Review: Verdun (PS4)

Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic World War One setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense.

Pros:

• Graphics are good, The levels in particular look fantastic.
• Full Platinum trophy.
• Options: Gore on/off, Crosshairs on/off, FOV slider.
• Four online modes:
  • Frontlines: Squad based, Defend/attack a point to push forward or push back the enemy. Think bare bones Rush from the Battlefield series.
  • Rifle deathmatch: Free for all.
  • Attrition: Full arsenal mode.
  • Co-op wave based defend mode.
• Eight maps.
• First person shooter.
• Can see player count on each mode before selecting it.
• Private matches.
• Random game: Will join any game that has space.
• Region selector.
• Games can be searched by squad, Position, Map or even particular areas of the map.
• Simple text based tutorial.
• 12 Historically correct squads to choose from.
• Squad: Clever mechanic where your squad earns its own EXP and levels up to unlock new commands.
• Earn exp and level up to earn unlock points that you then use to unlock new weapons.
• Over 30 unlocks like guns, grenades. Every role has a selection of three loadouts to unlock.
• No kill cams.
• Hardcore shooter where its almost one hit kills, You get no kill streaks or power ups.
• Fantastic audio work, From the explosions to the shouts from players. Its best played with headphones.
• Gas masks: Every player gets one for smoke/gas attacks.
• End of game stats overload. Get info on best players, Best squads and even break down on stats like furthest shot, Average kill time or most used gun and so much more.
• Atmosphere is electric. The night levels in particular really up the tension, You hear explosions, Shouts and foot steps but you never know where the enemy is!
• Mini map: Can be zoomed in and out, Enemies only show when spotted via the spy plane command.
• Can turn off UI with a press of a button.
• Three control presets.
• Oflline mode is basically just co op but in a seperate menu.
• Invite friend option for both squad setup and whilst in game.
• Chaotic gameplay but satisfying gun play.
• Unlock buffs like faster stamina regen or better accuracy.
• Hold breath with any gun to increase accuracy.
• Roles: Each player gets a particular role within the squad. NCO is the leader and whilst he has basic weapons, He gets exp by acting as a spawn point, Can call in strikes and issue rally points. Snipers hang back for support, Rifleman up front and so on. It really works and adds so much to the game.
• You can swap roles with players or vote to change squad type/name.

Cons:

• Long initial load time.
• Hard to determine who is allies or who is the enemy.
• Lag is a big thing at the moment and it ruins the experience.
• Slight learning curve, Especially with gun play, Shots drop off realistically, Movement needs to be planned.
• Cannot turn off kill feed.
• No real explanation on unlocks, Leveling up or team setup mechanics.
• A lot of unlocking will annoy some as you struggle to remember who has unlocks and who doesnt.
• Calling in strikes is awkward as you do it on the battlefield and not via a overhead map.
• Some levels favour sniper defenders.
• Shooting from cover feels a bit broken, What looks like a shot, Is actually a bad shot that just hits the wall or cover.
• Join game and invites are broken at the moment and playing with friends is a lottery.
• Can run out of ammo very quickly with no way to replenish.
• Reloading takes absolutely ages.
• No spltscreen or local play.

Note

Since the review was written a patch did go live and did fix the lag some what. Its not perfect but it is a lot better than before as are the loading times.