Overview
Call of Duty: Ghosts places the player in an unusual situation for the series: the United States is no longer the dominant military power, but a deeply weakened territory attempting to resist the Federation. The campaign builds on this reversal by following the Ghosts, a special forces unit operating against an enemy with technological and military superiority.
The game is developed by Neversoft Entertainment, Infinity Ward, Raven Software and Treyarch, with Activision as publisher. It was released on November 5, 2013. The platforms listed in this entry are PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U. The associated genres are action, science fiction, thriller, FPS, survival and stealth. The specified game modes are Single player, Multiplayer and Co-operative, and the engine listed is the IW Engine.
The campaign retains Call of Duty’s cinematic and scripted structure while introducing several situations tied to the game’s new setting. Some sequences feature Riley, a military dog able to accompany the squad and be used during specific phases to locate or attack enemies.
Multiplayer expands fighter customization. With Create-A-Soldier, the player no longer configures only a class: they can also modify their soldier’s appearance, including the head, equipment and various visual elements. Ghosts also introduces the ability to choose the character’s gender.
Multiplayer maps incorporate dynamic elements. Certain parts of the environment can be altered by events or actions triggered during a match, potentially opening or closing passages, changing lines of sight or forcing players to adapt their positioning.
Movement also gains several new possibilities. A contextual system allows players to lean out from cover without fully exposing themselves, obstacle traversal becomes smoother and the knee slide makes it possible to transition more quickly between sprinting and repositioning.
Ghosts also adds marksman rifles as a new weapon category and refreshes part of the killstreak system. Riley can notably appear in multiplayer as a guard dog, accompanying the player and attacking opponents.
Squads mode extends the soldier creation system. The player can build a team made up of several customized fighters and then use them in different encounters, either alone or cooperatively. The equipment assigned to squad members also influences their behavior when controlled by artificial intelligence.
A soldier equipped with a sniper rifle, for example, behaves differently from a fighter armed for close-range engagements. Building a squad therefore combines customization, equipment choices and the behavior of AI-controlled teammates.
Alongside the campaign and multiplayer, Extinction introduces a separate cooperative component. Up to four players face a non-human threat in a mode combining survival, position defense, customization and class-based progression.
The objective notably involves destroying hives with drills that must be protected during enemy attacks. Players accumulate resources and develop their abilities throughout the match, while team composition and the distribution of roles directly influence how the group withstands waves of creatures.
Extinction therefore stands apart from both competitive multiplayer and the campaign. Cooperation, objective defense and temporary progression during each match structure a PvE experience designed around teamwork.
Ghosts therefore brings together several systems specific to this installment around the same shift in identity: a campaign built around a weakened America, multiplayer in which both the soldier and squad become customizable, more interactive environments and a cooperative mode entirely dedicated to Extinction.
Key takeaways
- The campaign takes place in a near future where the United States has been deeply weakened by the Federation of the Americas.
- Logan and Hesh Walker join the Ghosts while former unit member Rorke hunts them down.
- Riley, the military dog featured in the campaign, also appears as a multiplayer killstreak.
- The Create-A-Soldier system allows the fighter’s appearance to be customized in addition to their equipment.
- Some multiplayer maps feature dynamic elements and events capable of changing the environment during matches.
- Movement notably introduces contextual leaning, smoother traversal and knee sliding.
- Squads mode allows players to build and develop a team of customized soldiers whose equipment influences AI behavior.
- Extinction offers a cooperative PvE experience for up to four players built around survival, objective defense and class-based progression.
Conclusion
Call of Duty: Ghosts moves away from the Modern Warfare and Black Ops continuities to build its own conflict, with a weakened America and the Ghosts acting as a covert force tasked with fighting a power that has become dominant.
This new identity extends beyond the campaign. Multiplayer pushes customization further with Create-A-Soldier and Squads, while dynamic maps and new movement options directly alter traversal and combat.
Extinction completes this structure with a cooperative branch separate from the main military conflict. Hive defense, classes, progression and coordination between four players make it a distinct system, giving Ghosts three clearly identifiable gameplay pillars: campaign, multiplayer combat and PvE cooperation.
Good to know
- Call of Duty: Ghosts was released on November 5, 2013.
- The game was developed by Neversoft Entertainment, Infinity Ward, Raven Software and Treyarch, and published by Activision.
- The platforms listed are PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U.
- The associated genres are action, science fiction, thriller, FPS, survival and stealth.
- The specified game modes are Single player, Multiplayer and Co-operative.
- The engine listed is the IW Engine.
- Multiplayer allows players to customize soldiers and build squads.
- Extinction is a cooperative mode for up to four players combining survival, defense, customization and class-based progression.
