

The bigger issue is that the campaign remains an on-rails shooting gallery enlivened by largely non-interactive moments – such as when, after sniping from a church tower, it collapses and you fall down with the bell in frankly spectacular fashion. COD: WWII’s narrative inspirations are obvious, but they go places that this particular game won’t countenance. It’s a straight-to-video Band of Brothers, where you fight through France, help the resistance, go on to the Battle of Bulge, and by the end, there’s a big ol’ redemptive arc for your good ‘ol Texan boy. The campaign follows player character, Pte Daniels, and a handful of chums in his unit, beginning with the Normandy landings. Each weapon has its idiosyncrasies and gorgeously elaborate reload animation. Gun recoil remains relatively light, but the jarring flinch when taking fire more than compensates. This is a precision game, its high notes accentuated by incredible sound design: the “shoonk” as you land a headshot is satisfying at an unfathomably subterranean level. Getting the feel right is no small achievement for a shooter, and CoD: WWII does that, and then some. But this is married to a generous aim assist and assorted impact effects that, simply put, make shooting things wonderful. CoD: WWII makes us grunts again, with relatively slower movement and more “realistic” capabilities. It is also something of a return to the series’ roots of more grounded infantry combat, following the advanced-movement-style introduced in future-based entries (think supersoldiers with jetpacks). The protracted slow-motion sniper sections are among the game’s best.
