Console Corner: World War Z review

World War Z gets Left 4 Dead.
WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a timeWWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time
WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time

One of my favourite films of the last decade is World War Z so I was intrigued to see how the game measured up.

For those who have not followed WWZ’s path to release on XB1, PS4 and PC last month, it is a coop third-person shooter in which four players fight against huge hordes of zombies.

You do so in four different locations, namely Moscow, New York, Jerusalem - no surprise given the iconic moment from the film - and Tokyo.

WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a timeWWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time
WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time

There are six classes to choose from: Gunslinger, Hellraiser (explosive specialist), Fixer, Medic, Slasher (melee specialist) and Exterminator (crowd control).

You pick up new perks and weapons along the way but the big selling point is that WWZ supports up to 1,000 enemies appearing on-screen at any one time!

And that is made all the more terrifying by the fact - like the film - they are fast zombies who can climb onto each other to reach higher levels.

It is not just about fighting zombies as you are required to complete various objectives, like escorting survivors, in the different cities.

WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a timeWWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time
WWZ can support 1,000 enemies on screen at a time

There are five multiplayer modes in all but co-op campaign was my particular favourite WWZ experience.

WWZ is very much a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead.

And it does a few things better than its forefather such as class progression and the hugely impressive zombie hordes.

Unfortunately the package issomewhat held back by its gameplay which is not a patch on L4D.

As I touched on, I really enjoyed the co-op campaign.

For those who love horde shooters it will really satisfy your zombie itch.

There is no escaping the Left 4 Dead comparisons and unfortunately for WWZ it fails to live up to those high standard on too many levels.

The crowning achievement, though, is when you slip into a four-person crew to play through an excellent - albeit short - campaign.

There is not too much variety regards missions, special zombies or weapons and I did find some of my game time a tad glitchy for my liking.

But that’s not to say this isn’t a fun game that is worth a playthrough even if just to experience the horde element.

There is also enough to give fans of the film a fix of that zombie apocalypse excitement.