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Video Games

'Call of Duty WWII' review: Back to the basics

By Matthew Curry , Fox News
Published | Updated
CallofDutyWWII2

(Activision)

One of the most successful video game franchises to date, “Call of Duty” has taken a step back from its recent futuristic offerings. This newest addition takes place in various locations during the WWII era, using the military technology of the time. “Call of Duty WWII” is a fast-paced first-person shooter that is published by Activision and is known for its competitive online multiplayer.

“Call of Duty” has always been one of the most popular shooters of all time, and also has a major eSports following.  The fans love the faster-paced gameplay along with the customization offered and “WWII” offers a few new features. Players can now choose classes, which can be leveled up to earn benefits such as silent walking or increased sprinting speed. Now this is a pretty cool feature, even though it may not take long to level up that class and obtain all four abilities.

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“WWII” also brings ‘basic training’ to the series, letting players further customize their soldiers with a specialist ability. Players for example, can choose from taking two primary weapons, a launcher to shoot down enemy aircraft, and the option to reload while sprinting.  I see this as both good and bad from the franchise. “Call of Duty” used to have ‘perks,’ which was 3 slots to put in whatever abilities the players wanted. In “WWII,” it seems like these abilities are more grouped together.  Players have four classes, or combat roles, to choose from, and then pick one basic training ability. So players only choose between two different options to make their playstyle different from others. On the other hand, there are plenty of basic training abilities to choose from. Each with a different style of play.

Score streak is a concept within the series that has always kept the game fast paced. When a player earns enough points, they can call upon various help on the battlefield. Paratroopers, artillery fire, and carpet bombing are a few of the options. These used to be called kill streaks, where players would actually have to kill a player to start unlocking the features. In “WWII,” it is based on the score in a single life. This is a much better system, highlighting supportive gameplay and taking down objectives.

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The story mode may have the least amount of interest from most players. Most fans go straight to the online portion of the game, since the story is completely optional. The real shock came from that the fact they added a health bar. Yeah, it may add more of a “realistic” option to the story, but this is completely different from what “Call of Duty” is known for. It isn’t a major fault since health packs are all over the place; it just felt more of a random addition to the series.

Verdict: 8/10