Latest ‘Call of Duty’ embraces its past

The ever-popular “Call of Duty” series has been in a downtrend the past few years after Activision’s hiatus from the boots-on-the-ground-centered games.

This year, they embrace their past for a greatly improved game built around a World War II theme. From the nod to past games with the Nazi zombies mode to adding all the recently popular modes to the World War II theme, “Call of Duty WWII” is a step in a new direction and brings back good nostalgia to old fans, but will the rest of the game stack up against itself?

In previous years dating all the way back to 2015, the games have sincerely relied on technology to be its main attraction. This year, it relies solely on gameplay and the World War II theme. From the low tech weapons to the non-glamourous leveling system, Activision may well be going back to its roots.

First, I will make one of my few gripes about the game. The maps this year are somewhat mediocre compared to the past. They’re always hit or miss, and this year there are a couple more misses than hits.

The reason I feel like they are underperforming this year is the variation. They all follow the same formula and most of them lack in terms of an interesting design where you can get lost in. The routes are easy and straightforward and don’t offer anything that pushes you to learn the layout and use it to your advantage. Most of the maps are flowy, and they lack a lot of in-game detail that you might expect to see in battle during the era, but of all the gripes, that is probably the smallest and something I am the least passionate about.

But there are some positives with the maps. For example, the firefights that happen during modes like hardpoint and domination are unexpected, and anything can happen, but most importantly, they can boost your KD/R if you know how to manipulate your opponents and teammates to sweep in for an easy multi-kill.

Building on top of that, the weapons in this year’s edition are a lot better than I thought they would be. The last Battlefield game released was centered around the first world war, and I feel like Activision took a page from EA’s book and made the weapons difficult to master but so perfect for the time. With the many choices you have, there is most likely one to fit your specific playstyle. A downside of all this, however, is the lack of variation that comes from it.

There is not really anything exciting that comes from the supply drops unlock, which in previous games was something to look forward to and dream about. I felt like this was one of the biggest disappointments in the game. The excitement that I always was used to when I received that supply drop is something that let me down and one is frequently pening the package to see it was nothing but useless garbage.

So one of the largest downsides is the variation that comes with the game. The unfortunate appendage isn’t anything that will make or break your experience with the game; however, it may determine the length of time before you get bored.

Now that the negatives are past us, let us gloss over the positives over the game. First off, the game is just fun to play. Instead of all this technology you have to worry about when fighting, all you have to master is simple as the game itself. The lack of boosters and exos that plagued games in the past is gone. Now you just run forward, shoot, die and repeat. It’s a cycle that can sometimes get repetitive, but with the subtlety of the four new classes, it makes it harder to get bored with the game.

The classes range from difficulty. They include a sniper’s class, incendiary shotgun class, an LMG class and last but certainly not least, a regular assault class.

Each carries subtle abilities that can have a bigger effect on the game depending on how you use them. For example, if you use the use the Airborne classes ability to just sit in corners and pick off enemies one by one from across the map, you might not get far. Instead, I suggest using the movement perks to sprint around the map surprising enemies with suppressed fire.

The modes and maps both play to the strengths of the classes well. The new modes mixed in with old game modes that have become signature to the series are a welcoming committee to provide for lasting amounts of attention-grabbing. When a particular mode like war or hardpoint gets stale, I might switch over to the gridiron, a mode that twists in wartime with football. It has been in the series before, but I feel as if it is most utilized in this mode.

Modes do get stale, along with the maps from time to time. Just like any game, however, I feel as if the nostalgia and limited amount of features may prove to be its own worst enemy.

The game no doubt is fun. It’s the best in the series compared to the last few years, and I feel like it will no doubt be the best shooter of the year.

The level of enjoyment someone gets out of this depends solely on their preference as a gamer. If you have a longer attention span and have the ability to play repeatedly, I would 100 percent suggest getting this game. For the type of people like me who have a hard time playing for longer durations of time, I might heavily debate whether or not it is worth it to spend the money and effort on the game.

Nonetheless, this is a great shooter, and I can not express that enough. It is a fun time with intrigue around every corner. “Call Of Duty WW2” is one of the great games in the series and could be a game changer in the series.