World War Z Review
A Journalistic Review by DefiantParrot
*Warning: May Contain Spoilers*
Originally Written: 07/31/2019
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| Because World War: These fuckers are gonna eat me, was already taken |
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Mad Dog Games
Platform: Playstation 4
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Release: April 16, 2019
To start off my Halloween reviews this year folks I figured we'd start with a game that I've wanted to give a try since last year. Based off the well received book from author Max Brooks and the not so well received 2013 film of the same name, World War Z is a game that is attempting to fill the hole in my heart left over from Left 4 Dead.
I guess I should stress that I have not had an opportunity to read the book yet and I have zero interest in watching the shitty Brad Pitt movie, so if there's some interesting World War Z lore in this game then it completely went over my head.
So on the surface World War Z should not be that interesting, it's another zombie shooter game and boy was there a time where we could not get rid of these flesh eating bastards. They were fucking everywhere and thankfully that has died down a little bit, but to say that zombies are overused or overplayed would not be an understatement.
But then I saw the gameplay and saw the overwhelming amount of zombies that you had to deal with and I was extremely curious and interested in giving it a try.
So the story here is well I'm not entirely sure, zombies are here and the world has been turned on its head. Pretty typical there, now one thing that I do know about the book is how it shows the world as a whole dealing with this pandemic. Hence the name World War Z and why many people hated the movie following one random white dude.
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| Gimme a hug you son of a bitch |
The game does take that idea and breathe some life into it, more than the movie did anyway. There are 5 different chapters with various levels in them and in each one follows a different groud of survivors from all across the world. From New York, to Jerusalem, Moscow, Tokyo and finally Marseille. Each of these groups goals are different, some are just everyday people trying to get the fuck out of dodge, while others are soldiers trying to bring an end to this zombie war.
I do really like this, it gives scope to this world and how truly fucked it is. Even though this game is not incredibly deep I did get that sense of despair, desperation and even anger at what these undead fucks have done to this world.
Now as much as I like the variety in characters and how they do have their own backstory they are simply cosmetic. Everyone plays the same and everyone can be any class, and use any weapon you come across. Which may be disappointing to some but I really don't mind it.
But I mentioned the class system, this is where things can get interesting, there are seven in the game Gunslinger, Exterminator, Slasher, Hellraiser, Fixer, Medic and Dronemaster which was actually added as a free update last month.
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| This is my comrade, Boris Robochev |
These are how you'll diversify your characters they can start with different weapons and completing levels and leveling them up will grant you different abilities and boosts with the feature to prestige the class later on if you play it enough.
Being able to Prestige was also added as an update later on and from what I heard this game had a pretty bare as fuck launch. Which as much as I appreciate free updates like Prestiging and new Classes I believe a game should be finished first and then added to, not kicked out the door and finished later.
That's one reason why I didn't buy this game when it first came out, I had that feeling that this game wouldn't be finished yet and as per usual my instincts were right. As of right now though the game is much, much better than at launch.
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| Shit, Shit, Shit, SHIT!!!!! |
Now I did compare this game to Left 4 Dead earlier and the game is similar, four survivors playing through different levels and killing zombies to reach the end of the level and survive. But the classes and different cultures I mentioned earlier does make this game stand out on it's own as well as other things I'll mention later. So while yes the Left 4 Dead similarities got me interested, I was pleasantly surprised to see that World War Z did more than just remind me of a series I miss.
There's a large variety of guns in the game and you can level these up as well as your class as you play, there's also some DLC skin packs for your weapons if you're interested in making your guns look radically different, I won't judge. Out Loud.
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| The variety of weapons and customization options are a welcome addition |
There's also ways to customize the look of your character but this game has two currencies and to unlock the second one you have to play on higher difficulties to get it. I was horrified that this was for microtransactions or loot boxes at first but the game just wants you to work in game to earn this currency, which I am completely fine with.
