Call of Duty World at War
Call of Duty: World at War is the second Call of Duty game for this generation. Developed by Treyarch, using Infinity Ward’s CoD4 engine, World at War returns the series to World War 2. On it’s announcement that simple fact caused the entire gaming community to groan in bewilderment. World War 2 games have flooded the market for years, starting with the Medal of Honor series, through Call of Duty, Brothers in Arms, and countless other WW2 shooters. When CoD 4: Modern Warfare was released it breathed new life into the series, returning to what was stale just seemed like a bad choice. Added to that feeling was the fact that Treyarch was also behind Call of Duty 3, and while it was a decent FPS in its own right, it failed to compare with the previous Call of Duty games.
The only thing Call of Duty: World at War had going for it, was the CoD4 engine. This engine was the miracle worker, not only had the previous game sold millions, it managed to do the unthinkable. Where CoD4′s single player experience ended was where the real fun began. The multiplayer mode in CoD4 became the most played game on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. Week after week it beat out Halo 3 for the number of gamers playing. The golden rule for game publishers is that when you have a franchise that hot, you don’t just sit on it, and Activision is known for pumping out games until gamers stop paying for them, so it was no surprise that Treyarch was tasked in creating another CoD instead of waiting 2 years for Modern Warfare 2 to ship. The real questions were would Treyarch deliver as memorable an experience, and would gamers be receptive.
The game itself starts with battles early on in the war, then jumps ahead 3 years closer to the end. The game focuses on the conflicts between Russia and Germany, and the US and Japan. Control alternates between levels from a US soldier to a Russian soldier. The game is split up into 15 levels, like CoD4 the single player experience is about 6 hours. I consider that a good length for a FPS and is quickly becoming the norm, but many gamers do complain about short games now.
The presentation of the game is solid. It’s obvious that a lot of care was put into the game sequences, and the cutscenes between levels that explain the conflicts. Despite the detail in the scenes however, I find myself not caring at all about the stories. Aside from a couple scenes the stories told here just aren’t memorable as CoD4 and even feel formulaic.
The levels themselves are well designed, it’s usually quite clear where you need to go, but the maps feel more open that the previous game. There are a lot of ways to try to get behind enemies and take them out. Though there are quite a few standoffs where you just have to hope you can kill a group of enemies from far away before they kill you.
The biggest new mechanic in this game is the flamethrower. The flame thrower has a great range compared to other games, and can burn fields of large grass, and tress. This is really handy as a lot of time enemies are hiding in these places waiting to pop out and ambush you. It’s also really handy for clearing out bunker. The kamikaze soldiers are a wicked touch. There are so many times when you have NO idea they are even there. They blend into the grass perfectly, and make for some fun gameplay. The game also supports a single player co-op mode, which was sorely missed from CoD4.
My biggest problem with this game is in the big set piece battles, I have no idea who’s on my side and who’s an enemy. I guess it’s a minor gripe as there’s not much of a penalty for killing your old team (which I did by mistake… ALOT). The other thing is a problem that was prevalent in previous entries of the series, which are points in the game where enemies constantly respawn. Your goal is just to push forward past an infinite amount of enemies, but if you stay trying to kill them all, you’ll be there forever.
There’s also as complete a multiplayer mode just like CoD4. 4 player split screen, or online. It has the usual class based and level up system, and works pretty well. The maps and weapons aren’t as fun as CoD4, but of course that’s a creative decision based on the setting of the game. Overall it’s a good multiplayer mode and if you don’t have CoD4 or are just done with it, I could see you spending a lot of time playing multiplayer here.
Finally once you beat the game you unlock a zombie survival mode which is incredibly fun. The map that comes with the game has you trapped in a boarded up house as waves of Nazi zombies try to break in. Killing zombies earns you cash that you can use to buy better guns, open new areas, and repair barriers that the zombies have broken. It’s a fun addition to the game.
All in all CoD5 is a great game. It’s not as memorable as CoD4, but it does use every thing 4 did well. The modes will keep you coming back for more, and if you’ve never played a WW2 shooter, this is a great one to try out.
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