Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) moved the series into the near future and, as the first installment, introduced exoskeletons enabling double jumps, side dashes, and fast wall traversal, fundamentally changing the pace of movement and multiplayer combat compared to previous entries in the series. The campaign also benefited from Kevin Spacey's digitized face and voice as the main antagonist.

The PlayStation 3 version launched alongside the main release for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but it wasn't developed by main studio Sledgehammer Games – the older-generation port was handled by High Moon Studios. The visuals were noticeably simplified, with less detailed textures and character models and a shorter draw distance, just so the game would run on the old-generation hardware at all. The exoskeleton movement in multiplayer remained intact as a key mechanic of the series, but with fewer players per map and a more limited set of game modes than on PlayStation 4.

Even so, it was a complete game with the same campaign as on the newer generation, just wrapped in a considerably more modest technical package. The PlayStation 3 version targeted players who hadn't yet moved to PlayStation 4 in 2014, and it was one of the last major multiplatform titles released simultaneously for both generations of Sony consoles.

High Moon Studios didn't work with the engine the new-generation version was built on, but instead relied on modified technology from previous entries, just so the game would reach an acceptable frame rate on the older hardware at all. This also applied to destructible environments and some exoskeleton effects, which were simplified or dropped entirely on PlayStation 3. Still, for players who stayed loyal to the old generation, it was a way to experience the story with Kevin Spacey and the core game mechanics that would go on to fundamentally shape the series in later years, albeit with noticeably fewer players per map than the PlayStation 4 version.

Why play it: For players loyal to the old generation, it offers the same story with Kevin Spacey and the core exoskeleton mechanics, albeit with noticeably simplified graphics and smaller maps than on PlayStation 4.