Apart from providing you with aide at the touch of the d-pad (health packs, enemy spotting, ammo, grenades), every Allied force soldier is equipped with Stormtrooper vision and potato guns. Enemy AI still insists on rushing headlong into danger like they don’t register multiple threats, possibly because your squad AI wouldn’t last five minutes at paintball, let alone the Battle of the Bulge. Level design is still mostly one long corridor of death at a time, masked by a bit of extra width and some lovely scenery.

Much of Call of Duty’s action has become drearily, and unsatisfyingly predictable. It speaks volumes that the standout mission is an exercise in tense undercover espionage where gunplay is limited to the finale (fittingly and amusingly, this mission is highly reminiscent of Medal of Honor’s early days). Rather, the combat and set-pieces are by the numbers and light on the emotional, adrenaline-fueled touch they deserve, making the human moments stand out by comparison. These human interactions are the highlight of the campaign, but not because they are exemplary. It focuses on heroism and conflict, two subjects Call of Duty is more than familiar with, and while the story is naturally predictable for large stretches, it does feature some genuinely good moments between the protagonist Daniels and his buddy Zussmann, as well as the volatile strain between Turner and Pierson (played with grumpy gusto by Transformers’ Josh Duhamel). A typically theatrical affair awash with some lavish visuals, heavily inspired by the camaraderie of the HBO series Band of Brothers. Like most reunions, it doesn’t have the same impact or spark years later. On the one hand it seems a positive step, a reunion with the conflict that birthed the biggest shooter around. This year’s version sees a return to World War II, the backdrop for the series’ formative years.

Call of duty world war ii review