CHAMPAGNE CAMPAIGN
It has been a time honored tradition of mine to play Call Of Duty campaigns before jumping into the multiplayer. They’re usually short but sweet affairs; packed with set pieces, melodrama, and explosions. And you know how I feel about explosions! (I LOVE explosions)! Call Of Duty: WW2 expands upon the legacy of the first Call of Duty game in that it brings players back to the bloody, brutal theaters of World War 2. So grab a M1 Garand Pixel Warriors, let’s slide into another game review!
GUN GAME
The Call Of Duty franchise has some of the smoothest, intuitive controls of any game series on the market. The developers at Sledgehammer Games continue the trend of prioritizing responsive gameplay and controls over having the absolute best graphics. WW2 is no slouch when it comes to the visuals either.
Even in multiplayer(where graphical quality is reduced for peak responsiveness) it’s quite a looker.
The commitment to throwbacks might not appeal to some, but it was a much needed shake up. Say bye bye to regen health scrubs! That’s not to say there aren’t further improvements to be made here. The campaign is still painfully linear, it’s too reliant on set pieces, and cutscenes still can’t be skipped fast enough(or sometimes, not at all).
FROM IWO JIMA TO HIDEO KOJIMA
There’s not much to discuss about the story. Except that it’s overwrought, predictable, and just boring. I feel as if the plot tried to espouse the brevity and horrors of war, but the gameplay and level design don’t reflect that. More than halfway through the game, you are told that ammo and supplies are low(a common problem many soldiers have faced). This is told to us, the players, via an unskippable(!) cutscene. Yet, ammo is nearly never a concern. Not only did it break my immersion, but it kind of annoyed me. I half expected to have to prioritize headshots or perhaps be sneaky. No such luck. It could have raised the stakes for the game. Massive disappointment.
I will give credit where it’s due though. All the respective actors and actresses performed well. Josh Duhamel was an especially nice touch.
PARTY UP
Call Of Duty WW2 is chock full of multiplayer modes. You have the fan favorite wave-based Zombies, and online competitive modes. The newest addition, War, is a fun change of pace. 12 players are pit against each other, tasked with destroying or defending a set of three objectives. These differ depending on the map chosen, but the scenario is mostly the same. I actually prefer to play this mode with less players. It keeps the grenade spam at bay and makes each kill feel a bit more meaningful.
I do have my gripes though. The spawn system is still completely broken. It’s asinine that I can spawn with an enemy player in front of or behind me. I certainly benefit from this(heh) , but I would enjoy better spawns. Secondly, the weapon balance is not quite gelling for me. Some of my favorites make a return, but there are several weapon that are useless(looking at you STG).
Look, if you’ve been a fan of Call Of Duty for a while, WW2 doesn’t move the needle much. You’ve got a very fun game here. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Genre: First-person Shooter
Available Now
Played on PS4
Price : Variable
Purveyors Of Pixels 