Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Atlas Limited Edition - PlayStation 4

To start out with, I have previously played Call of Duty: Black Ops I and Call of Duty: Ghosts, and I rented this game from Family Video and really enjoyed playing it, so I decided to get the Atlas Pro edition of this game, because it was then at $25 which seemed like a great price for everything it included (the basic game, the soundtrack, a few map expansions and some extra equipment, an art book, and a steel case). As far as the basic game itself, it is easily one of my favorite Call of Duty games. The maps, in my opinion, are very interesting and fun to play. Many people say that the Call of Duty games are repetitive, and I have noticed this even just having played three games from the series. However, I do not think this is a bad thing - every new Call of Duty game is essentially just a new map pack (with a new story that I, and probably most Call of Duty players, do not bother looking into much), so that playing the Call of Duty first person shooter does not get boring being stuck in the same environments. That said, they introduced "exo-suits" in this game which allow you to jump very high, and at least a few Amazon reviewers have criticized this addition. I like this addition, because it offers something extra that past Call of Duty games didn't have and makes this a little less repetitive than previous ones. Not only are there new environments, but there is a new-ish style of play, too! Lastly with regards to the basic game itself, I read one review on here that mentioned that this game pales in comparison to the PS4 version. I do not have a PS4 so I can not make a comparison, but in comparison to other PS3 games, this game is definitely great! As for the Atlas Pro edition, it is definitely well worth the money, especially if you can get it for around the same $25 that I got it for (the $50 the game is currently at is definitely quite a bit worse a deal - if you can spare the money and are a huge Call of Duty fan, the Atlas Pro edition is probably worth it, but I likely would not have purchased it for $50). It comes with a few cool-looking cosmetic items, as well as a season pass and a free map. It also comes with a neat art book which I have not looked at too much yet but plan to at some point. My favorite part of the package has to be the steel book the game comes in - it looks great and feels very high quality. One warning: though it says the digital soundtrack is included, it actually is no longer included. I went to the website it listed and couldn't figure out how to get the soundtrack, and after a bit of googling, I found a place on the Advanced Warfare website that said that the digital soundtrack was only a pre-order offer and is no longer included. With how easy it is to stream music nowadays through services like Spotify and YouTube, I do not consider it a huge loss, but it is worth noting so that if you are reading this review, you know not to expect to be able to download the digital soundtrack. You can always enjoy listening to it on YouTube or Spotify, though! To conclude, Advanced Warfare is definitely a great game and the Atlas Pro edition is definitely worth $25 (a little bit less worth $50, though still worth it if you are a fan and have the money). I highly recommend Advanced Warfare and the Atlas Pro edition.

This is a good Call of Duty. For reference, I played Cod 1, 2, 3, Cod4, WaW, MW2, BO, MW3, BO2, Ghosts, and this. If you're wondering if you're going to like this, let me put it this way: If you enjoy CoD every year and even if you did not enjoy Ghosts, get this. If you haven't played in a few years and want to know if you should get back into it, get this. If you've never been a huge fan, don't bother. In the end, they added exo suits and the graphics are better, but it is essentially still a Call of Duty game. The graphics are amazing. I've played a bunch of next-gen games and this looks like one of the nicest. Call of Duty isn't known for graphics, but these are great. Gameplay is not completely revamped, as some may say or you may expect. The exo suit jumping and abilities add to the experience, but it is not a jumping-only game and it will still feel familiar. Campaign has been fun so far. The settings and environments in it are unbelievably nice. It seems like it will get interesting as I'm not that far. This one, and all the ones before it, are like playing an action movie. They are not too emotionally deep or developed, but entertaining with some great moments. Multiplayer- this is what you want to hear. It's good. The colors remind me of BO2 online maps, and are nothing like Ghosts (good news). Loadouts are simple enough to understand and guns and perks are straightforward. If you enjoyed getting camos on your guns in other Call of Duty's this may be disappointing. Gold is the easiest one to unlock, and everything else is ridiculously hard to achieve. Just to get some jungle-like camos you need 200, 300, 400, 500 headshots. I am not trying to use one gun for the duration I play this game. This is not fun to achieve, and is bad planning on their part. Spawning is ok, I've spawned in front of people a few times and so have they. The problem is starting a game when you already see someone, and that does not make sense. I usually judge harshly based on this, but in my experience they always fix it within a few weeks and it becomes more manageable.

