They say there are two types of people, the people who play the Call of Duty series for the story or the people who only play the multiplayer. I’m definitely the latter. When it comes to picking up the latest title, it has always been about rekindling with the competitive multiplayer action from previous games.

Here’s the thing…

I used to play the game competitively between the releases of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare roughly up until Black Ops 2. I wasn’t amazing, the enjoyment came from competing with my friends back home and seeing how we matched up against others.

Jumping into an all-or-nothing decider in Search and Destroy or a sudden spark of great teamwork to turn a match around in an intense game of Hardpoint or Domination was everything. It was always something I ended up missing after a while. There was always something missing.

That’s where last year’s release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare came in. It was the grand ‘welcome home’ party that I needed. A reboot of the game that brought me into the series. It brought in re-imagined maps but with updated gameplay and newer game modes thrown in.

With the addition of the free-to-play battle royale Warzone, it gave the series new life. There was so much on offer, but that’s why the announcement of Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War seemed incredibly badly timed. And that’s my inherent problem with the series.

The good, the bad, the forced

This is the 17^th installment in the main series of Call of Duty, and they have released annually without fail for the last 15 years. Just like a FIFA or NBA 2K title, everything moves on the moment the new title gets released. The community moves on, the pro scene moves on and the loyal restart with whatever the developers have created. Essentially, the livelihood of each game ends immediately.

And that was my problem with the announcement of Cold War. The trailer for the new release looked interesting, implementing historical moments into the series is great.

But Modern Warfare felt like it would have thrived with another year if the publishers had decided to give it more time to grow. Immediately we’re forced into holding the new release up to its predecessor and that is an unavoidable aspect of this review.

What its got

As usual, with rotating between the different developers, there are different game modes. Aside from the main story mode, Zombies make a return for their sixth appearance in the series if you ever needed hundreds of zombies chasing after you. In replacement of the vast battles of Modern Warfare’s Ground War is Combined Arms, a much smaller version but still with vehicles such as tanks and gunships.

Warzone is an option on the main menu, but if you want to play it you’ll have to install Modern Warfare and play through that client. With Call of Duty’s recent gigantic installation sizes that could be a bit of a problem.

Just installing Warzone alone is a 72GB install on top of the 140GB you’ve already installed for Cold War. Which is fine if, you know, you don’t play any other games.

Location, location, location

When it comes to multiplayer maps there are no huge hitters and there aren’t many options, with only 11 playable at release. Without relying on the classic maps from the past, bar one, a lot of the maps are forgettable. (Yes, Nuketown has returned with an obnoxious 80’s theme. Yep, this is the fifth time the map has appeared in the main series).

When playing the standard matchmaking, most of the maps feel like they’re a little too large, but they are beautiful. The game brings back a lot of color that was missing from Modern Warfare’s dreary war-torn brown and gray hues.

A lot of the maps incorporate verticality more than the usual. Climbing boxes, rocks or leaping through windows feels like forcing a parkour feature into a game that doesn’t feel suited to it. When you’re starting out, you’ll feel a little hard done by knowing that not only you have to learn corners that people camp in, but now they’ll be lurking above you too.

There will be moments where you’ll be shooting someone, just for them to full vault through a window like an Olympic athlete on steroids. Have you ever vaulted on top of a bus stop without issue? Cold War gives you superhuman ability without reason. With the parkour aspect, you’ll find that the most optimal way of movement is a janky version of a bunny hop that looks like an excited seal running forward.

The balance between maps and game modes seem a little rushed as well. Some maps seem better suited for others for particular game modes. While you’re already forced to deal with having to traverse such a huge map like Armada Strike, the developers throw a hardpoint off of the main ship and without cover with your opponent staring down at you.

If you’re a gun nut, you’ll love that the heavy customization for each gun continues into this game with five attachments per gun, or up to 8 with the addition of the gunfighter wild card. However, if you’re that enthusiastic, the drop of quality from Modern Warfare is noticeable.

You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, the near-obsessive detail in gun models, animations and sound design had to end somewhere. And don’t get me started on the state of the diamond camouflage.

Is this your GameMatch?

If you’re looking to rekindle your Call of Duty memories, this probably won’t be game you’re after. Everything feels like a predecessor to Modern Warfare, not the other way around. And with Warzone remaining as part of the previous title the playability here might not keep you going through the year.

However, it is Call of Duty. The me modes will always be slick and there is enjoyment that can be found there. But everything comes off a little mismatched, rushed and uninspired in places. Do we need a new Call of Duty every year? This is another emphatic rejection. Keep your eyes open for Season 1 comes out later this month, maybe there will be something a little more substantial to play with.

This game was reviewed by Richard Hibbert. Starting off his esports career with DOTA 2 coverages, he now heads production for multiple tournaments and events. Richard likes to play everything from quirky indie games to MOBAs and everything in between.