Call of Duty®: Vanguard Review Summary

Engaging campaign with strong characters: The campaign features a well-written and engaging storyline with memorable characters and unique backstories. Players appreciate the immersive narrative and cinematic quality, making it a worthwhile experience.

Visually and aurally impressive: The game delivers stunning graphics, immersive sound design, and detailed environments, particularly in the Stalingrad missions. The visuals and audio create a cinematic and atmospheric World War II experience, enhancing overall enjoyment.

Enjoyable, fast-paced multiplayer: Multiplayer mode is a highlight, offering fast-paced action, competitive gameplay, and a variety of well-designed maps. Players find the gunplay satisfying and the overall experience enjoyable, with some considering it the best multiplayer in recent Call of Duty titles.

Satisfying gunplay and responsive controls: The game features well-executed shooting mechanics, satisfying gunplay, and responsive controls. Players appreciate the sense of impact and feedback when hitting enemies, making the combat enjoyable and intense.

Atmospheric and high-quality production: The game has a nice atmosphere and high production quality, with detailed environments and immersive battlegrounds. The soundtrack complements the World War II setting, enhancing the overall experience.

Frequent crashes and technical issues: Many players report technical issues such as frequent crashes, freezes, graphical glitches, and poor optimization, rendering the game unstable and sometimes unplayable. Additionally, the game suffers from server issues, leading to long matchmaking times and a decline in player activity.

Inaccurate, uninspired WWII depiction: The campaign is criticized for its unrealistic and uninspired portrayal of World War II, with cartoonish villains, historical inaccuracies, and a disjointed narrative. The inclusion of anachronistic elements like futuristic weapons and operators further detracts from the immersive experience, making it feel more like fan fiction than a historical depiction.

Campaign is short and shallow: The single-player campaign is criticized for being too short and lacking depth, with some missions feeling tedious or unremarkable. This brevity, combined with a high price point, leaves players feeling unsatisfied with the amount of content offered.

Disappointing and uninspired Zombies mode: The Zombies mode is criticized for being a simplified and unfocused version of previous iterations, with reused assets, limited maps, and uninspired gameplay. Some reviewers consider it the worst Zombies mode in the series, lacking content and compelling Easter eggs.

Multiplayer is dead/low player count: The multiplayer mode is described as 'dead' due to low player counts, making it difficult to find matches, even with crossplay enabled. Some reviewers suspect they are primarily playing against bots, which diminishes their enjoyment of the game.

Standard, familiar COD gameplay: The game retains core Call of Duty mechanics, similar to MW 2019, but set in World War II. It features familiar gunplay, fast-paced shooting, and cinematic moments expected from the series. The core gameplay is standard COD fare.

Varied, replayable Zombies mode: The Zombies mode offers a mix of objective-based and classic round-based gameplay, along with a perk system and covenants that enhance replayability. While generally enjoyable, some maps are similar. This mode provides a cooperative experience that aligns with series traditions.

Extensive gun customization, short TTK: The game features extensive gun customization options that affect weapon stats. It also includes a ten-attachment system for weapons, offering significant stat boosts. The game has short TTK (time to kill) for all guns.

Narrative through character flashbacks: The game's narrative is delivered through flashbacks, exploring the backstories and personal circumstances of the characters. This approach provides context to the multiplayer action and connects individual storylines.

Unique character abilities/tactical commands: In the campaign, each character possesses a special ability that affects gameplay, such as wall climbing or commanding AI teammates. Soldiers also provide tactical instructions during combat, enhancing the strategic elements.

Inconsistent optimization across systems: The game generally exhibits good optimization, achieving high frame rates on appropriate hardware. However, some players, even with high-end PCs, experience unexpected crashes and performance drops, suggesting inconsistent optimization across different system configurations.

Broken HD textures on Steam: The Steam version of the game suffers from a bug that prevents the download of HD textures, resulting in significantly lower visual quality. This issue is specific to the Steam version, with the Battle.net version reportedly working correctly.

Unresolved shader issues: Some players are experiencing unresolved issues with shaders, and the 'scan and repair' function does not fix the crashing issue. This indicates a problem with the game's shader compilation or handling.

Loud but good audio: The game's audio environment is generally well-received, with good sound effects and balanced footstep audio. However, the overall audio can be very loud, especially in large-scale multiplayer modes.

Minor launch issues: Some players have reported minor inconveniences such as needing to press the play button multiple times to start the game. This issue is a minor annoyance but does not significantly impact the overall experience.

Worth buying only on sale: A very common sentiment is that the game is only worth buying when it's on sale. Many reviewers feel the full price is too high for the content offered, citing issues like short campaign length or lack of innovation. Some even suggest specific sale prices that would make the game worthwhile.

Enjoyable, solid, great game: Some reviewers enjoyed the game and would recommend it, with some hoping for a sequel. However, these points lack specific details about what makes the game enjoyable, reducing their overall importance.

Campaign quality is inconsistent: The campaign mode receives mixed reviews, with some recommending the game specifically for the single-player experience, while others advise against it. Some find the campaign too short or uninspired, while others enjoy it, especially when purchased at a discount.

Mixed compared to other CoD: Reviewers are divided on how this game stacks up against other Call of Duty titles, especially those set in World War II. Some consider it one of the worst in the series, while others find it a decent addition or even better than recent Modern Warfare installments. Some recommend older titles instead.

Unstable due to crashing issues: Numerous reviewers report significant technical issues, particularly crashing and texture streaming problems, making the game unplayable. These issues lead to strong recommendations against purchasing the game, even at a discount, until they are resolved.

Alternate WWII setting: The game presents a fictionalized version of World War II, taking liberties with historical accuracy. Some players may find the alternate history and inclusion of non-historical weapons disappointing, while others may not mind the historical inaccuracies.

Focus on campaign mode: Many players primarily engage with the single-player campaign mode in Call of Duty games. These players often focus on the narrative and offline gameplay experience, rather than the multiplayer aspects.

Regular updates and free DLC: The game receives regular updates and content additions, including free DLC maps and weapons. Weapons can be obtained through in-game challenges, providing players with a continuous stream of new content.

Limited account transfer: Progress transfers from Battle.net to Steam, but CoD points do not transfer in the opposite direction. There is no real reason to buy it again on Steam if you already own the game on Battle.net

Franchise decline lamented: The reviewer feels modern CoD has been relegated to a game bought on discount for the campaign or zombies mode, lamenting its decline from being something special. This suggests a decline in the overall quality and appeal of the franchise.