Call of Duty: WWII review – familiar, fun but not without flaws

Activision's blockbuster shooter goes back to its roots, and offers a solid if unsurprising experience, but the three elements within feel like wildly different games

Call of Duty is one of the biggest games franchises in the world and, on some levels, the funniest. The way that CoD: WWII was marketed suggests an interactive Saving Private Ryan. The reality is that my Axis coach shouts "zey haff ze ball" in multiplayer NFL-like Gridiron, as an opposition carrier runs towards our goal, before a period-appropriate hail of fire brings them down. "Gut, now drive forwardz!"

If that gave you tonal whiplash, try playing the thing. CoD: WWII is three games in one. A single-player campaign that shows a unit of US soldiers winning the war; online competitive multiplayer with a dozen modes; and then Nazi Zombies. Call of Duty is a series with annual releases, with multiple development studios working on staggered schedules. As a result, it has crystallised into a certain structure. CoD: WWII covers all the bases that players expect.