World War Z, by Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive, is a high-intensity action-packed shooter that will have your blood pumping from start to finish! It’s a squad-based zombie survival game you’re not going to want to miss, and with the enhancements that come with the Game of the Year Edition, you’ll be able to jump into the fun with bigger guns and even bigger booms!
Story
Loosely based on the 2013 film World War Z, Saber Interactive has created a third-person shooter filled with the same thrills and chills brought to us by some of the best zombie apocalypse survival media. This particular story follows pockets of survivors in different real-world locations battling for survival. Each location has four main characters that you can take the role of and learn about as you battle across several mission-based maps in order to lead them to safety. All while battling impossibly large hordes of Zeeks that run, jump, claw, and climb. Whatever they have to do to get to you.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Much like the classically acclaimed Left 4 Dead series, World War Z: GOTY Edition is a game about shooting lots and lots of Zombies. World War Z: GOTY Edition functions like you would expect a third-person hero shooter to do so. You select from an impressive roster of survivors, each with their own story, and select from a pool of unique classes that will define your playstyle. As you battle the unyielding horde, you will level up your chosen class, unlocking new buffs & abilities to help you slay the Zeeks and stay alive while you do so. As you customize your loadout, your guns will level up as well as you use them, allowing you to unlock stronger variants as your experience with them grows. World War Z: GOTY Edition adds several new weapons into the mix, which you can unlock quickly to give you a much-needed boost to your survivability, which you will need when facing off against the variety of Zeeks Saber Interactive has cooked up for you.
You’ve got all the classics: The standard flimsy zombie that runs, bites, and can be dropped with one or two well-placed bullets. Nothing too special about them, that is, until the Horde Mechanics kick in. When large numbers of these bullet sponges get together, they can literally form walls of undulating bodies that can climb onto one-another to reach higher places and nip at your ankles. When these things run at you in large numbers, you’re in trouble. From there, it only gets more painful. Sprinkled within the Hordes you’ll meet Tank Zombies, which love to pick you up and put you down, over and over again. You’ll also be treated to the intoxicating aroma of Gas Zombies, and the sensational sounds of Screamers. Good luck.
Aesthetics & Sound
World War Z: GOTY Edition is a beautifully chaotic shooter with a whole lot going on. The map designs and levels are adequate enough to immerse you in the chaos of a zombie apocalypse. What we really came here for, though, are the zombies! Saber Interactive did a great job creating nightmare fuel when they designed the variable creatures that sprint at you a mile a minute from start to finish. While their designs were everything you’d expect a video game Zombie to look like, I personally felt like the undead creatures were a touch hollow. No pun intended. When shooting or meleeing Zeeks up close, it almost feels like they’re made of paper. While I understand that World War Z has you facing literally hundreds of these things on screen at any given time, adding a bit more weight to them would have made my victories over smaller numbers a bit more worth it. With that aside, there is nothing more horrifyingly astonishing than to see massive waves of Zombies crash against a gated stadium and form a massive wall as they climb atop one-another fueled by the need to taste sweet sweet brains.
Summary
World War Z: GOTY Edition is an exciting survival game with hundreds of hours of thrills. Whether playing single-player with a team of bots, lobbying up with randoms, or getting the squad together, you’ll be in for a varying level of challenge with every encounter you face. Saber Interactive’s masterfully crafted shooter will have you on the edge of your seat during every minute of play. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
8/10
Check Out the World War Z GOTY Edition Trailer:
World War Z is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC via the Epic Games Store. For more information, visit http://wwzgame.com, and follow the game on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Xbox One Review
As the (self-proclaimed) King of Casuals, I'm always seeking out new titles to play and experience across all platforms. Eventually, I have ambitions to take the many different styles of this medium to create titles that will wow the masses in fresh, innovative ways.
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