The latest installment of the Call Of Duty franchise, CoD: WWII is Sledgehammer’s journey back toward its roots. Frankly speaking, I believe Modern Warfare was stretching it a little bit too far with all the modern weaponry and unrealistic situations, but now with WWII, battles like on the infamous Normandy Beach have been revived with its raw action. The game has not been reinvented so to speak, it still follows its conventional pattern and setup, however, it feels a lot more exciting.
What makes it more appealing to me is Sledgehammer’s impetus to keep it simple and prove to be reminiscent of the earliest games in the franchise. In no way have the producers tried to create a realistic depiction of the World War 2, it is still an adaptation of a Hollywood imagined WWII. Even so, you are given a taste of fast-paced, gruesome combat worthy of testing the skills of even the most proficient FPS players and providing thrilling entertainment. Let’s first talk about the gameplay.
Gameplay
The battles and skirmishes are epic, missions are more challenging and the action is unparalleled. Health recharge is a more realistic matter in WWII, as there are limited health-packs with you when you enter combat, and more can be collected once you make your way on the battlefield. Using the packs for healing takes a few moments, which means extra care has to be taken to survive longer in the game. In my encounter, tactically maneuvering the battlefield and taking extra care to avoid getting shot proved fruitful. When the action simmers down, finding a safe spot to heal is essential, however, you have to judge whether it is the right moment to use up your resource or if you can battle the odds for a little longer. Finishing your health-packs at the wrong juncture can prove to be fatal.
Playing the game, I never felt for a second that I was an invincible super-human, rather I felt I am a regular human being in the midst of a battle with the highest probability of getting killed on the next corner. I had to be extra cautious and alert in preparation for the nearest danger that would befall me, and this feeling is somewhat exclusive to this version making it more thrilling than its predecessors. The automated bots in the game are not really shrewd but they are programmed in a way that you still get a few surprises at random, keeping your bloodstream filled with adrenaline.
The weapons arsenal is pretty impressive. There is a wide selection of grenades, special guns like sniper rifles, silenced pistols, flamethrowers, and powers to keep you satiated. However, you should have good command over most of the weapons because in the heat of battle you will not always find your preferred firearm and thus you might need to improvise.
You are part of a team, where one possesses the health-packs, the other has ammo, some has grenades, and a few can help you in calling an airstrike. In essence, the game is based on team-work, as you restock your resources for an effective offense. If you decide to go alone or lose your team-mates, survival may become your hardest aim to achieve.
WWII is certainly astounding with its different game styles. You can go on a killing spree in an all-out war and at times you have to complete missions that require a high level of finesse. The spy missions with their flavor of suspense provide a brief respite from the action-packed butchery for some time, but then moving further, objective based skill testing missions return.
Game Modes
The multiplayer option is not best highlighted in the Deathmatch and Domination modes of the game. There is more focus on fast-paced instant killings, which means the maps provide friendly wide-open space to campers (at times, too little) to force mass killing. I was particularly drawn toward these modes as the Kill Confirmed pop-up provided perfect assurance to go and collect dog-tags for obtaining points that let you climb up the rankings. However, this could prove to be detrimental for unskilled players, like me, as the more skilled players will find it easier to reach the top.
War mode in CoD: WWII is what really brings out the beauty of multiplayer functionality. It is a redesigned version of the Classic mode from Call of Duty 3, where players have to complete objectives or block others from finishing them.
I felt a rush of excitement playing this mode. There is this element of responsibility that is embedded inside you, as you try to save a safehouse from enemy attacks or if you are tasked with raiding one. A rush of jubilation overcomes you when you are able to overturn the situation in your favor and ward off the enemy for good.
The Nazi Zombie mode is something most of you would enjoy but I particularly did not fancy. However, with this WWII version, things have taken a turn. This time the Zombie mode is packing a punch with great zombie monsters and maps depicting a maze with intense shooting and agitation. Plus, there are celebrity appearances by Udo Kier, Katheryn Winnick, David Tennant, and Ving Rhames.
Graphics
I really liked the radiant graphics of Call of Duty: WWII. This version has a clear edge over other CoD games. The battlefields, which have been portrayed in previous World War based editions, look so much more real and defined. Muddy trenches, damp forests, razed buildings, and the beaches of Normandy look so much more convincing.
The visual effects and environments have been upgraded to an extent that makes this CoD installment the best ever. This does not mainly refer to the realistic graphics but to the approach of developers in providing a cinematic experience. The arena is filled with beautiful lighting, fog, smoke and rain producing an awesome life-like perplexing image.
Conclusion
Call of Duty WWII did not get much criticism since it has more fine segments than any other game in the franchise. Both the campaign mode and the multiplayer mode are worth playing. It looks as if finally with WWII and Modern Warfare, the developers are moving in the right direction and thinking about making games that would appeal more to the audience.
