World War Z

While there are moments of absolute chaos and terror that break out on levels, there are also moments in this shooter that are mediocre and shamble along like the monsters you try to kill. World War Z recognizes that zombies have long been a terrifying staple of the horror genre, not because of their diabolical cunning or how they stealthily stalk their prey. It's usually their sheer numbers and dogged determination that chill the spine. The game takes this to an extreme, pitting players against undead swarms that quickly flood in like a tsunami of death. Watching these masses of corpses scrambling towards you in such a fluid motion is almost hypnotizing … until you remember that these things are looking at you like a tasty snack and you should probably start running. It's in these moments when World War Z is at its adrenaline-fueled best. Unfortunately, when it's not at its best, the game sort of lumbers in its own zombie-like state of mediocrity.

The bulk of World War Z's co-op campaigns involve straightforward missions, moving from point to point and collecting supplies, setting up traps to fend off the approaching hordes, escorting civilians to safety, or simply running and gunning your way to the next sanctuary. It's relatively cut and dried, and doesn't do much to stand out from just about the pack. While a few of the enemy zombies seem unique, there's an odd sense of déjà vu with them, until you realize they're carbon copies of foes from other zombie shooters. The competitive 4v4 multiplayer seems a bit more creative, courtesy of the zombie swarms' invasions during matches. It's actually quite a bit of fun to see a team's best laid ambush plans fall apart unexpectedly because a wave of undead decided to crash the party. This extra factor can swing a match wildly in different directions, adding that little extra touch of the unexpected to an otherwise generic zombie shooter experience. The big headache, particularly if you're playing the Nintendo Switch version, is that if you're looking for multiplayer matches and your friends aren't around to play with you, you might be waiting for a long time -- there don't seem to be many people online, so wait times are way too long.