Nothing New | Call of Duty: Ghosts – Devastation Review

I picked up the latest DLC for Call of Duty not for the gun or the new maps, but because I wanted to experience the next segment in the Extinction series. Many people consider 15 USD pricey for a few maps, a gun, and one more Extinction level, but if you are a fan of Ghosts then it may be worth your time. Inversely, if you don’t care for Ghosts, then you probably won’t be swayed to spend the money. That being said, Devastation doesn’t reinvent the series, but it does have some refreshing moments.

The weapon you receive for purchasing Devastation is called the Ripper: a very handy two-in-one weapon that can switch between an assault rifle and an SMG on the fly. The Ripper is officially my new favorite gun—it’s that good. I won’t waste time breaking down all the stats of the gun but you can find them here if you care about every little detail. Overall, its biggest strengths are obvious. It has the long range capability of an assault rifle to shoot across the map, but the mobility of a submachine gun when navigating tight corners. I switch back and forth between the modes countless times in one life for very understandable reasons. The Ripper may even be over-powered in the grand scheme of things, so if you’re looking to one-up the competition purchasing Devastation will certainly give you an extra edge.

Onslaught brought back Scrapyard from Modern Warfare 2 and Devastation brings back Dome from Modern Warfare 3. Unearthed is almost identical to the original, which is a very good thing seeing how popular Dome was. For those that don’t know what Dome is, this map is very small for lots of action. There was one new path added to help flank one position to prevent campers, but Call of Duty campers will always find a way to do what they do best. There is one little Easter egg in Unearthed and that is the ability to unlock the Venom-X weapon from Extinction mode. You need to shoot three brackets off the crane for the weapon to drop, and it can only be used once a match. The special Field Orders reward allows you to call in three Seeker Cryptids (aliens from Extinction).

Collision takes place on a container ship that crashed into Brooklyn Bridge. This map is also fairly small with lots of corridors to run down. There are a couple high perches for snipers, but Collision is clearly for run-and-gun players. It’s well designed and probably my second favorite map behind Dome. The special Field Orders allows you to control an A-10 Warthog during two strafing runs.

Ruins is a medium sized map that takes place in a jungle. There are some open spaces that make for larger site-lines, and plenty of places to hide. There are multiple levels so you need to worry about above and below you at all times. It is on this map that you can become the Predator by earning the propper Field Order reward. He is essentially a maniac: fast, lots of health, and kills with melees. Of course, the Predator has some neat tricks that makes playing as him even more fun. There is another special Field Order that will cause the nearby volcano to erupt, shooting rocks down on enemies. In other words it’s mortar fire.

The last map is Behemoth and it is my least favorite. It takes place on a giant excavator saw, which makes the map narrow and long. Something I am usually a fan of, but the problem with Behemoth is the uneven ground. The entire map is on a slope, giving the side with the high ground a big advantage. Normally, this would mean people fight for the high ground, but since one team is spawned on that side, they immediately get an advantage. I know this seems like it wouldn’t make that much of a difference over an entire battle, but it really does, especially with Ghosts horrible spawn system. The special Field Orders in this map lets to take control of a minigun in the side door of a helicopter flying around the map.

Lastly, there is the Extinction Mode, which was the sole reason why I purchased this DLC. The story (I’m sure noone cares about but I still won’t spoil it) leads the team to a ship in the middle of the sea. There’s no shock to see that the Cryptids have taken over and like the previous installments you need to use that ever-handy drill to destroy hives as you make your way through the ship. This episode plays very similarly to previous episodes, but with some unique differences.

Before you could only collect items like a scope, a muzzle break, flare, or maybe even some extra cash. In Mayday, you need to pick up a schematic first, and then you can go out scavenging. There are still sites, grips, and other things lying around. However, this time you can also collect parts to build something a little more useful, like a pipe bomb, or a flare bomb, or perhaps you want a Tesla Trap. Every tool requires three items and there is a great sense of accomplishment when you find everything you need to make your weapon.

There is also a new cryptid introduced this time as well. The Seeder has replaced the Scorpion. They still shoot out annoying gas clouds, but they can also make turrets that shoot as well. One or two turrets isn’t really an issue, but when a dozen spring up you will quickly find yourself in troubling waters. Taking out the Seeders before they play their seeds is imperative, and on the plus side, they drop a lot of money for an easy kill too.

Overall, Mayday is another solid addition to the Extinction lineup. It does little things to keep the gameplay fresh, while still encompassing what everyone loves about Extinction. Mayday does try to make itself feel longer by having you open doors that don’t count as hives. They go much quicker and you don’t fight nearly as many cryptids, but they feel like cheap padding to extend the mode. There are a couple very intense moments that more than make up for the doors though.

Devastation is exactly what you expect from a Call of Duty DLC. There was nothing new here that really blew me away. The Ripper is an excellent gun for sure, and the new maps are enjoyable. The problem is I only really like two of them, and the other two are passable in my mind. I’m paying extra money for new maps, so I want to love every one I get. Amazing maps can make a DLC a must buy, but these maps aren’t good enough to warrant that. Mayday is certainly fun, but many people won’t find one more level as enough of a reason to spend their precious money. Devastation is an okay DLC, you get what you expect, but it doesn’t do enough where it is a must-buy.

This review is based off  a retail copy of the Playstation 4 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts Devastation DLC developed by Infinity War and distributed by Activision.