World War Z - Video Game Review

Fight against swarms of the undead in online co-operative missions... wait, haven't we seen this before? 

Some of us still long for a new installment in the Left 4 Dead franchise - and Saber Interactive have used this to their full advantage.

There's a severe lack of ambition to try something new, it's a wonder why the developers chose to attach themselves to the World War Z brand, given the film and book aren't exactly contemporary. It's an even bigger wonder why, after attaching themselves to the World War Z brand, that they decided to follow the Left 4 Dead format. There's absolutely no originality in this game, it's just a rehash of zombie stuff we've seen before.

All that said, World War Z is surprisingly enjoyable. The swarms create fantastic visuals, mirroring visuals from the film. It's fun to work in a team to take down the swarms climbing the walls by spraying bullets and throwing grenades.

Utilising the Left 4 Dead format works for World War Z but still, you can't help but come away wanting more. Left 4 Dead excited players with a range of mutated undead that each brought their own terror to the team. It was a genuine challenge to take down mutations like Tank, that's where the fun came from. These elements are poorly replicated with armoured and bio-hazard zombies, but they're relatively easy to take down.

The stories set in various locations are relatively short. On the easiest difficulty, you'll fly through them with no bother. You'll find yourself needing to increase the difficulty just to make the missions last a bit longer and make the game actually worth its current £35 price tag.

World War Z offers a variety of online game modes - including King Of The Hill. It's a fun extra for the game but it would have made more sense if the game modes were more relevant to the zombie genre. Imagine a horde mode where swarms of zombies come in continuous waves. That would have been great.

If you reminisce about the good old days of Left 4 Dead, you'll find World War Z is a satisfying update. Even if it is glitchy and doesn't dare to try anything new. It's fun... but it had the potential to be so much more. 

Rating: 3.5/5

World War Z is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.