The Worst
1) Create a Class Minimized
Although the division system is a welcomed addition to Call of Duty, with it comes a decrease in class customization. Now, as a fan of customization of the versatility create a class offers COD players, this seems like a miscalculation on Activision’s part. The pick 10 system has been erased from history, with each of the create a class slots featuring a chosen division, a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, a lethal or tactical grenade, attachments for your weapons and a basic training ‘perk’. The only thing that changes how many attachments you can add (which is usually 2 to the primary, and 1 to the secondary) or whether you pick up ammo from fallen enemies, is through this single basic training ‘perk’. I don’t know about you, but I never use a pistol, and often not even grenades. I have always customized my classes for stealth and resupply, with multiple attachments on my primary weapon, and now I have to pick one or the other. If players opt for a larger mini map, they cannot resupply ammo from enemies. Interestingly, there are no camos available of any sort, and while it’s unlikely that soldiers that fought in World War II painted their weapons, it’s always been fun to earn them as you level up your guns. Hopefully, Call of Duty: WWII has more to offer in this aspect when the full game launches.
2) Stripped to The Basics
Although the return of boots to ground combat feels like a breath of fresh air, fans of the extra movement in the past few Call of Duty games are going to feel like a fish out of water. The movement has reverted to what was last seen in Call of Duty Black Ops II. I would have honestly liked for Activision to have kept a few small movement abilities for WWII. For example, sliding would have been a perfect addition to the movements of the original warfare games. And before anyone says, “but it’s supposed to be realistic,” it is likely anyone running for their lives, would dive and slide to get behind cover to avoid any incoming bullets. If runners in baseball could slide between bases since the invention of the game in the 19th century, there is no reason soldiers couldn’t do the same. And this stripped to the basics doesn’t just have to do with the complete lack of fast maneuvers, but also with the above-noted lack of customization in any aspect of the game. At the very least, hopefully, there will be something to grind through the prestiges for when the game launches, because otherwise, many players may feel like Call of Duty: WWII is a bit undercooked.
3) Ardennes Forest Map
Have you ever felt like the map design was the reason behind your failures? This is exactly how Ardennes Forest feels. In my hours of playing the Call of Duty: WWII beta, I have yet to earn a positive kill:death ratio on this terrible map. From the inability to see very well across the map, with harsh white snowy landscapes, broken up by only a few buildings, and trees, to the poor map design overall, it is not fun to play. And many of the players I’ve met along the way have the same opinion. The map features a few buildings and routes that seems to go in circles, promoting camping in corners, and in the spawns. Due to the small size of the map, it becomes easy to become trapped in your spawn, only to be moved to the other side when your original spawn becomes overrun by enemies. Of course, for anyone who has played the map a few times, this is easy to read, and results in more deaths on the other side of the map. While the map looks gorgeous, it falls flat in every other area. Now it may sound like I’m bitter about the games I’ve played on it, however, I’m merely pointing out that the map design was not thought out very well, and the spawn system needs to be fixed. If you’re looking for a map to compare it to, I would say Nuketown should give you a rough idea of what to expect.