For the last few years, Call of Duty fans have been incredibly vocal about wanting the series to go back to its roots. And as each year passed by it seemed the series was doing the complete opposite, heading into the future. Fortunately today all of that has changed. Call of Duty WWII has officially been announced and boy oh boy does it look great.
Personally, I’ve been a fan of Call of Duty from COD2 and bought all subsequent entries in the series, up until recent years. The series had hit a downward spiral with its cookie-cutter yearly releases that lacked the wow-factor of the older titles. Whilst the series peaked with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare the older World War titles have always held a soft spot in my heart, and the hearts of other Call of Duty fans. So, as expected, the latest COD game has shifted back to its golden era, and not by half. You want news on the latest Call of Duty? You’ll damn well get it.
Call of Duty WWII – Story Campaign
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Q_XYVescc[/youtube]
It’s clear from the trailer that this game means business. As you’d expect, visually it’s incredible but quite pleasingly there is a tone of seriousness here. Games focused on real wars are always a bit of a touchy subject. Surrounding their release questions are asked as to whether the portrayal of these horrific, yet significant, historical events should be used as a means of entertainment? Short answer, if done correctly, yes. With that in mind, it’s reassuring to see that Sledgehammer Games are going to create an experience that honours World War II, rather than piggybacking off it to get brownie points with Call of Duty fans.
No fear though, this doesn’t look like its going to detract from what we’ve come to love from a Call of Duty campaign. The trailer is still rife with incredibly cinematic experiences, slick looking acted & mocap work and, as I said earlier, it looks absolutely stunning. And whilst the trailer reeks of the older Call of Duty, and in fact Medal of Honor, games it does look to modernise the genre rather than sticking too closely to its yesteryear self.
The Story
The campaign will focus on Ronal “Red” Daniels of US 1st Infantry Division, travelling across the European battlegrounds. On your journey you’ll ally with forces from the UK and French Resistance, storm the beaches of Normandy, to the liberation of Paris, ultimately ending your path at the Fatherland itself, Germany.
Call of Duty trailers have always succeeded in getting me incredibly hyped for the game but this one feels different. Whilst I am incredibly excited it doesn’t feel empty this time round. The mindless balls-out action has been substituted for what looks to be a more real experience and I’m loving this standpoint. It genuinely feels like this could be the next COD game to take the crown from Modern Warfare. But, maybe that’s hype talking.
The reveal wasn’t just focused on the story campaign though, oh no. Activision has gone all out, announcing some pretty exciting information regarding the multiplayer, albeit keeping the meatier details under wraps.
COD WWII – Multiplayer
Arguably the most popular part of a Call of Duty game is it’s multiplayer. I personally prefer the singleplayer, which may or may not be akin to my skill, or lack thereof, but multiplayer is ultimately what people buy the games for. In Call of Duty WWII however, things are changing, kind of.
The normal arena-style gameplay, of course, makes a return, pitting you against a bunch of guys and gals that want to shoot you up. There weren’t any specifics when it came to this but we can assume that classic game modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Headquarters (or whatever it’s called nowadays) will be part of the mix. Also mentioned is a new way of kitting out your soldier and this comes in the form of divisions. Divisions appear to be pretty similar to classes, and presumably, allow you to customise your online character in various ways. Again, quite limited on information here but something to keep your ears open for at E3.
New game modes
Where things get shaken up, though, are in the Headquarters and War Mode. War Mode looks to be focused on iconic battles that took place during World War II. Teams will be split across allied and axis factions, each of which has a different set of objectives. The game mode is said to be heavily team-driven, which can either be a blessing or a curse when it comes to the usual audience you meet on Call of Duty online.
The biggest surprise, however, is the introduction of Headquarters – a social hub which allows players to interact with one another outside of the battle, think Destiny’s tower. Whether this will be more of a chat-room style affair, whereby you can show off the medals you’ve earned in battles for example, or a means to start co-op missions, I’m not sure, but there is going to be more revealed at E3 this year.
Talking of which, Call of Duty WWII also brings an entirely new and original co-operative store mode, which is fine by me. And of course, Nazi zombie mode will be making a return. Not much has been said about this but it is supposedly more story-based but, again, more will be announced at E3.
So there we have it, Call of Duty WWII is real and it’s shaping up to be an incredible entry in the series.
There’s also rumours of boots being on the ground but we’ve not had official confirmation on that yet.