I gotta mention the controls here for a second, I said that this game was just another zombie shooter and on the surface it is. If you have played any third-person shooter in the past then you'll know exactly how to play this game. There's your main weapon, secondary weapon, heavy weapon, your melee attack and your gear ability. That's basically it, the gameplay isn't deep at all but what is here is solid to a T. I never had an issue with any gun I picked up or reacting to a massive horde of zombies coming down on me, this is a game I feel anyone can pick up and play and that is absolutely not a bad thing.
But let's talk about the big selling point here and what really got me interested in this game from the start. The amount of zombies that you can encounter can be staggering, that first mission in New York when you see the overwhelming wave of these bastards coming down on you is enough to freeze you in fear. The first time you see these sons of bitches piling on top of each other in order to reach you and turn your face into a fucking ketchup sandwich can be horrifying.
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| It's nothing for your entire field of view to be nothing but a swarm of zombies |
There's really nothing like it and what amazed me the most was how I didn't have any slowdown during this at all. Now I'm playing on a PS4 Pro and all the console versions are capped at 30 FPS I believe, which doesn't bother me. But with the sheer number of enemies on screen the fact that this game didn't seem to visually dip or slow down at all astounds me, this is where I expected the game to fall apart but it doesn't at all.
I can only imagine how it looks on a high end PC but I don't have a high end PC and frame rate counts aren't the be all end all for me.
During certain areas in each level you'll have to hunker down and hold off the horde for a limited amount of time and during this you can find defenses like barbed wire and auto turrets to try and keep these bastards at bay and I was having Gears of War 3 flashbacks during these segments and I mean that in the best way possible. There are Breaching Charges hidden throughout the levels that if found can blow open sealed doors for more goodies as well a virus samples that if successfully carried throughout the level to its conclusion will give you more EXP for your class.
Knowing where to set up the defenses you get is paramount to surviving the zombie hordes especially on the higher difficulties, which adds a very welcome layer of strategy to the gameplay.
The presentation here is also pretty damn good, the character models all look really good and the environments can have an impressive level of detail to them. Now of course when characters start talking if you pay attention the lip synching here is fucking atrocious probably the worst I have ever seen, but whatever I'm probably the only one who cares about that here.
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| Fish in a barrel baby |
The voice acting here is also really well done and I love the level design here, every area feels unique and the different chapters and areas help spice up the gameplay. I especially love the first Tokyo level where your walking down these winding and intertwining streets to get to where your going and there's so many different knooks and crannies that goodies could be hiding in.
Comparing this game to Left 4 Dead again there are special infected just like in that game and some of these are blatant ripoffs. Like the Creeper is just the Hunter from Left 4 Dead and the Infector is just the Spitter. But then you get the Screamer which when it shows up alerts even more zombies to your location and the bomber who loves to run into you and fucking explode.
These add more fun to the game and another level of strategy in dealing with these guys, though there are moments when a horde of zombies would show up and then an Infector, a Bull and a Creeper would show up at once. Like the game had just rolled a D20 and decided to fuck me and my team over.
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| Give us a kiss |
I will complain a bit though like the Bull is this big fucker in SWAT gear who will tackle you and start killing you, much like the Tank in Left 4 Dead. Later on when I'm in Tokyo I see this same Bull in the same American SWAT gear, it just sort of made me laugh. Maybe it's too much to ask but I think different models for these special infected in each unique location would've been cool, it would've added to that sense of a World War Z.
The music here is also nothing special now mind you, when there is a towering wall of decomposing death inches away from me I'm not really paying attention to the fucking tunes. But what is here and what I did try to pay attention to is atmospheric at best and doesn't leave a lasting impact at all, I can't even recall any of it as I sit here writing this.
Speaking of audio there was a glitch that I noticed about halfway through my playthrough and once I saw it I couldn't unsee it. When there's alot going on at once people are screaming, zombies hordes are roaring, explosions are going off and bullets are flying. There were some moments where the sound effects for the guns just wouldn't be there. I'd fire a shotgun multiple times into a horde and most of the sound clips would not play, maybe this is a side effect of all of this happening on screen at once. It isn't the end of the world or anything but I can't help but notice it now everytime it happens.
