Call of Duty: WWII review — a welcome reminder of heroes and sacrifice

Call of Duty: WWII takes us back the beginning. It reminds us why we liked the series and why it became a $15 billion juggernaut. The military shooter puts you in the shoes of individual infantry soldiers, the ordinary people who learn what it means to become a hero, without celebrating war or forgetting about all of its horrors. It helps us remember the sacrifices of those who came before us, and why Call of Duty has sold more than 250 million units sold since 2003.

Sledgehammer Games undertook the mission of returning Call of Duty to the Second World War three years ago, a timely move considering last year’s disappointing performance for the science fiction shooter Call of Duty Infinite Warfare. Sledgehammer’s team of 300 people studied the war that claimed 65 million lives. The team traveled to Europe and felt what it was like to freeze during the winter nights in France, Belgium, and Germany. They consulted with historians to get the history of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, and they pooled their storytelling DNA to tell the story of a single squad within the Fighting First.