The “World War Z” franchise began as a book, was adapted into a movie and finally, turned into a video game. “World War Z” is a cooperative third-person shooter video game where players take on various roles of survivors of the zombie apocalypse as they team up to fight back against the undead menace. The game is played in teams of four, either playing with computer-controlled bots or joining up with friends or random players online.

The gameplay is formulaic. Each mission starts with fighting zombies between Points A and B. Then, your team will have to complete an objective that incentivizes teamwork. Finally, your team will have to set up in a defensive position and fend off waves of zombies until you’ve completed the mission. The specifics vary in each scenario, but that basic structure is repeated and leaves missions feeling predictable and bland.

In “World War Z,” players have a variety of character classes to choose from, each with their own unique skills and weapons. Playing with a certain class or weapon earns experience points, allowing you to level up as you play throughout the game. You can fully level up by playing and replaying missions, which then allows you to customize your character to be as powerful as possible. While I enjoyed the customization that this system added to the gameplay, I wish that level progression wasn’t quite so slow. Dozens of playthroughs are required in order to unlock all of the options.

The best thing about “World War Z” is the multiplayer experience. There are many exciting moments that will leave you and your friends laughing and cheering as you watch each other’s backs and coordinate your strategies against armies of zombies.

While playing “World War Z,” I had a nagging, frustrating feeling that I had played this game a million times before. Team-based zombie survival games aren’t exactly a new concept, and the formulaic gameplay patterns of “World War Z” do not make it stand out. I would have been thrilled with any level of innovation, but this seems like the same tried-and-true formula we’ve seen before, just with the “World War Z” franchise logo slapped on it.

If you have a dedicated group of friends who would enjoy teaming up to fight off an army of zombies, this game might be for you. Otherwise, it’s a zombie survival shooter game, just like many we’ve seen before, and I could either take it or leave it.

Peer Rating: 2.5/5