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Day of Infamy

Day of Infamy

New World Interactive's World War 2 shooter is finally out of Early Access.

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Day of Infamy is a WW2-themed shooter from New World Interactive, a team following up on the success of Insurgency, the gritty modern day tactical shooter that released on PC back in early 2014. This followup is the work of a studio still on the rise, and such it offers snappy, visceral combat that plays out via interesting and dynamic game modes.

The game hasn't enjoyed a flawless launch, and on one of the PCs we tested it on we experienced some pretty unwelcome technical issues (we couldn't, for example, shut the game down without crashing the entire system). It's a pity, really, because nearly everything else in Day of Infamy is good. Very good, in fact.

From a visual perspective there are a lot of hard edges and the scenery is a touch too angular, but to counter that the textures are really detailed, and some of the effects (for example, the smoke) are fantastic. There's a solid selection of maps, ranging from battered European towns to sunny Mediterranean islands, and of course there's the obligatory D-Day beach landing. The troops are all nicely detailed, and their animations (with perhaps the exception of crawling while prone) are smooth and lifelike. Further realism is heaped on thanks to a blistering soundscape. Some of the audio can border on tinny at times, but overall the mix of gunfire, dialogue, shouts, screams, and explosions combines to create an engaging and evocative atmosphere.

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Good audio-visual design will only get you so far, and it's in the gunplay and the various game modes that Day of Infamy really shines. There's influence drawn from Valve's Day of Defeat, but New World Interactive has added enough modernity and personality to ensure that it stands apart. The guns, for example, are expertly done, and there's plenty of differentiation between the various loadouts you can choose from ahead of each match. There are a finite number of classes available on each team, which keeps things balanced, and different specialisations need to work together for maximum effect.

The gunplay and bullet physics are very good. This is a game that's more focused on creating an aura of realism than it is interested in facilitating quick-fire arcade thrills. We'd compare it to Rising Storm in that respect, although the difference here comes in the game modes, of which there are several. They usually involve a finite amount of waves, where in-between deaths players have to wait until it's time for another attack before respawning. Rather than just rushing into a hail of bullets time and time again, you're forced to watch on until the next wave rolls into battle. It's an approach that throws the importance of your life into focus, because if you die it could take some time for you to get back in the action.

It's this blend of punchy, aggressive combat, and the fear of death and a potentially lengthy wait on the bench, that makes the various game modes compelling and tactical. It's a deft mix of the one-life approach of something like Counter-Strike, and a more forgiving team shooter like Call of Duty. Offensive, for example, is a mode that has one team defending three objectives, while the other team pushes forwards and unlocks additional reinforcements the further they advance. The defending team start with a lot more waves of potential reinforcements, but once they're gone, they're gone. In Liberation both teams are fighting over the same capture points and have the same number of waves, which makes it a more traditional alternative. Each mode is setup slightly differently, but they all use a similar setup to try and replicate the ebb and flow of battle.

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On top of some well thought out PvP modes, there's also co-op variants to play against AI-controlled enemies. One that stood out was Entrenchment, where players have to repel waves off attackers, before falling back and regrouping at tactically important points on the map. It's actually surprisingly challenging (especially if you're not taking advantage of the maximum player count), and the AI doesn't seem to pull its punches, making this a fun alternative for groups of players looking for a different, slightly less intense challenge.

Throw all of these various ingredients together and you've got a potent mix of exciting and engaging modes and maps. The action is fast and frantic and full of tension, and from an audio-visual perspective New World Interactive have shown themselves to be a capable studio, albeit one that has room to grow. Day of Infamy draws its strength from well-balanced modes and tense, tactical combat, and while it isn't perfect, it does have plenty to offer anyone looking for a new historical shooter to get their teeth stuck into. While our own experience (on one PC, it should be said) was disrupted by some frustrating technical faults, the underlying game itself is very good indeed. It's the best WW2 shooter since Rising Storm, and fans of the genre would do well to check it out.

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Day of InfamyDay of InfamyDay of Infamy
08 Gamereactor UK
8 / 10
+
Brutal and engaging combat, decent selection of classes and weapons, interesting PvP modes, surprisingly challenging co-op.
-
We experienced some annoying technical issues, prone animations not the best, audio-visual design is good but there's room for improvement.
overall score
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Day of Infamy

REVIEW. Written by Mike Holmes

"This WW2 shooter draws its strength from well-balanced modes and tense, tactical combat."



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