Call of Duty: Vanguard - Ultimate Edition

Call of Duty Vanguard's highly polished campaign provides a healthy amount of fun, even if its brief length and lack of variety lead it to fall short of the classic pieces of war cinema it's trying to emulate.

Tweaks in multiplayer and Zombies advance the Call of Duty franchise overall, and an emphasis on distinct characters makes Vanguard's story fun, but it doesn't always mix well with the series' gameplay.

Vanguard won't join the pantheon of Call of Duty games, but it's a decent stop-gap for those waiting for Modern Warfare's return.

CoD's multiplayer is as dependable as ever, but Vanguard's campaign and Zombies mode fail to capitalise on what could be interesting ideas.

It will feel familiar to anyone who has picked up a controller and jumped into any of the past two dozen iterations of the franchise. More importantly, though, Vanguard is a Call of Duty game because of the role it proudly plays as a mythmaking vehicle.

A solid installment for the series with a satisfying story and great multiplayer balance.

Vanguard is an overall solid pick with a lackluster campaign, a nascent but incredibly promising zombies experience, and multiplayer with a few critical new aspects.

A band of inglorious stereotypes go on a covert mission to uncover a Nazi plan in a traditional instalment of the series

But does it sound like the next great “Call of Duty” title? That question is a lot like asking about the latest version of the iPhone. The early signs are promising, but the answer to that question really depends on whether the carnival rides that the game offers continue to be entertaining weeks or months from now. However, if you’re looking for what “Call of Duty” offers at its core — big explosions and endless hours of multiplayer — this first experience shows “Vanguard” is off to a strong start.

At launch, Call of Duty Vanguard feels like a solid step-up from Black Ops Cold War, but falls short of the benchmark that was Modern Warfare 2019.