The Little Space Opera That Could: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Review

Over 3,000,000. That's how many people were betting against Activision's newest addition to the Call of Duty family. The announcement trailer for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was lambasted beyond belief by a huge community of gamers that have faced more of the same during the last several installments in the franchise. Futuristic shooters that boast high octane explosions, peppered with often dull and forgettable characters have become the norm that Call of Duty fans could expect. This game's announcement must've been the last straw, because players were ripping the first-person shooter to shreds well before it was released last week. Many experts cited the reason being the various developers relentlessly pushing the game into future settings, and even the inclusion of what seemed to be worn-out space combat. Game Chop is here to say that these skeptics could not have been more wrong. Infinity Ward, the developer of Call of Duty's critically acclaimed Modern Warfare series, and the poorly received Call of Duty: Ghosts have returned to their form, bringing a fun and exciting game to life.

The idea of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare upset gamers because it again propelled the setting of the aged series further into the future. The game goes full space mode, and completely embraces the badge of the space opera. We bravely took to the stars to review this complicated release, quelling any negative or even positive reports on it to preserve our objectivity. Let's begin.

Infinite Warfare is an exceptional surprise to say the least. The game takes place in the distance future during a time of planetary colonization and vibrant human growth. You play as a pilot and solider, Lt. Nick Reyes of the Solar Associated Treaty Organization (SATO) which is a military designed to protect the United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA) of planet Earth. SATO defends the Earth and her interests from a radical separatist group called the Settlement Defense Front (SDF), a idealogical military that has broken off from the UNSA and threatened war for several decades.

The game begins with the fragile peace between Earth and the Mars-based SDF being broken and four SATO soldiers being killed. While Admiral Frederick Raines and Reyes are hesitant to ignore a blatant declaration of war, they trudge on and initiate a Fleet Week celebration at UNSA headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon meeting his wingman and resident badass, Lt. Nora Salter, Reyes is introduced to his new subordinate and best friend, mechanized soldier E3N "Ethan." As Reyes, Rains, Salter and Ethan enjoy the view of the UNSA's entire space force during Fleet Week, they are shot down by sabotaged defense guns as the SDF commence a full-scale invasion of the city. Welcome to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

If you've placed Call of Duty before, then you know it is a first-person shooter that has undergone little evolution over the past ten years. This installment successful introduces some great new features to the old formula, as we pulled ourselves from the spaceship wreckage to engage the SDF troopers and save civilians. First, Reyes reacted to grenades and explosions as we ducked into cover. Reyes shouted out orders or responded them depending on which routes we took. These new features aren't ground breaking, but they're welcome modifications to a series that desperately needed breath of fresh air.

As we blasted away formidable villains and raced to defend our vulnerable warships from the SDF attack, we got our first hint of something remarkable - enjoyable characters, dare we say lovable! Salter impressed us with her blunt skill and snappy badassery, while Ethan is without a doubt the sweetest and most likable Call of Duty character the series has ever had the fortune of authoring. These and many more characters continue to intrigue us as the game progresses.

The fleet is destroyed, the captain of our ship, one of the two remaining UNSA vessels is dead and Earth is now at war. Raines promotes to Commander as we become the captain of the UNSA Retribution and are tasked in delaying the SDF while the Earth can rebuild a fleet and get back in the fight. The Retribution is the game's most innovative characteristic. From our position on the bridge, players can pick and choose which main and side missions they would like to hit first. This reinvents Call of Duty's campaign nature nearly completely from the ground up. Captain Reyes can commit to a number of optional side missions with his crew of memorable and identifiable characters, from the marines to Ethan and Salter. The carrier also gives players some downtime, which is pretty rare in a Call of Duty game. In Infinite Warfare, downtime is a new normal; while you don't have a lot of space to explore, the cabins of the Retribution allows you to slow the pace and interact with your crew. The crew is full of life, refreshingly diverse and well-rounded. The bad guys on the other hand . . .