The loading times here are also just long enough to be fucking annoying, it's fine when you're in the level but starting it and waiting for it to load goes on enough to really fucking bug me.
There are also mutators that you can turn on when replaying the game, these add different stipulations to the games as you play. For instance you can turn off all of the special infected, you can make it to where your health will begin to drain in between every zombie kill, you can increase the number of idle zombies in a level there's a big variety here and can add to replayability.
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| Alright everyone, grab a drink and a smoke. We move in five. |
There's also a Challenge Mode which will give you some of these stipulations to play through and beating them can net you some more goodies and there's a horde mode as well which is... well it's horde mode. It's not even worth playing in my opinion since the main game itself gives me the horde mode feeling I was looking for and this mode is very shallow and doesn't bring anything new to the table.
Now of course you can play solo with bots if you'd like but the AI here is completely fucking brain dead. They kill zombies and will get you up if you're down but they will not heal themselves or set up defenses at all. Just, no play this game with friends that's where it shines.
This game does also have multiplayer modes and I must ask the question, why? No seriously why because every single time I tried to play any of these modes nodoby else was playing them. These are your typical PVP modes like Deathmatch and King of the Hill where you have to contend with enemy players and the AI zombies on the map at the same time. Now if I went to quick match I could have probably found a random game to play admittedly and I know this is probably not a 'full review' with me not having taken a look at these modes at least but these didn't need to be here at all.
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| I did finally get to play a few of these matches and... I stand by what I said here. |
The game was fine as is, it didn't need a PVP mode and honestly it's the thing about this game that feels like it was copied the most, oh not from Left 4 Dead but from Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. That's what it reminded me of and that game was TERRIBLE!
I have two last things to speak on before I wrap this review up, the last chapter in the story the one taking place in France is DLC only. Which I bought because I was reviewing this game but I was annoyed that they locked off the last chapter in the campaign from everybody.
That was until I saw that my friends were able to play through this campaign with me, even though they didn't have the DLC. Yes I bought the DLC and could play through it with my friends who did not have the DLC.
My mind was fucking blown here I cannot remember the last time I saw a game do this and refuse to split its player base. I'm no longer annoyed that this last chapter is DLC because this, oh I can get behind this.
And finally this game has Cross-Play! Yeah this was added in later as well I think it was pretty recent and with this you can play with anyone. I was playing a match the other day with me on my PS4, HandGun Moses on his Xbox One and my friend Jade on her PC and I experienced no lag or hiccups or anything.
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| Looking like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fucked a baseball coach |
World War Z you tease, you're trying so very hard to get on my good side aren't you? You've done a number of things very right but what's my final verdict?
Is this game worth a buy these days? Yes, absolutely yes. This game is a fucking blast to play with friends and if you've needed a Left 4 Dead style game that Valve refuses to make then this is the game for you. Of course it does do enough to stand on its own and not just be another boring clone and the replayability here is even higher than that of the Left 4 Dead games.
Of course the game is not perfect, I want more chapters and I don't think we're going to be getting those anytime soon. The game has it's issues and if you don't have a stable internet connection or a friend to play with don't bother. The Single player here is not worth it and its other annoyances and tiny glitches and other things it does that annoys me that stack up enough to prevent it from reaching legendary status with me.
World War Z receives my Silver Seal of Recommendation.
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| For when you exceed expectations just enough to not be shit |
I want more added to this game, they've done a great job in adding Cross Play, new levels, new infected and the new class but I want more. Keep adding to this game and keep improving it, maybe another chapter in Australia or China next, give us more infected and more classes and this game will continue to grow and become better and better and that will make this game stick around and become a house hold name.
If you have Xbox Game Pass this game is on there download it immediately and give it a try if you can and I will be keeping a close eye on you World War Z. Keep getting better, keep improving and maybe just maybe, if you get a sequel and take everything this game has and you add even more to it, then maybe there will be a Gold in your future.
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