'Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare' Preview And Launch Day Details: Livestream, Reviews, Early Access And More

This Might Be The Biggest Year For 'Call Of Duty' Ever...

'Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare' launches around the world on November 3, on a predictably voluminous range of formats, collectors editions, Day Zero packs and other whatnot.

Now we have some new details for how launch day is going to work.

Activision has announced that on November 3rd, a day before the general release, CoD fans can watch a livestream featuring players with Day Zero access fighting it out with celebrity fans.

Activision said from 12pm GMT livestream hosts Ali A and MRDalekJD will be playing with celebs and fans, and exploring everything the game has to offer.

Even with that in mind all that you really care about it... is the game any good? And should I get excited?

Based on our preview of the game earlier this month the answer is an unqualified 'yes'. Why? Because this isn't the same game you played last year.

It's true that the core of Call of Duty remains in place, in the same way that the core game of football remains with every iteration of FIFA. That's both due to a certain hesitance by both developers and publisher, but it's also a reflection of the fact that Call of Duty is its own beast now. It has rules and a format, but also a 'feel' and gameplay rhythm that make it what it is: fast-paced, twitchy, brutal, merciless, but exhilarating. To change that core would be to change what CoD is. To draw the comparison, FIFA might also be more exciting if you added another ball and reversed the direction of time - but it wouldn't be a football game.

That said, there is a LOT going on this year which is different and fresh. Leaving the story aside - which is bolstered, incidentally, by a new focus on episodic 'TV quality' writing (we're told) and the presence of Kevin Spacey in the leading role - it's all about gadgets, tech and ostensibly futuristic inventions.

You get jump packs, exoskeletons, ridiculous new weapons and vehicles to select from as part of your loadout. And these fundamentally change how the game plays. In our preview we were much more aware of the different levels and 3D space of maps, and were forced to try out new strategies constantly to stay alive.

It looked, in short, like the biggest change for CoD in ages, and played fantastically well. Graphically it looks great too - and we can't wait to experience the polished single player sections.

Our review will be up on Friday 7th November.

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