Call of Duty: World at War

"Good game engine from Infinity Ward, poor execution from Treyarch"

Call of Duty: World at War is here, expected to be even better than it's awesome predecessor COD4. COD: WaW returns to the WWII where all Call of Duty games except COD4 have been set but is this a change for better or for worse?

Storyline - 7/10
The storyline in WaW is pretty generic, it's WWII and you play as two different soldiers over a variety of missions. The American portion of the game is played as Private Miller, a soldier participating in the war against the Japanese on various islands. The Russian portion of the game is played as Private Petrenko. The first Russian mission takes place shortly after the German attack on Stalingrad whereas the rest of the campaign follows the final advance on Berlin. Though the characters which interact with the player are well thought out there is no character development whatsoever. Your character never utters a word and during the American campaign all of your teammates sound exactly the same anyway. Overall the story isn't particularly bad but don't expect an Metal Gear Solid level of immersion here.

Gameplay - 6/10
Ah, the gameplay. Anyone who has played COD4 will know that it was amazingly innovative and did things no other FPS had ever done. COD: WaW copies this completely, apart from the fact that COD4 has done everything already. It feels like your playing an expansion pack to it's predecessor. Controls are exactly the same and the game does absolutely nothing new whatsoever. It's not boring but it just doesn't have the lasting impression that it's predecessor has. The offline gameplay was incredibly enjoyable for me, the story mode lasted around 7 hours and there were trophies aplenty on offer. The online however was a huge letdown. Treyarch decided that they couldn't be bothered to think up their own intricate online system so they copied Infinity Ward's original winning formula. I really do mean copied. Almost every perk is exactly the same as in Call of Duty 4, stopping power, juggernaut, martyrdom, they're all there. There are challenges in which you can earn attachments for your guns, and there are bonuses earnt for getting kill streaks. Calling in Recon Planes instead of UAV feels like a blatant rip off and unlocking etched glass sights is really pushing it. All of your favourite WWII weapons make an appearance and tanks are added to online play, unfortunately the online is incredibly unbalanced. Semi-automatic rifles are pitiful in comparison to the overpowered SMGs and machine guns. Snipers however do have a satisfying punch to them, almost all of them are one shot one kill if you hit your eney in the upper body. A very welcome addition to the gameplay is the Nazi Zombie mode earnt after completion of the campaign, this can be played in single player mode, splitscreen mode or with 3 others over PSN. In Nazi Zombie mode the player(s) are in a barricaded house and must defend it against never ending waves of zombies, the player(s) earn points by killing zombies which can be used to buy new weapons and unlock new rooms.

Audio & Graphics - 9/10
In WaWs credit the graphics are amazing, when a rocket is fired or a grenade thrown limbs are thrown through the air. Decapitated corpses are commonly found and weapons such as shotguns tear limbs asunder. The level of detail is phenomenal and beautiful environments are commonplace. Character models are incredibly detailed and the guns are beautifully crafted. The sound is just as good apart from generic voices owned by American troops the audio in this game is incredible. Barking of wild attack dogs, bullets and explosions make the game immersive and even more realistic than the graphics make it.

Overall
If this game was released last year and COD4 was released this year then this game would be phenomenal. It's not. It copies everything that COD4 did well and attempts to add it's own bad gimmicks. An enjoyable single player mode saves it from an even lower score but the online lacks the punchiness and pizazz of COD4s multiplayer. Fans of the franchise should buy the game but anyone else should rent it.

Score (not an average) 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/08

Game Release: Call of Duty: World at War (EU, 11/14/08)