The more you play, the higher you'll level up, always unlocking things and earning keys to unlock Supply Drops. The more you use a gun, the more options for that gun you'll unlock. Of course, all the old ranking/unlocking rules apply. This expands on the myriad customization options the franchise was already offering. Other changes to the formula include weapons that you can upgrade, making them slightly better than their vanilla models. There seems to be plenty of variety, though nothing on offer really leaps out at me as particularly outstanding. The available maps are all pretty good-about on par with Black Ops III. These range from the close-quarters indoors Frontier map, which reminds me of the opening scene in A New Hope when Vader boards the rebel ship, only when you get killed, your body floats up into the air, to more open-air affairs like Throwback, which takes place in a futuristic farmer's market aboard what appears to be a Halo ring. So far at least, none of the scorestreaks are terribly overpowerd or annoying like last year's R.A.P.S. I actually really like all the new weapons and the variety of weapons on offer. There are a number of new guns, including energy-based arsenal that recharges as you play. And aesthetic variety is far less pronounced than last year's game. Payloads are a fun way to possibly snag a couple extra kills, but they're also fairly easy to shut down. All of these rigs will change how you play, but never too drastically.

The first three are unlocked from the beginning, and then the final three you unlock as you progress. Like Specialists, each Rig has its own powers, called 'Payloads.' They also have passive bonuses called 'Traits.' While this does push the game into similar territory as BlopsIII's quasi-hero shooter gameplay, the fact of the matter is most rigs look the same. I won't say it's objectively better, but I'm glad Infinity Ward ditched the bright and colorful specialists in favor of a much more uniform aesthetic. The entire game feels less cartoonish and less garish.

I like these better, as they're less flashy and goofy looking. For one thing, the Specialist classes are gone, replaced by Combat Rigs. I beg to differ.Ĭertainly it's very much like last year's entry, but there are a few important changes. Lots of people complain that it's too much like last year's Black Ops III, for instance, or that it's somehow not as good. The real meat and potatoes of each year's Call of Duty is the competitive multiplayer, and here I think Infinite Warfare really excels. Infinite Warfare is a bit more like WWII in space, replete with evil Space Nazis. Then again, while I prefer the more straightforward mechanics to last year's outing-the campaign is certainly capable and engaging-at least Black Ops III did something interesting with its story, with its complicated bad guy, and with the question of technology and warfare. It's one of the strongest campaigns Call of Duty has had in years, and a big step up from Infinity Ward's last game, Ghosts. Thankfully, we get a great supporting cast (though I wish we'd spent more time with them) and great gameplay to make up for the game's other shortcomings.

Meanwhile, pacing can be a bit on the slow side, especially between missions and at the start of the game. I want a more compelling bad guy, even in a bombastic action game.

Even for a franchise built on larger-than-life conflicts and villains, the SDF and its leader are too cartoonish in their pure wickedness. Where Infinite Warfare's campaign suffers is in its uneven pacing and its central conflict.

Space warfare infinite