Everything You Need to Know About Space Shoot-Em-Up ‘Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’

You’ve been briefed.

In the not so distant past, Call of Duty was a video game that explored the actual battles and conflicts of history. In the distant future, if Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is to be believed, those human versus human battles will still be happening, only in space. Luckily, Infinite Warfare is not to be believed. It casually eschews any semblance of realism the series once had for a more thoughtless brand of shoot-em-up… in space. That’s not a bad thing for everyone, but it’s hard to imagine that Infinite Warfare will enjoy the same mass appeal that Call of Duty, as a series, has garnered in the past.

The Campaign

In a future riddled with acronyms, humankind has taken their differences and their conflicts and decided to settle them in space. That means lots of new weapons, a heaping of spaceship dog-fighting, and a moodier-than-usual Kit Harrington leading the space-rebels you’re setting out to stop. Combat feels typical for Call of Duty; purposefully tight and fast. The beautiful backdrop—the galactic scenery is legitimately gorgeous—also feels distinctly COD with levels taking on a futuristic feel, but having familiar layouts that subtly help direct (and keep) you in the action. The story is enough to entertain and keep you engaged, but it’s unlikely to be memorable, even within the scheme of the series. Still, if you’re looking for space battles, starship fights with the rampage turned up to 11, and levels chock-full of enemies who will shoot but not dodge, Infinite Warfare is here for you.

The Multiplayer

Call of Duty’s experimentation with its campaigns may vary from year to year, but its multiplayer is what keeps gamers playing long after the campaign is over. Infinite Warfare marks the first time in recent memory that COD’s campaign may outshine its multiplayer. If the beta sessions Activision has been running are any indication, Infinite Warfare’s deathmatches are more of what we’ve seen before, but with a frustrating layer on top. There may be a learning curve that the world needs to overcome still and there is always the potential for tweaks—that’s why they run those betas after all—but, with stiff competition from Battlefield1 and Titanfall 2 and the ever-present Halo series, which has been doing this kind of sci-fi since before Call of Duty existed, Infinite Warfare has its work cut out.

Side Missions and Equipment Upgrades

A first for the COD franchise, side missions are scattered throughout the campaign, offering rewards that will help boost your suit or ship. They’re completely optional, but anything that extends the six hour campaign is welcome here. Similar to the side missions, Infinite Warfare is also littered with weapon armories that’ll take care of the arsenal element of your character. Find new, unique guns to use on your mission, or upgrade the ones you already have.

Specialist and YOLO Mode

Didn’t get enough of that space-based campaign? Once you’ve completed it, you can take it out for another spin in Specialist mode where health won’t regenerate, headshots kill, and limb-shots maim. Beat the Specialist mode and you’ll get access to YOLO mode where you’ll, literally, only live once. Die in the YOLO campaign and you have to start over. It’s almost as if Activision knew Infinite Warfare’s campaign overshadowed its multiplayer and gave us good reason to revisit it over and over again.

Zombies in Spaceland

Infinite Warfare often seems like COD in Spaceland. As a nod to that entire setting, the team at Infinity Ward decided to get meta by adding their famous Zombie mode into the game with an even heavier emphasis on the space setting. Zombies in COD are a fan favorite, and this version doesn’t take itself too seriously. It does know, however, how to offer up a unique hoard mode challenge.

Jackal Assault VR

All PS4 owners, not just those who own Infinite Warfare, will be given free access to the PSVR mini-game, Call of Duty: Jackal Assault VR. Based in the same world, it’s COD’s first foray into the VR realm, and we are looking forward to digging into it with everyone when it launches alongside Infinite Warfare on November 4th.