Call of Duty: Ghosts is conjuring new ways to play online.
Female characters, interactive maps, canine sidekicks and a knuckle-biting intense mode dubbed “cranked” are among the new additions deploying to the multiplayer mode of the popular military first-person shooter franchise when Ghosts is released for both current and next-generation consoles Nov. 5.
Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. recently detailed the complex multiplayer mode, which includes 30 new weapons and more fluid movement.
“I think the biggest difference is going to be the dynamic maps,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “It really changes the game for the better. You not only have to learn how the maps are laid out and where the best hiding spots and vantage points are located, but you also have to figure out how they can be used for you or against you.”
Here are five ways the online mode will be different from its predecessors:
• Girl power: For the first time in the nine-year history of Call of Duty, multiplayer combatants can choose to portray a female soldier on the front line. It’s one of 20,000 possible customization options when it comes to creating an online avatar in Ghosts. Other personalization possibilities include selecting race, body type, gear and clothing.
• Map quest: The battlefield won’t always be stable in Ghosts. The developers have added several interactive tricks that can dramatically alter the maps in the game’s multiplayer mode. Some are as simple as a closed door with the ability to block access to a secret hideaway, while others are as explosive as a gas station that can obliterate nearby foes if ignited.
• Dirty dog: Riley, the geared-up German shepherd who appears in the single-player campaign, will leap into the multiplayer mode as one of 20 new “killstreak” rewards earned when players take down the opposition and complete objectives. The canine companion will growl when enemies approach.
• Crank and file: There are seven new multiplayer modes coming, including the cooperative “search and rescue” and “squad” installments, but the most intense new way to play online is called “cranked.” For each kill, a player’s reload and movement speeds are amped up, but if a countdown clock reaches zero, they combust.
• Hear me now: The developers have enhanced the game’s sound effects. The chatter during battle has also been fleshed out with teammates who call when grenades go off or enemies appear near landmarks.