Battlefield V falls flat in front of Call of Duty WW2

Call of Duty World War 2 (WWII) created by Activision and Battlefield V from Electronic Arts are first person shooters based on the second world war. WWII features one of the greatest campaigns as well as an excellent multiplayer mode, and has brought back the fan favourite game mode, Nazi Zombies. But WWII was released over a year ago, while Battlefield V, released on November 20 is a new challenger. Will Battlefield V dominate the market for world war-themed first person shooters? Having played both, I think not. Battlefield V, despite being newer and more than twice the price, is a disappointment. WWII remains the better game.

The amazing campaign mode is the main reason why people buy and play WWII. Coming from America, your character heads to Europe to fight the Nazis. During your expedition, you get help from non-player characters (although, they seem to be aiming with their eyes closed, given their horrendous accuracy). You are provided a variety of weapons to help you on your journey to confront Hitler. It is long campaign with lots of side missions that will keep completionists busy for a long time.

Battlefield V is quite similar to the WWII campaign in the most simple ways. Just like in WWII you get selected loadouts (your gear) and a goal at the beginning of each mission. Though it is also based on the second world war, the story mode is less linear and more of a free play campaign because you have a lot more freedom on how you accomplish the objectives. That said, there are fewer side missions to explore than in WWII

The main attraction in shooter games is the multiplayer mode. Battlefield V may have a good multiplayer, but WWII has the better one. In both games, you fight on realistic battlegrounds from the actual war. The maps in WII are much more detailed and smaller, allowing for more face-paced combat. Battlefield V’s maps are absolutely massive in comparison–at times, wandering around the map can feel like being lost in an IKEA. Both games feature the classic multiplayer modes from the previous games such as Team Deathmatch and Hardpoint. The weapons in WWII are more arcade-like with barely any recoil, whereas Battlefield V aims for greater realism overall, including in the shooting. WWII’s smaller maps make it more action-packed and intense compared to Battlefield V, where I run around for five minutes and get completely wrecked by a wannabe American sniper.

Activision has brought back Call of Duty’s most popular game mode, Nazi Zombies. The DLC is only $15 Cdn and it is totally worth it. You can play solo or with others to fight off waves of incoming zombies until you are inevitably eaten. Players gain currency by killing zombies which you can spend on weapons, traps and upgrades. Zombies is an exclusive mode for WWII that really makes the game worth the buy. Even though Zombies is a separate purchase in WWII it is still cheaper to buy Zombies and WWII  than it is to buy Battlefield V. Battlefield V may not have zombies but they do have a Battle Royale mode on the way. These types of games are very popular, so this might help Battlefield V gain some traction.

With the release of Battlefield V, WWII has some tough competition, but if I were given a choice, I would still pick WWII hands down. The gameplay is more intense and fast-paced, the weapons are more fun to use and the zombies mode is an absolute blast to play. Best thing is, WWII is half the price of Battlefield V. Also there is more content to the campaign in WWII, so you will enjoy the game for a longer period of time.

Game developers hoping to challenge WWII still have their work cut out for them.