Best release of the series, blows everything else out of the water. The focus on aesthetics while keeping motion and mechanics fluid are unmatched. The aquatic intelligence API is something never before seen, beyond anything we'll likely see put to as good use as it is in Ghosts. The single-player isn't as good as I'd hoped, and I was expecting a lot more focus on the previous games in the series to back up the newer story-line. If you're willing to look past certain cringe-worthy dialogue, then you'll likely have no problem with the single-player experience.
The multiplayer is a whole new experience; with the new incendiary weapons there's certainly something to keep veterans and newbies entertained. But these new additions aren't without their flaws: as with every game that introduces new weaponry, the balance between ease of use and realistic damage is still to be tweaked, but with much help from the community the current imbalance is likely to be fixed in no time.
Source: I've never played it or seen any footage.