Call of Duty: WWII Beta First Impressions
In April, Activision announced that Call of Duty would be returning their WWII roots. I wrote a brief piece
on the announcement and outlined my hopes and fears that I have for their new
game. After spending some time in the beta, I have found that some of them have
come true.
In my first multiplayer match, it quickly became obvious
that Sledgehammer Games had
brought back the classic Call of Duty
experience. No gimmicky jet boosting or wall running in this game, just good old-fashioned
boots on the ground shooting. This was the most important change I wanted and I
am happy they delivered. Since boosting and wall running was introduced in the
games, getting kills and being killed became increasingly more annoying. I had
to continuously be alert to my surroundings from all sides, leaving little time
to look at my map or figure out how to connect with my teammates. Sure, it was
fast paced but I never felt that I had time to plan movements or work together with
my team. It was just a big free for all no matter the game type. Returning to
strictly a running only approach allows for a more stable feel to the game.
The boosting and wall running also changed how maps were
constructed. Developers dedicated more time to creating maps that catered to
players running on walls and rooftops. This change sacrificed the development
of natural chokepoints where all hell can break loose during a game of team
deathmatch. Imagine Call of Duty 4’s
legendary map Crash being used in Infinite Warfare. It would ruin all the
fun that people have throwing grenades, camping and shooting at the helicopter and
other places on the map. Players could just hover around, fly to rooftops and
attack from where no one is looking. It would turn fun controlled firefights into
utter chaos. Fortunately, it seems that Sledgehammer has ensured WWII returned to the old ways by
creating their own choke points while leaving enough alone for players to feel
more in control.
Unfortunately, not every aspect of the beta experience has
been a positive one. There are serious gun balancing problems. Shotguns and
snipers are usually overpowered to begin with but they are beyond super powered
in the beta. I was getting blasted by shotguns from so far away that I had no
time to react. I was also getting no scoped by snipers more than I ever have in
COD. Watching the kill cams after I
died only left me with more questions. They were no scoping so quickly I cannot
even imagine they had enough time to aim properly but I still ended up dead. Betas
are meant to fix the kinks and bugs before the final product is released so I
am pretty confident the above issues will be addressed.
One of the strangest additions to the game is Divisions. It
is Sledgehammers attempt to add something new to create-a-class and multiplayer
in general. Players choose a division, either infantry, airborne, armored or
mountain. The idea is that each of them have their own unique perks that cater
to the individual’s playstyle. For example, mountain division favors snipers
and provides perks that support that role, including being hidden from score
streaks and killing without your victims being able to see you on kill cam. You
still get to choose other perks but the division you choose provides their own
perks just from being in it. So, if you want the perk that makes you invisible
to the Recon Plane, the mountain division already has it, freeing you up space
to use a perk you may not have picked if the division choice didn’t cover it.
Personally, I find this system to be pointless. They could
have just given the player 3 slots for perks instead of 2, making the division
concept relatively pointless. I am not sure what the purpose of the division is
other than to provide unique perks and looks for your character. They could
have just expanded create-a-class and they would have ended up with the same
result, while simultaneously maintaining the familiarity of classic COD that players are craving.
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