Call of Duty WWII Review

It’s that time of year again! No, not quite the Holidays, not quite New Year’s, it’s Call of Duty season. Your yearly reminder that Activision still would like you to buy their games and buy their loot boxes and this time open them in front of strangers on the Internet! Sarcasm aside, Call of Duty WWII is a solid overall game and one of the best in recent years. This year’s game was developed by Sledgehammer Games, who were behind Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, another above average game in the long line of Call of Duty video games. Call of Duty WWII, as the name implies, ditches all the jetpacks in favor of a return to “real” weapons and timelines.

With the main draw of Call of Duty largely being the multiplayer (and Zombies) component, you never quite know what you’ll get when starting up the campaign. Explosions, yes, set-piece moments, sure, but good? That’s always the tough question. In Call of Duty WWII, you actually get a very solid, narrative-driven campaign that steals tones from TV series’ like Band of Brothers. The campaign touches on events that Call of Duty has shown before (D-Day), but does so in a much more narrow focus surrounding your character and his platoon. This ends up making the game feel a bit more personal than in the past, even if it largely washes over some of the major atrocities in the overall war.

The Call of Duty WWII missions are mostly fun, the set pieces bombastic, and the plot is decent enough to carry you from point to point as you deal with some internal platoon drama. The multiplayer, however, is Call of Duty’s bread and butter. In Call of Duty WWII, it feels a bit odd going back to a time when you couldn’t wall run, but it’s a nice change of pace. The multiplayer is mostly solid, aside from issues I’ve had with Call of Duty for years now. Maps are too small, and offer too many flanking opportunities, leading to poor spawns and no map control options. This is my main gripe. Aside from that, though, the multiplayer feels refreshed. No longer do you have players flying all over the map using 40 killstreaks and perks and special powers.

In Call of Duty WWII you are back to basic killstreaks, a few set perks you decide on, and a much more paired down move-set that fits a normal human (given it’s a World War 2 game). If you really like the last few games with the wall running and mobility, I’d suggest moving on to Titanfall 2. If you were hoping to see a throwback to games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Call of Duty World at War, etc then this game may be much more your style, even if the items added since those games tend to be steps backward (map design, an overabundance of perks, etc.). Zombies? Well, it’s still zombies. Not really much to say there. The only other notable thing about Call of Duty WWII is the new lobby system. The easiest way to explain it is Destiny’s Tower, in Call of Duty. You initially load into a lobby with other players where you can run around a base camp and chat with NPCs and vendors, get daily quests, and even play short 1v1 matches with other players. I actually think this is the best addition to Call of Duty that this year’s entry offers, even if it is shamelessly ripped right out of the other Activision shooter franchise.

Call of Duty WWII Review Final Thoughts:

Overall, Call of Duty WWII is a solid throwback to the older games in the series, yet with added frustrations due to newer concepts added later in the series’ run. If you once loved the feel of the old-timey weapons and the look and feel of WWII era then you should feel most at home, but if you were one of the people glad that shooters moved on from past wars, you’re likely not going to be into this year’s release. This Call of Duty may be one that you want to rent first and try out before committing to a $60 purchase. It’s a very solid game, with a pretty entertaining campaign and fun multiplayer, but it’s also got a lot of the issues that have plagued newer Call of Duty games, so your mileage may vary.