The Call of Duty: WWII Reveal Was Interesting, but Are Sledgehammer Games on the Right Direction?
Call of Duty: WWII was the talk of the gaming world this week, as they finally pulled the curtain back on Sledgehammer Games’ upcoming first-person shooter. As expected, the shooter takes the series back to its World War II roots. This should make some long-time fans happy, as it has been almost a decade since the popular shooter series was set during this period.
There was a lot of information to digest from the hour-long stream. Both of Sledgehammer Games’ co-founders, several actors from the campaign, and Activision’s CEO all took the stage to talk about the heavily anticipated title. Many features were revealed, including that Nazi Zombies are back, and they did a solid job letting players know what to expect from this year’s Call of Duty.
Check out our 10 big takeaways from the Call of Duty: WWII reveal below, and make sure to chime in with your own thoughts in the comments!
1. Mixed Presentation
Anyone who watched the reveal had to hear about Call of Duty: WWII’s “visceral” gameplay, and that the “boots are back on the ground.” It’s not uncommon for a publisher to cram marketing buzzwords down the viewer’s throat, but this was bad even for Activision. While these phrases were obnoxious, the charisma of Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield really shined during the stream. His passion for the project seemed completely genuine, which was the exact opposite feeling I got from YouTuber MrDalekJD, and it was great to see that they were treating World War II with the respect it deserves.
2. “The Intense Bonds of Brotherhood”
Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg described the story as being about “the intense bonds of brotherhood.” This isn’t exactly a new take on war, but it’s one that absolutely stands true. A soldier’s squad is more than just their co-workers, as they become a family during their struggles. If this change in attitude ends up humanizing the war, then it’ll go a long way in terms of shedding the “bro” attitude that is normally attached to Call of Duty.
3. The PlayStation Partnership Isn’t Going Away
This probably isn’t the news that Xbox One owners wanted to hear, but the Sony partnership is still going strong. It was announced during the presentation that a private multiplayer beta would be happening prior to release. This is pretty much a yearly tradition at this point, but I reckon this’ll be more important than prior ones. Confidence in the Call of Duty series is at an all-time low now, and positive word of mouth from a beta would go a long way in changing the minds of consumers & driving pre-order sales.