I've been playing each COD game as it's been released since World at War. But Advanced Warfare should only be compared to the last two games. I've only played the multiplayer so far - so I've got nothing to add to the campaign. Simple tweaks make this game sooo much faster. Everyone can run as long as they want without (tiring and slowing to walk) and having to burn a point adding marathon as a perk. The double jump adds verticality in a way that is fluid and natural. No longer will you feel like every map is the same "boxy" somewhat multi level map. With the jumps, you don't need a pesky ladder, or stacked boxes to reach the next lever, just double jump your ass right on up. The graphics on the 360 are fluid and the attention to detail in the maps make each one look very unique. The maps are bright, and well lit, with lots of appropriate colors. There is a dark map, but it's supposed to be dark, that is part of it's challenge. Much more choice of what you can do with your loadouts. The ambient sounds of movements and environment are really nicely done. Most of the sound you hear is your own moving body. I was startled when I activated my suit to make me move silently, and it was pretty quiet, and then the sound erupting from the speakers when I used my gun. Again, I will say how nice it is to have the double jump and other jet-pack like attributes. No longer are there "choke" points where your team could hold a point easily. Now with the jumps and slides, it's harder to get a bead on an attacker and its easier to bypass certain corners, etc. The maps are no longer just squarish buildings, but there are lots of staircases, alleyways, hallways, and choke points that are oriented in all directions. Not just your typical "grid" maps. The large maps are not too large, and the small ones are fast paced. Sledgehammer nailed this game, and nailed the COD vibe while giving it the speed boost it needed.

It's been awhile since I honestly enjoyed playing CoD. The past few games I often found myself buying and playing the games for the sake of playing with other friends who will obsessively play the latest iteration for months. CoD AW was a pleasant surprise. On Day Zero I decided to play it sans friends to really take a critical look at the overall feel and pacing of the game. The campaign was challenging and the story was fairly interesting, if not all that original. The graphics and lighting effects were amazing. It really feels like a true next-gen experience. But for me the multiplayer was a nice surprise. The addition of the exosuits was a big shift in terms of multiplayer strategy. In some ways having skills like boost jumping really added a new dimension to the game. Also by keeping the weapons modern (and in some cases, futuristic) but relatively contemporary really keeps the game from slipping into Halo or Titanfall territory. The change was just enough to add a new spin on a (somewhat) tired formula, but not go completely off the reservation. Even the current MP maps are for the most part, well-designed to accommodate the new additions to the CoD formula. My only gripe (so far) was how some of the maps seem a bit ill-suited to take advantage of the new gaming mechanics. Also, in a lot of cases, camping still remains a solid strategy. It's also nice to see subtle improvements to the perks and other tried and true parts of the CoD experience. On day one I had some issues with logging on to the server. However, after rebooting the game a few times I was able to get on and never had a problem. During my 5 hours of play, I never experienced any lag and the servers seemed to be able to support the initial flood of players. We'll see how it holds up as more people in the first few weeks (and through the holidays) join the servers. I played primarily Ground War to test the limits and didn't run into any real issues. I'm glad this game sort of rekindled my interest in the CoD franchise. For a few years I was really getting worried about how stagnant the gameplay, mechanics and even the maps were getting.

What can I say....I think this game is great so far. I'm still new to the COD FPS (played COD:MW2/MW3 and some Ghost). But I think this one is the best. I'm probably not giving it full justice by playing it on the 360 and right now can only imagine what it's like on X1. But, it looks like this game was made at the new high frame rate standard which gives it that "soap opera" video feel. Game Play - Only into Campaign for now (and almost done) but it is definitely fast-paced like MW2/MW3. Haven't had any glitches so far and no freezes. The cut scenes almost look real! Wow. I noticed some change in renderings between detailed graphics while playing but it wasn't bad for an entire mission. But it did seem like they might have rushed some details for that part of the game and just didn't get it polished up. I was able to play a couple Team Deathmatch games on multiplayer and thought it was awesome! Storywise, it follows the standard COD formula but Kevin Spacey rocks! If it weren't for him, I'd probably give this game 4 stars (I'm actually give this game 4-1/2 stars.) I think what sets this one apart from the dismal Ghosts is all the new features/weapons/multiplayer. It's more in line with MW3. But I love the grappling, boost jumps (like Halo), shield, etc. The diversity in gameplay has been admirable. I think there was a throwback to Frogger! (to me it was which I thought was hilarious.) I'm sure some one is going to say this borrows a lot from Halo (and even Destiny.) But who cares. I'm sure my wife hates me for making her miss her Monday night shows but I played until 3 am. Just great fun for this gamer geezer.

