Short, intense, gritty and memorable. One of the best WWII FPS games out there.
After the last two exceptional offerings from the MOH series, Pacific Assault and Airborne, I was left wondering whether COD could rise to reclaim the mantle as the "best WWII series". Well I'll call it a tie. All three games are cinematic, gritty and intense. For me MOHPA delivers a better Pacific experience and MOHA and COD-WAW are similar in the depiction of intense no holds barred urban conflict.
The lack of "pure jungle" missions made parts of the Pacific campaign feel almost urban with trenches and bunkers replacing the building corridors and railway stations of its European sister. Certainly as a WWII city fighting game, few equal COD-WAW for look, atmosphere and intensity. Smoke, billowing papers, ash and the excellent moody soundtrack and sound effects capture the hell that was the final days of European WWII. Banzai charges from hidden trap doors and prone enemies shamming death all adds to the surprise element. You cannot let your guard down. This game definately has the "you are there" feel.
Enemy AI is excellent they take cover and advance on your position carefully while trying to outflank you. Although the suicidal banzai charges are obviously not taking advantage of cover the surprise and speed of such attacks is not to be underestimated. The only frustrating aspect of combat for me was the veritable deluge of grenades in some of the later missions, although I suspect this is not unrealistic, and I guess I dealt as many as I received!
Only thing holding me back from giving COD-WAW a higher score is the lack of narrative character development. The story is advanced by reasonable cut scenes at the start and end of the missions. The switch from the Pacific to European East Front is actually quite smooth and the contemperaneous missions on each front develop similarly especially in the deathknell of both campaigns. The pointless, suicidal, stuggle in the last days of both campaigns although in very different settings are similarly harrowing. Although there is a back story for the main protagonists in both the Pacific and Soviet campaigns, a number of missions seem to feature one off characters. Though it's more believable to have alternate characters driving tanks and manning turrets on the sea plane than, as was the case in MOHPA, the main marine character, Tommy, flying a dive bomber.
The game has a tactical feel and you must use cover to methodically advance on the enemy positions. Unless you stoically advance, in the face of bullets and grenades, enemies keep respawning to hold you up. Both campaigns provide relentless acton and this, unlike the earlier COD titles, is very much WWII uncensored. Battlefield atrocities committed by the Axis and Aillies are depicted, including torture and execution of prisoners, however the cut scenes, where most of this is shown, is modifed on the reduced gore setting making it more suitable for younger teens. This game certainly gives a "feel" of the horror that was WWII in its two most brutal campaigns ... you advance, take cover and fire, an enemy grenade lands nearby, you run for cover, your friends fall, the enemy regroups and you go in again. Remorseless combat with a very much "take no prisoners" feel.
The game ran glitch free (v1.7) on my Windows XP PC however I did have what appears to be a common sound problem (that is NO sound whatsoever after installation and patching) and had to apply a fix, which is described in my 27 Feb 2010 blog. Once the fix was applied the combination of graphics and sound made this game, especially the final armegeddon-like suicidal battles on Okinawa and in Berlin, an unforgettable gaming experience. One issue that does grate is the need to be online to swap between player profiles even when playing the single player campaign.
Finally, for the gore splatter-fest fans there are four "Nazi Zombie" games after you have defeated the historical campaigns. Not really my cup of tea, but a harmless "competitive" time filler for the single player. I haven't tried multiplayer, but most of the usual MP gameplay types are available. Sadly LAN does not allow one player to play the COOP maps. COD-WAW also has a number of mods and maps, including a Vietnam MOD, though I believe its MP only.
SUMMARY: Great WWII FPS with challenging and memorable missions spanning the Eastern Front and the Pacific. Play COD-WAW to experience some of the grittiest WWII era European urban combat available as well as battling your way up beaches to the bunkers and caves in the Pacific theatre.