Top notch multiplayer, amazing gameplay, fantastic graphics, thrilling setting...but still left wanting more.
Even before the release of Modern Warfare there were already rumblings of the franchises next release and it would be spearheaded by Treyarch. With Call of Duty 3 and its poor reception to the gaming populace, already there was tension about whether this next instalment could even attempt to compete with Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare. Alas many gamers have not even attempted to even try CoD WaW simply because of Treyarch's bad reputation with CoD3's poor performance. However even since the beta for WaW was released anyone could tell it still had the same excellent performance and game mechanics of its predecessor, only in a different environment and setting.
For those that dislike the World War 2 setting, this game is defiantly not for you. It follows the same formula that all World War 2 games have to date, and this game proves it still works. Utilising historic statistics during load screens and powerful videos of the conflict that really places you in the action before you even start playing. As with all Call of Duty games it makes you feel apart of a much larger campaign and one soldier out of thousands. However I do feel it is necessary to add that the soundtrack bewilders me to some extent. With all these powerful messages, I feel it's lost somewhat, the soundtrack and voice acting is sub-par. The music lacks the epic feeling that it deserves, even sometimes bordering on rock and techno in some of the pacific battles? I'm left feeling that the thought provoking element is lost and we are left with just a gun and run. Despite having an Emmy winning actor (Kiefer Sutherland) providing one of the voices for one of your squad mates you still end up feeling detached. There was an excellent opportunity to exploit the potential of the epic feeling of the battles displayed but unlike many of the other CoD games; I feel this opportunity is lost.
Despite its shortcomings when it comes to the story, its game play is excellent. Even though its game mechanics are literally copied and pasted from Modern Warfare it still performs to a very high standard. Graphics are amazing, despite the models feeling a little unpolished the environment graphics (specifically the pacific theatre) make up for this. The flame and smoke effects and particle effects are amazing, and they should be, especially with the introduction of the flame thrower. There is nothing more satisfying as scorching the environment and burning out the ***'s from their wooden bunker. Controls are simple and easy to pick up and play, and if you have played any previous CoD games on a console it's literally the same.
When it comes to multiplayer it excels as expected from the beta. It is again a copy of the mechanics from Modern Warfare, perks while slightly changed are of the same weighting and design. The special abilities that are available after kill streaks have been modified to fit a WW2 setting, radar has been replaced with a scout plane, but essentially provide the same function of identifying the enemy positions. Airstrike is the same, but it is now an Artillery strike but still provides the same level of destruction. The major change to these abilities is the removal of the helicopter (for obvious reasons) and the introduction of the dogs which I personally prefer. While being less powerful over the entire map they provide a more balanced ability and for the opposing team are much easier to fight. Also there's something freakier about hearing the bark of the dog near you than the chain gun strafing you from an apache copter. The XP system is the same, and the challenges are similar with slight variations.
To sum up CoD5 in one word is easy, CoD4. It's an exact copy, with a slight variation for a different theme. It almost feels like it would be a modification for the PC version of CoD4. While still delivering the max, I can't help but feel that I should be offered more than just a copy of its predecessor. Under different circumstances I would give it a solid 9.0, but I just can't bring myself to do it, had the campaign been longer and had it introduced more new elements and not just variations it would have probably made up for it. However alas, I feel constrained to give it a solid 8.5.