Call of Duty 5 sees World at War

It's had its Finest Hour, there's been a Big Red One, and most recently, the series has waged Modern Warfare. Now, the latest Call of Duty game will see the World at War, reports the UK's Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine.

Confirming rumors, the game formerly known as Call of Duty 5 will indeed return to World War II, setting of all pre-Call of Duty 4 games. Developed by Treyarch--not series creator Infinity Ward--the game will portray US Marines fighting the Imperial Japanese in the Pacific. There will also be a "major chapter" in the game focusing on the invasion of Germany by the Soviet Union's Red Army.

Treyarch president Mark Lamir told the magazine, "The direction for the team was to make the best game they could, and as they were doing this they created a grittiness that quite frankly made some people very uncomfortable...This is a scarier Call of Duty than we've ever seen."

When asked about the decision to include graphic violence in the game, creative lead Rich Farrelly said, "It's not just gore and violence for its own sake, but reflects what veterans have told us and the actual history."

One of the levels described in the magazine--called "Maken Raid"--features the torture of an Allied prisoner of war, who then has his throat slit by katana. The brutal scene is watched by the player's character, who is rescued by US Marines much like the real-life Raid at Cabanatuan in 1945.

Based on the Call of Duty 4 engine, Call of Duty: World at War will include more destructible environments than prior games in the series. It will also allow players to swim underwater, as well as use Japanese machine guns and flamethrowers with "propagating fire" burning jungle scenery--and enemies--in realistic fashion.

As for multiplayer, the 360 version will sport a four-player co-op mode which can be played with four consoles over Xbox Live, or two consoles each using split-screen. The co-op campaign will be very similar to the single-player campaign, with gamers constantly accumulating points which can be used to unlock perks. Its multiplayer mode will feature vehicles and squad-based elements.

As revealed by Activision last month, Call of Duty: World at War is in development for the PC, 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 2. The game will ship during Activision's current fiscal year, with almost all prior Call of Duty games being released in the holiday quarter. Treyarch is also currently developing the new James Bond game, Quantum of Solace, using the Call of Duty 4 engine.