Unlike most games, Call of Duty‘s DLC is always pretty straightforward from title to title: $15 gets you four additional multiplayer maps, with one of them being a remake, and one map for the game’s “extra” mode. With Call of Duty: WWII however, Sledgehammer Games started mixing it up a bit with their post-launch content, adding free updates and content to the game in addition to paid DLC. On top of that, each DLC now includes three multiplayer maps, as well as a War mode map and a Nazi Zombies map, all for the same standard price.
If you remember back to my review of the game’s first DLC, “The Resistance,” you’ll know that I thought that while the Nazi Zombies map was fun, scary, and challenging, the multiplayer maps were pretty lackluster to say this least, as they were all somewhat bland. Luckily, I can say that Sledgehammer Games has taken most of the criticism into consideration, because DLC 2, The War Machine, feels like a significant step up from its predecessor.
Lets, of course, start with the multiplayer maps. First, we have Dunkirk, which takes place on the famous beach town in France, which was the site of one of the most significant battles in World War II. While the map itself feels a bit bland regarding look and colors, the layout is incredibly unique.
Gone is the “three lanes” design, which has become a bit of a staple in Call of Duty maps. Instead, players are treated to a map with two very distinct sides. On one, we have the very open beach which caters to assault rifles, LMGs, and snipers. On the other side, we have the various stores and houses which allow for some intense close quarters combat with shotguns, SMGs, and pistols. While it’s my least favorite map in “The War Machine,” that’s a great testament to its quality, because I still really like Dunkirk, with my only complaint being that I wish there were some more vibrant colors.
Next up we have Egypt, which, again, is an absolute blast to play. As the name suggests, the map takes place right outside of Giza, next to the city’s famous Pyramids. Just like Dunkirk, this map also gets rid of the standard “three lanes” design, instead opting for a much more convoluted, maze-like layout. There are tons of different pathways and jump spots for you to take advantage of, including a pretty cool, semi-hidden pathway which leads straight to the center of the map. While the map certainly caters more towards close-quarters combat, there are a few spots where more long-range encounters can occur. Whether it be climbing on the Sphinx or running through the tight hallways, I always looked forward to Egypt.
The final, standard multiplayer map included with “The War Machine” is V2, which takes place at a rocket testing facility in Germany. While it’s not a remake by any stretch of the imagination, long-time Call of Duty fans will be happy to hear that the map’s layout and playstyle is incredibly similar to the famous map Rust from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It’s the smallest map in the DLC and features a one giant center building, with pathways and play areas being situated around it, through it, and even under it.
Most players are going to try and make it to the top of the rocket situated inside the main building, and with good reason, because if they do, they can set fire to an entire bottom pathway. The problem that most will run into, however, is the fact that, like the main building on Rust, trying to climb to the top leaves you incredibly exposed. This makes for a fun challenge on top of the standard gameplay and makes V2 my favorite map in the DLC.
The War mode map included with “The War Machine” is titled Operation: Husky, and tasks players with retrieving intel from the enemy in a Capture the Flag-style objective, capture a radio station similar to the first objective in Operation: Breakout, and then finally, for the first time in Call of Duty history, pilot fighter planes and dogfight with other players. While the first two objectives are indeed fun, the dogfighting is easily the most exciting thing about the map. It’s certainly fun, and it’s nice to see that Sledgehammer is thinking outside of the box. However, the controls are the exact same as the ones found in the campaign, so if you didn’t like that, you certainly won’t enjoy this considering now you have to fight against other players in real-time.
Finally, we have the Nazi Zombies map “The Shadowed Throne,” which is, unfortunately, my least favorite thing about this part of The War Machine. While the layout is fun, and the gameplay is, once again, top notch, I have two major problems with it. First, the atmosphere feels incredibly boring. I feel that the setting of a destroyed Berlin isn’t exactly engaging and often left me wanting more. In addition to that, the scare factor that was ever so present in The Final Reich, Gröesten Haus, and The Darkest Shore has been almost entirely removed, bringing it closer in line with Treyarch’s Zombies mode. I hope that with DLC 3, Sledgehammer will decide to go back to a more creepy atmosphere because if the rest of their Zombies maps are similar to this, I’m going to be sorely disappointed.
It seems that with The War Machine, we have the complete opposite of the case in “The Resistance.” While the Nazi Zombies map is a bit underwhelming considering how scary the other three maps were, the multiplayer maps are entirely worth the price of admission and will keep you entertained for hours on end. I can absolutely recommend the DLC at a price point of $15, and Season Pass owners will be excited to try out the new maps.
Call of Duty: WWII‘s “The War Machine” DLC is available right now on PlayStation 4 and will be available on Xbox One and PC in May 2018. If you want to pick up the standard edition of the game on Amazon, you can do so by clicking here.
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