It’s not a full-on revolution, but Call of Duty: WWII wins a few key battles.
This is especially true of entertainment.
The newest generation ofCoDfans probably havent played 2002s revolutionaryMedal of Honor: Allied Assault.
Theyve probably never enjoyed the 2003 cinematic masterpieceCall of Duty.
Call of Duty: WWIIis a World War II game for this new generation.
While other allied forces make appearances throughout, most of the games stars are American.
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Here, we encounter the first potential disappointment old-schoolCoDfans will need to overcome.
Unlike the first fewCoDgames,WWIIdoesnt divide its main story into campaigns starring allied troops from different countries.
Thoughts of nationalism aside, this does deprive the games story mode of some charm and character variety.
and includes quite a few character cliches.
That, however, may be a slightly cynical point of view.
As familiar as these story beats are, they are presented in an earnest way that implies genuine intentions.
Youre forgiven, though, if you dont start tapping your feet to the rhythm they make.
The very good news is that the actual missions that further the games story along are actually well done.
WWIIs fantastic level design is bolstered by small improvements, such as the removal of a regenerating health system.
Instead, the game requires you to utilize health packs or have the squads medic tend to you.
Its great to not feel like youre an invincible soldier winning the war single-handedly.
Ah, to be young.
Similar narrative issues impact the games new Nazi Zombies mode.
As has been the case with the last fewCoDhorde modes, Nazi Zombies tries to incorporate story elements.
Fighting off waves of zombies with help from arcade power-ups is almost always an entertaining experience.
Thats especially true if you could get some friends in on the action.
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The most notable of these changes is the ability to pick your character and their corresponding class.
This injects a pleasant amount of variety into the mode and bolsters the replay value slightly.
Its also pleasant to see that Sledgehammer emphasized the horde modes horror elements once more.
Ultimately, though, youre going to tire of fending off waves of zombies.
It might take some time, but youll get there.
Thats when youll turn to the games competitive multiplayer modes.
This is not aCall of Dutymultiplayer experience on par with the competitive modes offered in the originalCall of Dutygames.
Instead, it is one very much inspired by the evolution of the games multiplayer sinceModern Warfare.
That means perks, run-and-gun gameplay, killstreak bonuses, and a voice chat channel best left closed.
None of that is to say that the games multiplayer is bad.
RecentCall of Dutymultiplayer modes offer a brand of combat that isnt necessarily en vogue elsewhere.
Snipers will still pull off Oh, cmon!
shots and the games small maps still ensure lots of respawns.
To the studios credit, Sledgehammer took a few risks when attempting to update the multiplayer action.
The most notable of these changes, the Headquarters social space, figures to become a franchise staple.
Basically, Headquarters serves as a multiplayer hub.
It allows you to upgrade your character and interact with other players.
Their contents, meanwhile, are merely cosmetic.
Otherwise, Headquarters is a fun idea that often helps liven up the average round of multiplayer gameplay.
Its not a game changer on its own, but it showcases a lot of promise.
A similar argument can be made forWWIIs new War mode.
War allows Axis and Allied teams to compete over a series of objectives.
That makes it quite tempting to overlook the modes wrinkles, but they do still exist.
War is about teamwork.
Fortunately, that problem is alleviated greatly when playing with friends.
I did encounter quite a few server issues and poor connections during my time with the multiplayer.
Unfortunately, there is currently no solution in place for the games server problems.
Weve reached that point when youre probably just wondering, So, is the game worth playing or not?
Zombies is entertaining in the way that Zombies has always been.
This is not aCall of Dutygame for the greatest generation ofCall of Dutyplayers.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5
