Call of Duty: World at War

"Wii at War: Finally, an FPS worth buying!"

Call of Duty: World at War is the fifth title in the on-going series, and is yet another solid addition to the franchise. The story's missions jump between the islands of Japan and the surrounding Pacific to the battlefields of Russia and Eastern Europe. You take on the role of a private in either the Russian or American armies, mounting assaults on rocky island outposts, burned out cities, beachheads, and even a wide open field chock full o' tanks (during which you get to pilot one of the unstoppable iron beasts). With no further ado, let's evaluate the individual aspects of the game, shall we?

GRAPHICS: 6/10

The graphics are definitely the weakest point of the game's overall smooth presentation. FMV sequences are slick and flashy, dropping historical facts, photos, and video footage like bombs on the screen, while the narration runs. I was actually stunned at the snappiness of the first sequence, which embraced historical accuracy and did not shy away from shocking wartime footage of executions and the like.

In game, the graphics seem to suffer from a lack of unique texturing and the occasional, but rare frame-rate drop. I had a hard time seeing what was going on in a few of the earlier levels, and a lot of textures seemed to blend into each other, making some of the environments rather ambiguous. One thing I was disappointed in was the lack of deformable terrain, which I am sure is a feature in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Yes, most things can catch on fire, but nothing really burns. Yes, you can turn a wooden box into a pile of splinters, but I couldn't notice tracking of individual bullet holes or anything along those lines.

I understand that the Wii often falls short in the graphics category, but it seemed like more could be done to add to the realism of the character models and environments. Overall, it doesn't affect the gameplay in a negative way, but it certainly doesn't assist the overall presentation of the game.

SOUND: 8/10

As usual, the sound is well done, immersing you in the pings, bangs, and booms of the battlefield. Bullets zing past your head with convincing persistence and machine guns create a harrowing sound when railing on a metal obstacle you may be hidden behind. The voice acting is fair to good, and honestly tries to avoid the strictly instructional voice-over that usually accompanies games of this nature. The soundtrack is riddled with typical, swelling war-time marches and ambient choral pieces, which always works well despite its triteness. Overall, the sound definitely aided the frenzied feeling of the gameplay, which is the true focus of the game, and the music helped the player settle in to the period and mood of the game.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10

As always, the core of the game. World at War is an exceptionally fun title, and probably the best I have played in the series. The originality of the missions is notable, and the difficulty progresses along in a very natural, organic way throughout the game. I really appreciate some of the newer elements of the game that were missing from previous COD titles, i.e. class-specific tasks and abilities, open-ended mission routes, etc. However, I think they could have implemented their new ideas in a more integrated and comprehensive way. Shooting Nazis is all well and good, but we've been doing that since we first stumbled into Wolfenstein's Castle (or before that, for some of us…)

As I said, levels in which your mission objectives were more varied than just “assault” or “destroy” definitely had the most impact and were the most fun to play. Use of non-traditional elements always spiced things up, too, as with the aforementioned tank level and the numerous flamethrower missions. Most of the game is more traditional run-and-gun action, and there are a couple of missions with those horrible and obvious “trigger points,” where you just have to keep moving forward until you reach the next trigger point and an ambush of kamikazes rushes you. Still, the lack of inspiration in the gameplay does not mean that combat was any less fun.

CONTROL: 9/10

The Wii is notorious for either nailing the intuitiveness of a control scheme or completely blowing it in terms of control, and its oddly varied roster of FPS titles definitely reflects the difficulty of finding a style that is unique yet familiar to players. However, they have done an excellent job of preserving the traditional COD controls while adding a few Wii-specific tweaks that can actually make the game easier and more enjoyable.

Aiming is incredibly easy and the point-and-shoot design is surprisingly accurate and responsive. There is a wide variety of firearms that all feel unique when fired, and kickback was tastefully managed for each weapon. You can shake the Nunchuk to reload or the Wiimote for a melee attack. Often times, a charging enemy will get you pinned down and you have to shake the Wiimote or press down on the C-pad to save your life, which either requires lightning-fast reflexes or fails to really register from time to time (I think I died more times from this than anything, and I even experienced a bug during one of these “action sequences” that forced me to restart the mission). Alternate grenades are thrown by twisting the Wiimote and pressing +, which can get tricky when you're panicking, but is actually quite fun. Calling in air strikes is also wonderfully satisfying, and adds a nice “class” touch to COD that has been embraced by so many wartime FPS games as of late. Playing as a tank was also fun and accurate, although realistically challenging to operate from time to time.

I have to say they nailed the control pretty well, as I am usually the type of person to become frustrated at a game and shout out “I didn't do that!” at the vacant and impotent screen. I never once felt like I was not in total control of my character in this title.

MULTIPLAYER: 9/10

I've spent only an hour or so playing the multiplayer mode, but other than seeing each particular map, I can anticipate how that part of the experience will shape up. I also did not get to play the game with a second person yet, so I am not sure how or if that affects gameplay or performance. It'll be nice to have some friends on my roster, though!

For the most part, I was impressed with the smoothness of online play. There were short periods of lag from time to time, resulting in the “vanishing” player phenomenon, but they were honestly minimal. I am not sure what the maximum numbers of players is in a WiFi game, but I had at least eight people in one game and the action was smooth and continuous. The levels are a bit small, but are abundantly furnished with trenches, cover debris, snipe spots, clever camping locations, and visually unique environments.

I was most impressed with the Experience system implemented online, which allows you to unlock new weapon sets, challenges, and classes for multiplayer use. Points are awarded for killing enemies or assisting with a kill, which I thought was a nice inclusion. You can also customize your own class utilizing the assets you have unlocked with your experience points, which I love. A killing streak brings fun rewards as the kill number increases, allowing you to call in extra help such as a Recon Plane (which pinpoints enemies on your radar), Artillery Strikes (which blow everything up), and even a pack of vicious, blood-thirsty dogs! The dogs even give you experience points when you kill them! I liked this aspect of online play, but I felt the rewards should have been spaced out a bit more (all the events come between 3 to 7 kills on a streak, but nothing after that).

Obviously, this is a part of the game I will have to spend more time getting to know, but overall, I would say is probably the most promising element of the game. It increases replayability to a nearly infinite point, and with a large amount of challenges and assets to unlock, one could spend many a happy hour causing online carnage.

OVERALL: 8/10

A worthy addition to any Wii collection, especially if you have been itching for a solid FPS title to hit the shelves. If you are looking for a strong action experience with an engaging, addictive multiplayer mode, this is absolutely the game for you. Despite its lackluster graphical presentation and sometimes stale format, the newer gameplay elements and more creative missions make this COD into a title worthy of losing a number and gaining an epithet: World at War.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/08

Game Release: Call of Duty: World at War (US, 11/10/08)