Call of Duty: WWII Review

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Owen Vodopivec, Editor-In-Chief

Call of Duty returns to its roots with the release of Call of Duty: WWll. At this time last year publisher Activision released Infinite Warfare, which was received well critically, but was not received well by longtime fans of the series. Fans were beginning to become restless with the futuristic settings year after year, and Activision sensed it. After almost ten years since the launch of Call of Duty: World at War fans got their wish of a return to boots on the ground combat.

The campaign is about six to eight hours long, which is normal for a Call of Duty campaign. The story follows Pvt. Ronald “Red” Daniels and the 1st Infantry Division on their journey from landing on the beaches of Normandy in 1944 on D-Day to the Allies penetrating deep into the Rhineland during the dying days of the war in 1945. The writers clearly used films and TV Series such as Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and Fury as source material, but the campaign fails to create great moments like those films and series had. The characters are mostly forgettable, and the missions/story have been retreaded so many times in other WWll games. The developers also managed to fit in the signature Call of Duty setpieces as well. They’re great and cool to look at as a derailed armored Nazi train crushes every structure in sight, but you tend to ask yourself, why? The setpieces seemed a bit much at some points, especially in a World War ll setting. There are some great moments and missions though. Liberating Paris from the Third Reich is a great moment, but the real standout mission was The Battle of the Bulge. The mission was able to encapsulate what the soldiers felt like in the snow ridden forests of Bastogne. It was a bit of a disappointment, compared to others, since it was one of the shortest missions in the game. The campaign was a bit below Call of Duty’s standards, but that’s not even the meat and potatoes of the game.

The multiplayer mode is a return to form for this year’s Call of Duty, and it is stellar. As someone who could never get into Call of Duty’s multiplayer, this is one of my favorite multiplayers in a game in recent memory. It’s fast paced, fun, and the matches are get in and get out. Sledgehammer, the developers of the game, have also made a few additions to the multiplayer to keep things interesting. They’ve added Headquarters, which is a hub for players to interact with each other, upgrade their weapons, and a plethora of other things to do and see. They’ve also added orders, which are daily and weekly challenges to be completed in multiplayer matches. When completed they offer rewards like XP boosts, in-game items, and supply drops, AKA loot crates. Loot crates have made their way back into Call of Duty’s multiplayer, which is becoming a norm now in most online multiplayer games. Supply Drops as Call of Duty calls them, are awarded to players by completing their orders, or players are randomly selected after matches to receive them. But if you really need a new weapon, camo or banner to show off your gamertag than you can buy them using real world money. This is completely optional. I find myself getting a steady flow of Supply Drops without purchasing them at all, so this shouldn’t be a huge issue among most players. Sledgehammer and Activision hit a homerun with Call of Duty’s multiplayer this year, so I’m very excited to go back for more.

Call of Duty: WWll is a great game, but the somewhat generic campaign holds it back from being in the top tier of Call of Duty games. The campaign just barely misses its mark of recreating great WWll moments, but the multiplayer well makes up for the campaign’s shortcomings and has made this a real enjoyable game and experience. Call of Duty: WWll earns an 8/10. Call of Duty: WWll is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC and is priced at $59.99 at retail and digital.