And that’s fine in theory, but the zaniness helped mask some of the repetition. WWII ditches the zany tone of last year’s “Zombies in Spaceland” for a more classic Nazi Zombies feel, darker and more ominous. It’s dumb but it’s my kind of dumb, I guess-at least until Battlefield makes a World War II game again.Īs for the now almost decade-old Zombies mode, it’s probably the weakest part of 2017’s offering, which is surprising since it was the part of Infinite Warfare I enjoyed most. You can even unlock reflex sights and other modern warfare gizmos for your circa-1944 weaponry. It’s like a pseudo-MMO with fellow players running around emoting at each other, marking challenges to complete in their next match, and-yes-popping open loot boxes in full view of everyone else.īut aside from Headquarters, the logistics of which made WWII’s servers a bit of a nightmare over the weekend, this is pretty much stock Call of Duty multiplayer. “ Three commons? Oh you got screwed, man.” See, WWII has a Destiny-like hub called “Headquarters,” styled after a Normandy Beach base of operations. One of the most surreal moments I’ve had in 2017 was popping open loot boxes while some random dude commented over my shoulder on the items contained therein. There are aspects I definitely don’t like. That aforementioned M1 ping is a classic, but the clunky mechanical feel of the period is overall a big draw. It’s what drew me to Battlefield 1 last year (where the weapons were even more primitive), and it’s what’s kept me playing WWII so far. Sledgehammer’s been fond of yelling “Boots on the ground!” in its marketing pitches and while I hate to regurgitate marketing points, I can’t deny I’m having more fun with my two feet planted pretty firmly on Europe’s war-pocked soil.Īnd I just prefer WWII era weaponry. Call of Duty: WWII ditches all the wall-running/jump-boosting/future-parkour stuff from the last few entries. But I found myself playing and actually enjoying WWII over the weekend in a way I haven’t since maybe… Black Ops? I don’t typically spend much time talking about Call of Duty’s multiplayer, in part because the last few iterations just haven’t appealed to me much at all. Multiplayer feels just as retro, at least by 2017 standards. In terms easier to grasp, that means it’s the first time Call of Duty has used medkits for health since before the release of the Xbox 360. Hell, Sledgehammer’s even taken this throwback one step further, eschewing rechargeable health in favor of medkits-the first time since Call of Duty 2. Side note: WWII also features Call of Duty’s best behind-enemy-lines stealth mission since Chernobyl. Hearing the ping of an emptied M1 Garand, seeing that familiar gray-green color grading, hearing the rumble of Panzers coming over a hill-I missed it. As I said, it’s content to be a sort-of “World War II Video Game Greatest Hits Collection.”Īnd for those of us who were there, the nostalgia is still real. It doesn’t even feel like it’s trying to say something more interesting. Pierson is the absolute worst when it comes to hoary old “soldiering life” cliches.Ĭall of Duty: WWII has nothing to add to our understanding of World War II, nothing to say that hasn’t been said by dozens of its predecessors. Your friend Zussman ends up being the most fleshed-out character, and that depth literally goes as deep as “He’s part-Jewish and fighting Nazis.” IDG / Hayden Dingman ![]() He wants to head home to her but- spoilers! -decides duty comes first! Sergeant Pierson has a dark past involving Tough Command Decisions. ![]() Davis and his pals breeze through Normandy on the backs of the most generic platitudes. So if you played games between 19ish, this’ll feel very familiar. We’ve seen it in Allied Assault, in multiple Call of Duty games, in Gearbox’s underrated Brothers in Arms series, and so on. Dredging up the ol’ D-Day to VE-Day storyline once again, from June of 1944 through to April of 1945, it’s the same Band of Brothers/ Saving Private Ryan story video games love to focus on. ![]() And if Call of Duty: WWII is the start of a World War II renaissance, it’s about the safest bet you could make.
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