Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies & Campaign | New Gameplay Today

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It's that time of year again. A new entry in the Call of Duty series is nearly here, and with its release comes the familiar questions of whether or not fans should pick up the latest entry in the annualized series. We set out to answer that question on these fresh episodes of New Gameplay Today, focused on Call of Duty: Vanguard's zombie and campaign modes!

It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing allegations about the work culture. The ongoing lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against the company is over reported toxic workplace culture. The bulk of the suit focuses on "violations of the state's civil rights and equal pay laws," specifically regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please check out our previous coverage here.

Join Dan Tack, Wes LeBlanc, and Alex Stadnik in NGT number one, where we get a peek into what the new zombie-slaying experience will entail. Vanguard takes a different approach instead of the classic round-based method that put the series on the map. Teams of four begin in a hub world and choose what objective-based missions they want to embark on. Whether it's classic escort, survival, or gathering objectives, each new round felt exciting and varied as our team fought for survival and upgrade points. When you finally succeed in a match, you return to the hub world, where you again will have to fight for your right to safety against the undead Nazi scourge. These changes, along with a plethora of other intelligent adjustments, have led to some of the most fun we've had with the game and have been the package's highlight so far.

The same can't be said of the campaign, however. In the second New Gameplay Today, the same crew is back to detail the highs and lows of the latest Call of Duty campaign. While the game features a genuinely wondrous level of graphical fidelity, the Michael Bay comparisons are rife in Vanguard and not always for the better. While there are some aspects to enjoy, we were disappointed in how uninteresting the story can be at points. The familiar feelings of "been there, done that" throughout the numerous shooting galleries don't help the game's cause.

If you enjoyed these looks at Vanguard's campaign and zombie modes, be sure to check out our look at the multiplayer earlier this year and keep an eye out for our review of the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise!