ESGS 2017: Call of Duty WWII Multiplayer Hands On - Fingers Crossed

Just like last ESGS, PlayStation brought over the next title in the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: WWII was available on the show floor allowing attendees to play a round of multiplayer.

I was pretty sold with WWII's multiplayer when I played it during the Private Beta back in August and as I went for a round at ESGS it reminded me how going simple can sometimes come out best in the end. In previous entries in the franchise, we are thrown into the near future with double jumps and crazy futuristic gadgets to spice up gameplay on all game modes. In WWII, you don't have that. You're grounded and proper aim and positioning are more important in this game and I'm all for that. The Divisions system, which works like a class system in WWII's multiplayer, also makes players fill a role in the team, which complements the new War game mode which is heavily objective-based. The gameplay is slower than past titles because of the realistic mobility, but everything about the shooting to the map layout is what you'd expect in a Call of Duty game. 

Hoping For The Best

The multiplayer content available at ESGS felt similar to what was available during the beta. Everything seemed unlocked, and I had a good time playing a match with random attendees. The competitive side of the game feels amazing but the real question is how well did Sledgehammer Games make use of WWII's history in their campaign, and if their version of Nazi Zombies will be an addicting affair that would keep players entertained longer than expected. I'm optimistic that what Sledgehammer Games has created will bring the franchise to a better place, and that "returning to their roots" could bring new life to Call of Duty. But thanks to the reception and sales of Infinite Warfare, there's a lot of pressure weighing in on the 2017 shooter.

Call of Duty: WWII will be out on November 3 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.