How do you follow what is arguably one of the best first-person-shooters ever? By imitating it as closely as possible, that’s how. And that is exactly what Treyarch has done with Call of Duty: World At War. It takes the amazing multiplayer, great controls, and amazing gameplay of COD4: Modern Warfare and tweaks and spins it (and takes it through a time warp back to World War II) to create a new adventure that is every bit as solid as its predecessor.
Quick Hits
- Title: Call of Duty: World At War
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Treyarch
- ESRB Rating: “M” for Mature
- Genre: FPS
- Pros: Solid gameplay; co-op; multiplayer; great presentation
- Cons: World War II; hard not to feel COD4 deja vu
After a refreshing trip into Modern Warfare with COD4, the Call of Duty series has returned to World War II. I know, I know, you can barely contain your excitement at that news. But at least World At War showcases two campaigns in WWII that haven’t gotten nearly as much attention as other theaters in the war, so it isn’t so bad. You get a first hand look at the island hopping battles in the Pacific between the Americans and Japanese as well as the Russians’ push to drive the Nazis back into Germany from the East. The game is absolutely brutal, and even though we already know war is pure Hell, World At War really goes all out to push your emotional buttons. It is a wild ride of horror and shock and joy and happiness that is well worth the price of admission.
World At War also features co-op play through the campaign for 2 players in splitscreen or 4 players online. The campaign is somewhat on the short side, and compared to COD4 doesn’t pack nearly as many memorable moments. The co-op definitely helps make up for this, and the unlockable Nazi zombie bonus mode rounds out a pretty solid package. The full suite of multiplayer modes and options from COD4 has been carried over along with some new goodies, so if you loved COD4’s multiplayer there is a lot to like here.
Gameplay
ActivisionThe gameplay is pure COD through and through, and that is a good thing. The series has always been known for intuitive controls and extremely sharp and precise shooting, and World At War continues that trend. World At War throws a few new twists into the mix by having enemies play dead and ambush you, rush out of hidden spider holes, or even go kamikaze. New weapons include bayonets for up close fighting as well as flamethrowers to clear out trenches and, as you could probably expect, the results are pretty darn grisly. The first few COD games were “T” rated, but Modern Warfare and now World At War are rated “M” for Mature, and WAW earns every bit of that “M” with some of the most brutal and unsettling combat ever. Enemies scream and plead, blood squirts everywhere, and body parts get blown off. Basically, war really, really, really sucks.
World At War offers a nice variety of missions that include sniping and vehicle sections in addition to the more straightforward “fight from Point A to Point B” missions. The two campaigns, which you switch back and forth between as you play through the game, also have very different feels to them as well in terms of enemy behavior and environments, which helps the game feel fresh.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Call of Duty: World At War is a great looking game. The environments are gorgeous and the characters are very detailed. Special effects for smoke and fire are outstanding, and the lighting is very impressive. The game also runs at a smooth framerate even in the midst of the most frenzied battles.
The sound is very good overall with solid voice acting throughout the story as well as some of the best sound effects you’ll find in any shooter. The music is also very good, as we have come to expect from the series.
Bottom Line
ActivisionAll in all, Call of Duty: World At War is a very good game throughout. It looks and sounds gorgeous, features an amazingly intense and thoroughly enjoyable single-player campaign that can also be played in co-op with up to four people, and the same great multiplayer features and modes that have made Call of Duty 4 the most played game on Xbox Live over the last year. We have mentioned previous COD games quite a bit in this review, and ultimately that is the only real issue with World At War. It is a good, well-executed game, but that is in large part due to the amazing effort Infinity Ward put up last year with COD4. World At War doesn’t do lot to really push the series forward, and while it was unreasonable to expect Treyarch to repeat a Modern Warfare-style leap from previous entries, we did expect something more than just Modern Warfare with a WWII skin. With all of that said, Call of Duty: World At War is a very good game all around, but I would advise a rental over a purchase unless you just can’t get enough WWII shooters.
