Call of Duty: Ghosts follows the Walker brothers and their Ghost father against the Federation, a South American superpower armed with an orbital kinetic weapon. Mission variety is its greatest asset, with each level offering something new.
The campaign spans an underground underwater mission, a full level controlling Riley the dog, a skyscraper stealth infiltration and a Payday-style heist. Tanks, a space station finale and a Venice-style blending sequence keep the pacing alive, while burst-fire guns and a thermal sight add variety to the shooting.
There is more gameplay and less cutscene than in modern entries, with the set-pieces making up almost half the campaign. The skyscraper mission is the standout, though it cannot be completed entirely stealthily, and the health model is more forgiving than Modern Warfare 2019’s.
Performance on PC is the biggest problem, with constant stuttering, texture-loading failures and a white-screen bug that broke the final mission. The issues occur on both Windows and Linux and are the game’s own, not the operating system’s.
The antagonist’s motivation is weak, a petty grudge against a former ally that never lands as compelling. The title also misleads, suggesting a Modern Warfare 2 connection that the story never delivers.
Friend and foe are easy to mix up, with friendly fire unpenalised and allies dressed like enemies, and exploding vehicles claim many lives. Aggressive headbob and a harsh strobe effect in the skyscraper add to the discomfort.
Overall, mission variety, the Riley missions and the reduced cutscene load make Ghosts better than its reputation. The broken PC performance and the weak antagonist are the main caveats.