Na, it's miles better than ghost. And while lag can be a problem it's no where near as bad as ghost. The guns do need some balance, as the 4 shot burst AR is the most op gun in the game. So thats what i use. I also find that if you don't run a round like a mad man and alway expect that person you just killed spawn behind you you'll do much better. I've finally climb by KD out of a pit. Forget the exo abilities as they are all shame, aside from the bot you shoot out that hunts down enemies around you. I duble down of perks. Which seems to help out a lot too. And simtex is just too much fun, I've got some outrageous sticks. I need to record my game more often.
lag is worse on this game than ghosts by a fair margin, but that can vary greatly based upon lobby and time of day. I have found more frequently bad laggy games on AW so far though. Ghosts I didn't really have a big problem with lag at all, but I have come to expect the lag effect on COD so at this point it doesn't really bring down my opinion of it as it comes with the territory and should get better over time.
Overall the gameplay feels just the same to me as any other COD with no real improvements.
Co-op is actually pretty bad itself 4/10
if you are on the fence for getting the game, decide whether or not you want another repeat with no real improvements. If your fine with the status quo of COD monotony then this won't disappoint. However, there are much better games out right now and coming so if you're deciding between COD and anything else get anything else.