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Earlier today, Activision gave fans their first look at the Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer in action. We had been hearing about this special multiplayer reveal event for months, and now that the dust has finally settled, we know a lot more about the game's online experience.
While the event featured plenty of details about the entire breadth of Call of Duty: Ghosts' multiplayer, the main focal point of the presentation was the first multiplayer trailer (seen above). Featuring a new track from Eminem, this trailer highlights some of the game's new customization options, new multiplayer modes, and the new dynamic maps.
We had been hearing about the dynamic maps in multiplayer for a while now, but as the trailer shows they aren't necessarily as "dynamic" as some might think. In fact, the map interactions are much more binary. Blowing up a gas station, for example, changes the layout of the map called Octane, but it appears to be the same change every time.
The trailer also offers some brief glimpses at the multiplayer's new killstreaks, which Infinity Ward says are focused more on crowd control than anything else. Instead of killstreak unlocks that instantly take to the sky and dole out kills, the ones featured in Ghosts are apparently ground based, and intended to provide tactical advantages. The UAV in Call of Duty: Ghosts, for example, is called a SAT COMM, and travels along the ground and is apparently easier to eliminate.
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Like in Modern Warfare 3, Killstreaks will be available through a point system and will be awarded not just for kills, but for completing objectives as well. The Specialist, Assault, and Support Strike Packages have also returned.
Points will also factor into weapon and perk loadouts, as players will have to decide which perks they want based on an 8-point system. Perks range in value from 1 to 3 points, and are scattered amongst several categories. There are many more perks available this time around, and the ways in which players equip them has significantly changed.
Customization will also become a major part of the Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer experience, as players will be able to customize up to ten soldiers in their Squad, each of which has one level of Prestige. As the player levels up, they will unlock new customization options for their soldiers like helmets, camo, and various combat accessories. And we're happy to report that female soldiers are also available in the multiplayer.
There is one new class available for Ghosts, the Marksman class, which combines the sniper and the assault rifle class into one. The marksman class will have a significant advantage in long range shootouts, but most of the weapons tailored to that class are single shot.
As far as new modes are concerned, Infinity Ward detailed two of the seven new modes for Call of Duty: Ghosts. Here's a brief rundown of each:
Cranked: every time a player gets a kill a 30-second timer starts. Get another kill and the timer resets, but if you don't then you explode. Killstreaks are awarded by completing field orders like killing with melee or getting two consecutive headshots.
Search and Rescue: similar to Search and Destroy only teammates can "revive" each other by picking up their dog tag. Opponents can also pick up the dog tag to make sure you can't be revived.
All in all, the Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer reveal was on par with past reveals. Infinity Ward and Activision unveiled enough new features to make the multiplayer in this iteration seem unique, but at the end of the day it was still instantly recognizable as Call of Duty. If you'd like to watch the multiplayer event in its entirety head here, or stick tuned to Game Rant for more from the event including details on Clans and the Prestige Edition of the game.
What do you think of Call of Duty: Ghosts' multiplayer? What change has you the most excited?
Call of Duty: Ghosts releases November 5, 2013 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. PS4 and Xbox One release dates have not been announced.