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Game Title: Call of Duty: World at War
Platform: XBox 360/PlayStation 3/PC
Developer: Treyarch (PC/PS3/XBox 360), Arkane Studios (Multiplayer)
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Genre: First Person Shooter
Age Rating: BBFC: 15 (UK), PEGI: 18 (UK), ESRB: M for Mature (US)
Release Date: 11th November 2008 (North America), 12th November 2008 (Australia), 14th November 2008 (UK)
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Game Score: 8.2/10
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Summery:
It may feed on old territory but World at War's dark and gritty setting and Multiplayer modes are every bit as enjoyable.
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2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took the franchise towards a modern setting and it helped target a more wider audience, it then became one of the biggest console FPS competitors next to the Halo games when it comes to online gaming. Feeding on the success of Modern Warfare the developers rewinds the clock back to World War II while taking in the points of what made Modern Warfare a huge success, their result is a very dark, brutal and gritty instalment.
Call of Duty: World at War's campaign takes place between the American's battle against the Japanese where you take arms as Miller and the Russian's last push against the Germans as Red Army solider Dmitri. The storyline is told through several World War II video footage with great narration from the characters that you fight alongside with but while they are great and offers some history of the war, the drama pieces are not as dramatic or structured as Modern Warfare and not to mention that there is no major antagonist to fight against, not even Hitler himself. On the plus side World War II never looked so dark and brutal then in this game, there are moments like watching wounded soldiers getting shot when they are down or surrendering.
The game's main campaign can be played either solo or you can play the game cooperatively online with three other friends and it helps cause when one player gets taken down that player can be revived by another so it is always best to stick together and share ammunition in order to survive. Like other Call of Duty games your goal is too make your way to the objective point shooting down waves of Axis forces in your way, you get areas where you can take cover in trenches, rocky or grass landscapes and sandbags. You will fight alongside your squad through forests, bunkers, castles, streets and other buildings alike and you also get to use the standard World War II weaponry like the M1 Grand, Thompson, German MP40's and various rifles that each different country from the Allies and Axis sides use. The newest addition to the arsenal is the Flame Thrower which is indeed overpowered but it is very useful for going through some of the campaign's difficult challenges. You get objectives like advancing through enemy forces, calling in enemy air-strikes to destroy enemy strongholds, using turrets and sniping enemies from a long distance. The FPS controls are the same as in previous entries and of course you change the controls through preselected options.
The enemies can surely shoot but however they tend to spend more time throwing grenades, trying to flush you out of hiding. You can toss a Grenade back but there are plenty of times where you can't throw one back in time before it explodes and kills you. When you are taking cover waiting for your health to recover you will get your health back only to have an enemy grenade out of nowhere. While in the American stages some Japanese forces will attempt to snipe from the trees and take cover underneath field-grounds to ambush you bonsai style. When you do get knocked down you can use the Melee attack button to stab a him in the neck and get back up. However the same is never said for your allies, their bullets always misses, always stand in your way waiting to get shot and most of the time they can't be bothered to help you. Despite the AI issues the Single Player campaign is enjoyable and it can be better with friends so that you do not have to deal with the constant grenade users or being pinned down all the time.
World at War retains the Multiplayer modes and mechanics used in Modern Warfare such as gain experience from objectives and killing other players and levelling up earns you new weapons and perks. Like Modern Warfare you select a preselected class or make a customizable class with your own loadout. Once you reach Level 65 you have the option to do prestige which resets your level to 1 but gives you additional slots for customizing. It is obvious that in the Multiplayer mode you have all the weapons based on the World War II era but each is just as effective as in the modern era. You do get plenty of different rifles and submachine guns that are fun to use as well as perks like sprinting longer distances, take more damage as well as the most annoying perk of all the Martyrdom where you drop a live grenade when you die which is sure to annoy players online. You can earn killstreaks such as calling in Recon Planes to know where the enemies are, unleashing Airrstrikes and summon a pack of dogs to viciously bite the enemy to death. You do get the simple multiplayer modes that were used in Call of Duty Modern Warfare but however some maps allow you to take control of a tank which does raise the carnage.
In addition to the already enjoyable multiplayer experience World at War introduces a new mode called Nazi Zombies where you and 3 other survivors are trapped in a small environment surrounded by hordes of Zombies. Your goal is shoot down the zombies while repairing layers of windows to keep the undead at bay. Repairing and shooting down zombies earns you points which is used to get better weapons, or unlock other areas around the map. The game goes on forever as you are trying to constantly repair every corner of the map to last through as many rounds as possible. When a player is knocked down they can be brought back up on their feet and if all players are down it's Game Over. It is an entertaining experience in translating the Call of Duty experience into a zombie survival game just like Valve's Left 4 Dead series.
The production values of Call of Duty World at War are impressive, alongside the varied landscapes and the WWII footage, the soundtrack is full of orchestral and upbeat tracks that are very emotional and fitting for the chaotic moments of mankind's deadliest conflict. The models for weapons and characters alongside the special effects of each battlefield brings out the life of World War II and of course the voice acting among your allies and enemies is top notch.
Call of Duty World at War feels more of a play-it-safe sequel rather then advancing the series forward like what Modern Warfare has done, However it's dark and gritty setting alongside the formula that made Modern Warfare a success still helps us fill in the history books of World War II. It is a great for new comers to get into and even the most hard-core gamers will find something in the game that is worth fighting for. With all due respect through the era period of World War II setting is feeling a little bit stale for the series.
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The Good Points:
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1. Impressive Soundtrack and voice acting
2. Enjoyable Single Player alone or with friends
3. Multiplayer Modes including the new Nazi Zombies are fun and chaotic
4. The Flamethrower is a fun weapon to use
The Bad Points:
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1. Friendly A.I is not very reliable
2. Setting not as dramatic or structured as Modern Warfare
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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