Call of Duty WWII abandons the modern/futuristic setting in favour of ‘boots on the ground’ gameplay. In a trend probably started by Titanfall at the beginning of the generation, we saw multiple shooters focusing on jetpacks and rapid movement. Hovering, wall running and double jumps dominated the entire first half of this generation. With WWII, Call of Duty is going back to its roots and the result is an experience that feels familiar yet fresh in the current state of the market. The campaign starts on D-Day and is filled with the same tense battles you would expect from that era. In a massive departure for modern shooters, your health does not regenerate automatically. Instead, you must find medpacks scattered all around that fill a certain portion of your HP. But you can also ask for support from your allies. A metre gets filled as you kill more enemies, which allows you to request your teammates for medpacks, ammo, mortar strikes, and spotting enemies.
While the campaign wasn’t as good as last year’s Infinite Warfare, the change of setting helps set it apart from the games we have been getting for the past few years. It does a good job showcasing the brutalities of the war without being overly cheesy. The lack of modern weapons does not have any negating effect on its action packed nature. In multiplayer, you must first select a division that gives you access to unique bonuses. For example, the Infantry division lets you equip more attachments to your gun while the Airborne division comes with a suppresser. The same is true for all the other classes that give you advantages based on your playing style. The several tiers of perks are gone, and are replaced by a singular perk. Similar changes can be seen in Nazi Zombies which also features a class system with unique abilities and perks. The game now has a Destiny-esque hub where you can open loot boxes, pick your daily challenges, practice scorestreaks, take on contracts or even fight 1v1 against a friend.
While you can play the same selection of game types like TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed and so on; War introduces a rush style game mode which requires you to complete a series of objectives. As an example, you can be assigned to plant two bombs which will go to your team, guiding a tank to the next part of the map. Teams will take turns attacking and defending while players can also build items that help in completing their mission. The nature of the game makes every battle a tense affair and gives you plenty of opportunities to save the match after a poor opening.
As of now, joining parties is a hassle and may not work until you have restarted the game. You will also run into problems finding matches even though the game says there are dozens available. On top of that, there is a chance you will get kicked from the party after a match and your stats would not have counted. I have encountered each and every one of these problems multiple times since launch. This is an addition to the possibility of encountering black screens when joining a friend; it can take a frustratingly long time to get into a game.
Despite the consistent server issues, Call of Duty WWII is a well-designed game that delivers on all fronts. The campaign is solid, Nazi Zombies is as entertaining as ever and multiplayer adds an engaging new game mode while proving that old does not necessarily mean worse. It is probably the best all-around Call of Duty game we have seen this generation, with no component being mediocre or average.
Verdict: 8/10
