While AI enemies still foolishly hang heads out of cover to draw fire in the gorgeous single-player mode, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer component flaunts a variety of improvements that were likely facilitated by a longer development cycle for the annualized franchise.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the first game in the series to benefit from Activision's new three-year development cycle. Sledgehammer Games was the first studio to enjoy the extended development time.
"With Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare we introduced the first new lead developer to the franchise in a decade and our first three-year development cycle, with one mission: bring breakthrough innovation to the franchise, while also honoring its roots," said Activision Publishing's CEO, Eric Hirshberg. "We feel Sledgehammer Games has risen to that challenge. Advanced Warfare introduces significant new mechanics to multiplayer that truly change the game, but more importantly, just speaking as a gamer, it's a hell of a lot of fun."
The exoskeleton suits give Advanced Warfare players the ability to perform boosted slides, dives, slam and jumps. Fitted with a parkour pack, the suits open Advanced Warfare to a level of map traversal that is unprecedented by any other game in the series -- though the game is drawing comparisons with Titanfall, which was created by the innovators behind the first Call of Duty game.
"We can't wait for players to discover all of the new movement, mechanics, equipment, and modes built into Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, as well as the depth of customization layered in for the most personalized Call of Duty multiplayer experience to date," added Michael Condrey, co-founder and head of development of Sledgehammer Games.
Parkour and superhuman abilities weren't the only new elements Sledgehammer Games brought to Advanced Warfare. With the inclusion of close to 350 custom weapons and approximately 1,000 perks, Sledgehammer said Advanced Warface's degree of customization will surpass the levels established in previous Call of Duty games.
"When we set out to envision the 2054 world of Call of Duty, we spent a lot of time focused on evolving the multiplayer -- offering all new experiences to the fans," said Glen Schofield, co-founder and game director of Sledgehammer Games.
Gamers who preorder Advanced Warfare will have the option to sign on for zero-day access for free. The zero-day edition of Advanced Warfare will give players access to the game 24 hours before the official launch on Nov. 4, 2014.
Here's a look at the multiplayer reveal trailer, rated M for Mature.
