Call of Duty’s Long-Forgotten ‘Extinction’ Mode is in Desperate Need of Return

Can you believe that it’s been over three years since the release of Activision’s most controversial entry in the Call of Duty series?

Ghosts, while ambitious in many respects has since become long forgotten, playing host to a lot of mixed reception at the time. Looking back now, it’s clear to see that it suffered because of Infinity Ward needing to live up to the high calibre established by the Modern Warfare sub-series,  and buckling under the weight of having to bridge the FPS gap between console generations.

For all of Ghosts’ marginally high highs and severely low lows, it’s always been a shame to me that one of the most original game modes it introduced swiftly fell very far to the wayside. I am of course talking about the criminally underrated and underappreciated alien invasion mode: Extinction. Not since the original Black Ops’ ‘One in the Chamber’ multiplayer set-up had we seen such innovation, and I think it’s high time that this extra-terrestrial romp makes a return to the franchise.

“[Extinction] kept you on your toes through the use of some inventive and unpredictable enemy AI.”

It sure came as a shock to the system to me back when this year’s admittedly excellent Infinite Warfare was announced back in May of this year, that despite the unabashedly intergalactic setting, Extinction was nowhere to be seen. Not only was the mode something different and a welcome change to the sometimes paint-by-numbers gameplay featured in Treyarch’s zombie modes, but it kept you on your toes through the use of some inventive and unpredictable enemy AI.

Especially when taking into account that there are online experiences across both PC and console platforms such as Killing Floor 2 which are consistently able to deliver a much deeper flesh-eating co-op experience (albeit a little less zanier). The longstanding Zombies mode featured in Call of Duty, whilst unexpected and novel at the time, is now wearing pretty thin in terms of innovation. It’s become a parody of itself, and it’s not surprising considering its now-annual release schedule.

While the many Left 4 Dead comparisons were always inevitable, as the third pillar of an already well-rounded triple-A package, few could complain about Extinction’s much more progressive approach (both literally and figuratively), which welcomed defence as opposed to simply mowing down glorified meat bags. During each match, you and others would often be required to perform tasks reminiscent of classic modes like Headquarters, tasking you to rally around a point in the map and holding enemies off as you do so.

Each session of Extinction begins with you and a squad of three others dropped into the hottest of hot zones, being required to trek your way across any one of five levels (providing you have the DLC) and drilling your way through alien hives as you do so. Sound good? It should! Like many, undead fatigue is quickly setting into my video game habits and I appreciated this original spin on a wave-based horde mode. Don’t let this simple premise fool you though; under the hood is a relatively steep learning curve with many refined systems to consider.

“a planned and acute sense of strategy was always a must if players actually wanted to see [Extinction’s end]”

In the same way that Ghosts and most Call of Duty titles before and after tout a robust and comprehensive PvP multiplayer experience, Extinction came complete with its own perk and class system that meant keeping alive members of your party all the more vital. When playing as either the Weapon Specialist, Tank, Engineer, or Medic, it was never a challenge to role play as your very own Bill Paxton in Aliens, always being one step away from watching the enemy Cryptids sling themselves from wall to wall as you exclaim, “It’s Game Over Man!”.

Despite being more linear than Zombies in the sense that each level has a beginning, middle and end, a planned and acute sense of strategy was always a must if players actually wanted to see it. Sure, you can spend your individual character’s money to fend off the alien hordes with a turret in the short term, but who could fail to grin in awe at the sight of an attack helicopter zooming in at the last minute to help decimate your otherworldly foe – only made possible if pooling your money together? In very few other game modes is Call of Duty able to deliver such immense levels of satisfaction.

So maybe it’s my own fault for subjecting myself to such torment at the loss of what could have been for Call of Duty’s short-lived Extinction mode, but how can you blame me when such a huge franchise shows just the slightest flicker of providing players with something new? Extinction was doomed before people were able to give properly sink their teeth into it, being an unfortunate casualty tied to an otherwise deeply flawed game that we’d love to see again, but perhaps never will.

Extinction acts as the sole reason my PS4 copy of Call of Duty Ghosts remains on my shelf and in my gaming library, being a great way of letting me live out my 1980’s power fantasy and all without the need of having David Hasselhoff DJ on the decks, so who’s the real winner here? We miss you Extinction!