Note: I won't discuss the game itself as many other reviews will already have that covered - this review just explains the Atlas Pro's distinguishing features so that you can decide if the price is worth it for you. That said, Sledgehammer has done a very good job of picking the best multiplayer features of COD and other franchises and building on that. Fear not - this is much more BLOPSII than it is Ghosts. The campaign is familiar COD - story-driven shooting-gallery-on-rails stuff with some bombastic cutaways and semi-interactive climaxes. The Atlas Pro edition of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare marks a change from recent overgrown premium releases in that it avoids the physical add-ins that had been veering toward pricey toy gimmicks in favor of content that really adds to the in-game experience. You can immediately tell that this is the case because the box is relatively small - about the size of two game cases side-by-side. The package is contained in a cardboard slipcase that's not particularly distinguishing to look at, sporting a copy of the steelbook's cover art on the front and standard selling points and legalese on the back. There is a subtle reflective glossiness to the slipcase that looks nice, but no embossing. Inside are a steelbook case for the game and digital codes and a book of concept art and game lore. That's all - no toy helicopters or night-vision goggles or RC jeeps. The steelbook is very nicely rendered in a white powder coat with a front-and-back view of an Atlas Armored Security Trooper. It's a very detailed illustration, although not a compelling action scene. Inside the steelbook, all of the digital content is compiled into just two codes: one for in-game add-ons and a second one for the DLC season pass. This is great if you had planned to keep all of it because it makes it quick and easy to redeem (you can also you the Q-code feature if you have the Kinect); however, it also makes it impossible to pick apart DLC to sell aftermarket, so be aware if you were planning on subsidizing the cost of the game that way. The in-game content includes additional weapons, exoskeleton and helmet, and supply drops. Similar to the same concept in Battlefield 4 or a Madden Ultimate Team pack, these drops contain a random assortment of customizations and bonuses to use throughout the game. There is also a digital version of the game's soundtrack and a bonus map based on the "Pipeline" multiplayer map from COD 4. The second code is the DLC season pass, which allows you to redeem a year's worth of bonus maps and other content through four releases starting in January, 2015. The artbook is organized as a employee manual for Atlas Corporation, the private military security outfit at the heart of COD:AW's storyline. It contains interesting backstory, timelines, and explanation of weapon and exoskeleton capabilities, including Q-codes throughout that you can use to access more in-depth content on the web. It's a surprisingly nice touch for a franchise that doesn't often rely on such story detail. The pages are substantial and the print quality high; however, due to the size of the package, the book is small and the tight binding makes it somewhat challenging to flip through and read. The Atlas Pro retails at $120, which breaks down to $60 for the game itself, $50 for the season pass, and $10 for the artbook and digital content. If you are committed to the franchise and willing to overlook last year's disappointing installment, it's a no-brainer investment. There is a standard Atlas edition that removes the season pass if you want to take a wait-and-see approach to how you feel about the game.

I'm not finished with the game yet but a review should be based on the amount of satisfaction one receives from a product right? After being immensely let down by Destiny and enjoying a game like Titanfall (PC) it's nice to see that after last year's Ghosts that the franchise is (what appears to be) coming back on track. The story has me hooked like the original Modern Warfare. Hell even Ghosts had a good campaign and it's sad most people only play this for the multiplayer It's nice to see the developer Sledgehammer actually put in some effort on this installment to make the gameplay seem fresh. I dabbled a bit in the multiplayer and I am definitely not a guru at it, the maps are interesting and the loadouts are fantastic and the Titanfall-esque (Though this game has been in development long before Titanfall had been announced) gameplay is enough to keep you playing for hours. The epic cinematic moments are back in the campaign and it's the release that next gen has been waiting for. The graphics are something out of this world...So much detail in the environments and particle effects The cutscenes look fantastic and Kevin Spacey does an amazing job on voice and mo-cap Troy Baker as always has an amazing voice performance, very emotional. On PS4 it runs at 1080p and a smooth as silk 60FPS with occasional dips during the campaign but the multiplayer is constant at 60FPS. One thing I almost forgot to mention, the sound design is FLAWLESS! It's very immersive through a home theater or a good set of headphones.

It appears call of duty has stolen a page from Titanfall. Actually, they have stolen a few pages. The fact you can jump around definitly takes getting used to based on every other COD past. The maps look like Titanfall, loading screen, weapons, and you can even use a stim or cloak just like Titanfall. There is also a Goliath killstreak which resembles a smaller Titan. You can now even strafe with your character just like a Titan. Titanfall with kill streaks and without minions. Ok, enough of how they copied Titanfall and built their game on top of that . Online has been smooth and fairly lag free so far. Maps are pretty good with more of a run and gun style. Kill streaks are a little on the weak side as you have to customize them to be more effective but by doing so the streak is harder to achieve. Each cutomization increases the points needed to get the streak. Weapons so far seem fair and not overpowering but unfortunately quick scoping is still alive. Have never been able to understand why they can't take that out of the game. Spawning seems to be better than past CODs with less spawn deaths and traps. Graphics are a disappointment considering this is a next generation system. Personally only seem to be a slight upgrade over 360. All in all a decent call of duty but nothing spectacular. *****UPDATE***** So the other night playing this game online the sound went out and also game became really jerky like lagging (Connection was strong 50up6down). It didn't work for both multiplayer and campaign. I turned the xbox on and off, uninstalled and re installed the game, then finally did a hard reset of the xbox. Unplugging and plugging back in solved the problem. Now, to today's experience. I can no longer sprint in the game all of the sudden but the dash works. I have done everything like the last issue and a hard reset has not solved the problem. My controller works just fine as I have tested other games and like I said I can still dash side to side.Beyond frustrating experience with this game. If it doesn't work next time I play I will have to try and exchange it. Also I can't express enough how terrible the connections are online. Nobody maintains a 4 bar connection as everybody is usually in the red or yellow. It fluctuates back and forth all game. Anybody else have similar problems with the game acting up like this?