THE GOOSE STEPPING DEAD
Well, it wouldn’t be Call Of Duty without some Nazi Zombies
This year’s co-op mode is also going back in time to World War 2 with the return of Nazi Zombies. Sledgehammer co-founder Glen Schofield says: “It’s the story of the Third Reich’s desperate attempt to create an army in the final stages of the war.” Clues within an ARG website reveal pictures of Frederick Barbarossa and Raphael’s painting ‘Portrait Of A Young Man’. Operation Barbarossa was the codename given to the Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia and Frederick was crowned King Of Germany in Aachen – a location Michael Condrey reveals they visited when researching the game. Could he be a boss monster? Or someone who you fight as? We’re going to be breaking out the corkboard and red yarn to figure this one out.
“THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME MANY PLAYERS EXPERIENCE D-DAY IN A GAME.”
pressure of D-Day and the events after affect their friendship? “There are some really personal, harrowing moments between the two of them as they grow as humans and they mature through the war,” informs Condrey. Ah, yes, Normandy. As we revealed in issue 136, COD: WWII’s opening mission takes place on Omaha Beach, representing one of history’s bloodiest conflicts. Condrey tells us that for many players, this will be the first time they experience the infamous battle in a game (older players will probably remember Medal Of Honor: Frontline on PlayStation 2). He elaborates on why Sledgehammer returned to it: “Putting you on the ground and allowing you to really feel what it meant to see and participate in that moment was important to the story. To put you there in a way that only interactive entertainment and videogames can do.” As we see, the haunting, barbaric nature of the fight creates a memorable opening salvo with shocking moments – such as bashing an attacking Nazi to death with a helmet laying close at hand – that linger in our minds long after the demo session is over.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Where else might the campaign take us? One behind-the-scenes video shows the team scouting at Viaden in Luxembourg, where the Battle Of Viaden saw German soldiers repelled from a castle they were trying to take. Condrey also frequently refers to Aachen in our interview – that was the first German city the allies captured. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it crop up. He also confirms that, though Daniels is the main character, the story will take in other viewpoints, “including a really powerful moment we love, which involves you fighting as French Resistance, a woman named Rousseau, in the liberation of Paris.” Best start hunting out your GCSE French textbooks. Despite the single-player focusing extensively on the European side of the war, Condrey teases that in multiplayer, “there are some unique locations that aren’t part of the campaign exclusively.” Perhaps a return to the Pacific fights we saw in World At War? Fingers crossed. While E3, and our next issue, will bring more details of what we can expect from the multiplayer, COD: WWII is already shaping up to be one of the most important CODs in years. It’s a chance for the series to redefine its particular style of shooting after an increasingly twitchy few games. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to do justice to the stories of the real soldiers who fought in World War 2. That’s evident from the volume of research that the team behind the game has done, from visiting locations to getting to use weaponry from the era on a firing range. Achieving the right balance between a respectful account of the war and delivering a blood-pumping shooter won’t be easy, but it looks as though Sledgehammer is up to task.