World War Z review - bloodthirsty fun with the zombie apocalypse

Based on the 2006 book of the same name, and set in the same universe as the 2013 film adaptation, World War Z follows groups of survivors of a zombie apocalypse in the cities of Moscow, New York, Jerusalem, and Tokyo.

The game unleashes hundreds of fast-moving, bloodthirsty zombies able to move and strike as one collective herd as well as break off into individual attacks. You get to choose from six character classes and an arsenal of deadly weapons, explosives, turrets and traps and battle both zombies and real human opponents in competitive, team-based Players vs Players vs Zombies (PvPvZ) multiplayer.

If you’ve played Left 4 Dead you’re on very familiar ground, but this would be true of any team-based action orientated zombie shooting-fest. You get a lot of the same type of zombie stereotypes, from The Bull – a giant armour-clad zombie – to the undead in radioactive suits that emit a noxious green gas when killed. But these differentiators make the gameplay more interesting, so it's more than just competitively mowing down the hundreds of swarmers that race towards you.

Gameplay longevity is afforded by a progression system allowing for both character class and weapon upgrades. Improving weapons gives them better power and accuracy, whereas class upgrades can give you better starting weapons, more of a particular equipment, or even better health. But the class system falls a little flat as there’s really only a few truly useful character types – namely the gunslinger "tank" and medic "healer". While several other types exist, they feel underpowered compared to the traditional action roles, and subsequently you’ll find yourself playing with the same types of characters again and again online.

But the really important stuff, the feeling of panic, being overwhelmed by insurmountable odds, the need to rely on strangers that the game pairs you with online (this game is really only playable with others) is there in full effect – and it’s largely very enjoyable. Until you’re nervously gripping a chainsaw while the brain-eaters build a human tower in order to breach a barricade that you’re standing the other side of, you simply haven’t lived.

• World War Z is available on all major formats

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