In Call of Duty: WWII, Allies do battle against zombies

Call of Duty: WWII opens with you landing on the beaches of Normandy, battling through occupied France and eventually bringing the fight into the heart of Germany.

While the experiences you face are huge World War II battles captured with appropriate grandiose backdrops, the only chapter that truly stands out is one where you don’t fire your weapon at all — an infiltration mission that takes you deep into the heart of Gestapo headquarters. The characters in your squad are forgettable, a throwaway cast that seems like a slipshod assemblage of “Saving Private Ryan,” “Band of Brothers,” and “Platoon.” The people you meet from British and French factions are far more interesting, and steal the show when they are around.

The campaign captures Call of Duty’s signature explosive feel through various adrenaline-fueled moments like chases and a tank-vs.-tank segment. However, the standard gunplay and endless killing fields often feel like a slog, taking down hundreds of enemies and moving to the next defensive position. Counting on your squad for ammo, enemy positions, health packs, grenades and strikes offers some novelty near the beginning of the game, but once you settle in, these elements display no important differentiation from classic hide-until-your-health-returns gameplay.

Traditional multiplayer is the shining star of the three modes. The new objective-oriented War mode includes all kinds of various activities such as moving a tank, building a bridge, and capturing point after point, so traditional gunning for a big kill-death-assist ratio is a thing of the past.

Nazi Zombies is the scariest iteration of the mode that has graced a Call of Duty title, boasting some jump scares and an absolutely occult vision of the Final Reich.

While the campaign fails to provide a compelling tale and is often bogged down in uninteresting large-scale slaughter, Call of Duty: WWII nails its multiplayer, new social hub, and zombie modes to provide the back to boots-on-the-ground experience fans have clamored for since the first foray into space.

— Game Informer Magazine (TNS)