Call of Duty®: Vanguard

Call of Duty®: Vanguard is a World War II-themed entry in the long-running franchise, featuring a multi-protagonist campaign, robust multiplayer, and a Zombies mode. The campaign offers visually impressive and varied missions across multiple war theaters, blending stealth, sniping, and large-scale assaults. While the story attempts to humanize the war and focus on special operations, it often feels disjointed and clichéd, lacking strong character development. Gameplay mechanics maintain the franchise's signature tight and polished gunplay, though some players find the scripting heavy-handed.

Multiplayer provides a comprehensive experience with classic and new modes, weapon customization, and adjustable combat pacing, though initial technical issues and weapon balance concerns were noted. Zombies mode, developed by Treyarch, was criticized for feeling incomplete and lacking meaningful progression at launch. Overall, Vanguard is a technically sound and content-rich game but struggles with innovation and narrative cohesion, making it a solid yet safe installment for fans of WWII shooters.

Highlights

Players praised the game's polished gunplay and impressive graphics, especially the detailed environments and realistic lighting effects. The campaign's visual diversity and mission variety across different war fronts were well received. Multiplayer's extensive weapon customization and the introduction of Combat Pacing to tailor match intensity were highlighted as positive additions. The campaign's attempt at a character-driven narrative and cinematic presentation also garnered appreciation, with some players enjoying the strong character moments and voice acting.

Despite some criticisms, the game's audio design and orchestral score added to the immersive experience, enhancing the overall gameplay atmosphere.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the campaign's uneven and clichéd storyline with weak character development and disjointed flashback missions. Players found the Zombies mode undercooked, lacking core features, meaningful progression, and effective weapon scaling, making it feel incomplete. Multiplayer faced initial technical issues, inconsistent weapon balance, and some players were frustrated with dominant clans and campers. The requirement for constant online connection, even for single-player, caused connection errors and frustration. Some also disliked the inclusion of unrealistic skins in a WWII setting and the repetitive use of plane missions in the campaign.

Overall, Vanguard was seen as lacking innovation and feeling like a retread rather than a fresh direction for the series.