Six years after the release of the movie, Paramount is back with World War Z, developed by Saber Interactive. A third-person shooter set during and after the events of the movie, this is Saber's highest-profile release since working on the Master Chief Collection with 343 Industries. In the meantime, the New Jersey-based developer worked on Spintires: Mudrunner, as well as a handful of other movie-licensed video games, like the thoroughly mediocre RIPD: The Game and Battle: Los Angeles. In addition to the co-operative PvE modes, there's also a "PvPvZ" mode, which is a variation on deathmatch modes with some zombies thrown in as well.
Clearly inviting comparisons to Left 4 Dead, World War Z instead focuses on pure zombie-killing action. Developed on the proprietary Swarm Engine, Saber hoped to render over a thousand zombies on-screen at once. Much like in the movie, the zombies are fast, fragile, and will readily climb on top of one another in order to build a sort of ramp for the swarms. In fighting your way through the four different locations available at launch, you'll pick from one of several classes, each with their own perks and starting weapons. From classes that specialize in melee fighting and boosting the whole team's stamina, to the standard medical specialist, there are plenty of combinations to choose from. No matter the class, you'll have opportunities to pick up defense kits and set up turrets, electrified fences and more.
Curiously, Saber opted not to follow the movie's characters closely. While scenes from New York, Jerusalem, Moscow, and Tokyo might call back to frantic chases, all of the characters are brand new for World War Z. From breaking into top-secret facilities in order to fire deadly space lasers to simply surviving the streets in order to secure safe passage out of a city, the four different chapters all range in difficulty and objectives.
