World War Z Review

For a game that is structured around teamwork to fight off massive AI zombie hordes, WWZ has such poor online matchmaking options. Players either have the choice to play offline with bots that, to be totally honest are not that up to scratch when it comes to zombie slaying or with friends and randoms online.

Now the massive issue here is there are no options to switch games to private or to start a level out from the very start. So if you don't have three other friends ready in waiting to play WWZ you'll most likely bee dropped in with other random players that'll run off to do their own thing or pop in near the end of a level, having missed the build up.

Saber Interactive has a solid foundation for a great cooperative zombie shooter here, but sadly it is brought down when basic functionality is missing and one can only speculate it was because they never expected sales to be as good as they are. Keeping the matchmaking options minimal might serve to start playing sooner; not segmenting the player base, but certainly, diluting the experience.

World War Z serves two masters as it is a very short experience, but one designed to be played over again with the option to upgrade classes and weapons. Take the last stands for example, there will be players that obsess about the placement of turrets and fences whilst others can just hang out and shoot away regardless of the class.

Each class come with their unique abilities and ways to stop the undead, but if you're into just shooting them then Gunslinger is the way to go. Now there is nothing wrong with Hellraiser, Medic, Slasher, Fixer or Exterminator - but for the most part, choosing Gunslinger to shoot through the dead is how you'll progress and also seem to be the most commonly picked amongst the community.

Loadouts and weapons start off pretty basic, and upgrading weapons is a must, so thankfully upgrades are based upon how much you use a particular gun. This makes complete sense, as once you've found the weapon you were looking for, it can easily be maxed out with scopes and other attachments.

Despite some clear issues, World War Z is an extremely fun, fresh take on the formula laid out by Left 4 Dead a decade ago; the perfect pallet cleanser in this climate of huge 80-plus hour experiences the industry now feels are standard.

Sure there are glitches that will separate players behind a wall, so their only choice will be to die to progress, but the penalty for death is minimal and doesn't get in the way of the enjoyment to be had. However, expect to either make your own fun or come in with a full team of four for the optimal experience.

Lastly, if you were to compare this to Days Gone, World War Z has the best horde tech out there by far. Plus, it's at a discounted price; one certainly worth admission for avid zombie slayers out there.