The body count in this iteration of the mayhem-ridden franchise remains characteristically high and a bland campaign narrative further restricts its appeal. Set during World War II, the story focuses on four of that conflict’s areas of greatest activity: Germany’s Western and Eastern fronts, the Pacific and North Africa. This allows for an impressive display of varied environments accompanied by a soundtrack designed to inspire excitement. But the plot, which revolves around a high-ranking officer in the Nazi regime’s notorious Gestapo (voice of Dan Donohue), is lackluster. While there is an option allowing for less gory gameplay, scenes of combat in this first-person shooter are otherwise harshly graphic. And there’s no way to avoid the frequent vulgarity with which the dialogue is loaded or the racist insults in which German soldiers indulge. Although players get glimpses of scantily clad “pinup girls,” the sexual content is, by contrast, fairly restrained. So it’s really the glorification of armed struggle that makes this title, like many of its precursors, morally unsettling. Playable on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Windows. Constant, intense warfare with bloody effects, numerous gruesome sights, much rough and crude language, narcotics-related images. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, material whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Entertainment Software Rating Board rating is M — mature.
Call of Duty: Vanguard