Don't get us wrong, the premise of the SDF is great, and they prove a terrifying enemy. They reminded us a bit of the Helghast from the Killzone series, and many similarities can be drawn between the two evil space armies. While the SDF bad guys aren't particularly thought-provoking, it's their leader that dampens their vibe. Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington plays Settlement Defense Front Rear Admiral Salen Kotch. He's evil, cunning and rarely seen, but that's about it. While the character is a fine villain, Harrington's presence seems removed, and this makes his character a distant and underwhelming threat. Leave it to your crew to see Infinity Ward's great character design.

Shifting back to gameplay, the Retribution gives players a dose of another new gameplay perk - space combat. Zero gravity combat is fun to use in your favor, and opens up so many ways to approach your enemy. The best part of this game is flying your Jackal space fighter. This versatile ship has Reyes blasting across the battlefield using what might be the most dynamic and intuitive flight mechanics seen in quite some time. It's not easy, but it is damn fun once get the hang of it. Best best part? Some side missions are strictly space-based, giving players ample time to fly around like if Luke Skywalker and Maverick had a baby.

The weapons in Infinite Warfare are an interesting package. Some range from bombastic energy blasters, to more grounded hard ammunition rifles. All of them, however, are fairly entertaining. The game does a good job of making each gun a bit different, therefore eliminating the ability to pick up any gun to complete any task. Going up against bots? Grab an ERAD and slap a regenerating energy mag on it. Facing off against some SDF baddies? Pick up the NV4. Make sure your mission load out has good equipment too - a shock grenade will cook any robots, and that anti-grav grenade will have enemies floating to be picked off. This isn't a new feature, but it's well-polished and welcome.

Now, if you don't mind we'll briefly switch gears and discuss Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's multiplayer. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has a multiplayer. That's it. There's nothing exactly wrong with it, but it doesn't quite capture the fun and style of Infinity Ward's former multiplayer triumphs of the Modern Warfare series. The wheel needed to be reinvented, and it simply wasn't. Small scale multiplayers like this simply can't compete with massive and innovative platforms like Battlefield 1 or Titantfall 2. While the multiplayer modes are acceptable, certain quirks are still too familiar, and lacking all senses of innovation.

Don't worry, we're almost done. Infinite Warfare is visually stunning and runs beautifully on current-generation platforms and PC. The environments are fantastic and impressively varied. One asteroid won't look like the surface of Titan, or a fueling station on one of Saturn's moons. The game exhibits exquisite detail, especially in in-game choreography, as characters live in their excellent simulated scenarios. We found ourselves staring at our ship's loading bays as every single person was doing something real. One can likely attribute the sharp writing to Taylor Kurosaki, a member of Naughty Dog Studios and narrative design lead behind the Uncharted series. The narrative of the game shines and gives players a strong story with wonderful characters. Our final comments on the game's story would be in regards to its approach to character development. Reyes is a somewhat stereotypical hero: honorable, tough and highly moderate. But there is one trait that goes against his archetype: indecisiveness. The theme of leadership is heavily prominent throughout the game as Reyes must commit to difficult decisions in his new position as captain. Each of the characters are so strong and fleshed out, that making these difficult decisions isn't just hard for Reyes, but hard for the gamers behind Reyes. This evolution is interesting for players to be a part of, and helps better appreciate the supporting characters such as the Staff Sergeant Omar who often digs on Reyes for taking an indirect approach to decision making.

While a bit brief, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's campaign boasts what is arguably the best narrative in the series' history. Players embark on a quest through diverse and complex environments wrought with missions that feel meaningful and that carry actual consequences. Those same missions are accompanied by characters that are likable and that we feel a close connection to. Upon finishing the game, we wanted more and even to play through again to complete each and every option mission. We're hoping for a series that can live up to the ever-enjoyable Modern Warfare trilogy. Give this one a chance, gamers. The haters may have missed the mark on this fun and exciting game.