opposing team knows exactly where to find you. A rather dynamic mode therefore, which pushes the participants to move their buttocks to reach this center of gravity.
Another welcome addition is Hill Champion mode. Quite complicated in appearance, it mixes some aspects of 2v2 skirmishes from Modern Warfare (2019) and Call of Duty: Warzone. Playing in pairs, the goal of the game is to be the last duo alive at the end of the different matches.
Each group has 12 (shared) lives, which directly affect its ranking (the more lives you have remaining, the better you are ranked). The games are divided into 4 rounds, preceded by a preparation time during which you can buy weapons, assets, series of eliminations and so on. Then come the serious things, where we successively face the opposing pairs on small pieces of map. Killing an opponent allows you to recover money; the money allows you to improve your weapon, buy armor and therefore ultimately kill more opponents and win the game. A new mode rather well thought out, which is played quickly and without frustration, and which therefore favors duels rather than the huge brothels to which Call of Duty has accustomed us in the past.
More rhythmic parts
Another major novelty: the “combat rhythms”. Currently, in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, maps come in different sizes depending on the game mode selected. In Call of Duty: Vanguard, the operation is a little different.
In addition to the selection of game modes, we have the possibility of filtering the maps according to their "combat rhythm". At a "frenzied" pace, the maps will be filled to the brim with players (up to 48) to encourage fast-paced, uninterrupted action. Conversely, the "tactical" rhythm will be confined to 6 against 6 to leave more room for strategy. Finally, "assault" balances the two proposals to provide a balanced gaming experience for up to 28 players.
A rather clever way to satisfy both fans of the Black Ops school and followers of the latest Modern Warfare, often described as being softer.
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Let's add that Sledgehammer has, it seems, found the parade to prevent his game from being rotten by inveterate campers. Now balls can pass through most covers. Clearly, we are no longer safe anywhere, and the best solution is no longer to find a quiet little corner to cast your line and wait for the fish to bite.
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Comme Ă la maison
Call of Duty: Vanguard is comfortable. For anyone who has already launched a “kaloffe” in recent years, it is impossible to lose their bearings. Same menus, same lobby, same brawling teenagers leave their microphones open while matchmaking does its work.
In addition, it has been confirmed that this new opus uses the same engine as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), unlike the last episode which took over that of Black Ops 4. We therefore find a radically different feeling in the clashes compared to to Black Ops Cold War, which prided itself on reconnecting with the “signature gameplay” of the license.
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To put it another way, Vanguard feels like some sort of Modern Warfare DLC. Of course the weapons are vintage, and the maps take us back to the battles of the Second World War. But this is all just decorum; it lacks a little extra soul to hook us completely. And it is unfortunately not the possibility of shooting blindly from cover, or of passing through pieces of wall while running that will be enough to change the situation.
Especially since we find ourselves in grotesque situations with this return to 1945. All weapons can be customized with 10 attachments which, for the time, smell like science fiction. A prank that is not exclusive to Vanguard (hello Battlefield V), but which makes us say that such a generous FPS in unlockable accessories is less and less well suited to such a distant conflict.
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More readability issues
Obviously, it's a beta. Far be it from me to be too demanding of Sledgehammer and its partners Beenox and Raven. But some details are particularly irritating in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Already, the game is burdened by significant problems of readability. The multiplayer operating on a principle of "operators" rather than factions, we find ourselves in delicate situations where the enemies resemble our allies, and vice versa. For now, the audio mix is ​​also picking up, and it's hard to hear the least not even when an opponent is running a sprint in the next room. Widely reported to developers by the community, this concern is already being resolved, assures Sledgehammer.
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On some maps in broad daylight, a gigantic lens flare appears when facing the sun. I'm talking about a thing that can occupy up to half of your screen and therefore create a fatal blind spot. Also on the graphic part, I must say that I expected something cleaner even if, again, it is a beta.
Despite all these grievances, there will remain the guilty thrill of reconnecting with his childhood loves. Proust had his madeleines, I have my MP40.
Call of Duty: Vanguard, our first impressions
Impossible to be out of place with Vanguard. Especially if, like me, you spent your share of sleepless nights on Medal of Honor: Allied Landing and Call of Duty 2 in the good old days. Here, however, Sledgehammer seeks to do something new with the old, but there are certain aspects on which it gets stuck.
If it was never said in the contract that Call Of poured into historical rigor, we can not help sketching a mocking smile when we see a gun from the Second World War more pimped than a tuning car . A little cheeky side that would not shock me too much if the game was also busy offering a rejuvenated experience.
It's a fact: Call of Duty Vanguard is pure Call of Duty. That's good, that's what the fans were waiting for, right? Certainly. But we should not forget that Activision no longer has as much elbow room as in previous years. Battlefield 2042, which will be released two weeks after Vanguard, marks the great return of the Electronic Arts license after a 3-year hiatus. And his proposal seems much more ambitious than the copy of Sledgehammer Games that you can discover this weekend.
An academicism that will seduce players well in their slippers, but which also risks pushing the blasé towards competition.
Call of Duty: Vanguard will be released on November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
