Call of Duty World at War review

The latest installment in the Call of Duty series sees developers Treyarch back in the console world, with the release of Call of Duty World at War the fifth game in the series. Treyarch, previous developers for Call of Duty 3, have decided to take the franchise back to the era of World War II, contradictory to the extremely successful Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. The decision to take a step back in time may provide mixed reviews from gamers, however, with Treyarch making full use of the brilliant Call of Duty 4 engine could this be the best Call of Duty yet?

            The thing that sets Call of Duty apart from other games is its remarkable mix of immersive single player mode alongside its brilliantly fun online multiplayer modes which not many games tend to have both of. The World at War campaign will see gamers indulge in the harsh warfare of two story lines from allied forces Russia and America. Russia will see the user battle on the eastern front lines from Leningrad all the way to the final push through Berlin’s outer defenses to the iconic structure of the Reichstag. The American Campaign takes you through the struggle in the pacific against Japanese forces alongside your trusty Sgt Roebuck (Voiced by 24’s kiefer Sutherland.) To say the least the campaign is a stunning visual art in every way. The fantastic graphics, incredible detail and iconic scenery all add up to a truly realistic representation. Players will find themselves submerged in very enjoyable story lasting a fair decent length and should find it extremely interesting all of the way. The story presents players with multiple different mission styles encumbering large amounts of 1940’s warfare. From flamethrowers to mortars, tanks to gunner planes it has it all and plays very well to. Voice acting is done very well and music has been created to an incredible level engaging nationalistic interests from players. No doubt about it this game matches the extraordinary levels set by games such as Gears Of War, inside the hard, fast paced shooting genre set by modern day gaming.

            As always there are a good range of difficulty levels available for any player. From “Lets run through the whole map knifing people” to “DEAD!” The veteran difficulty provides the ultimate challenge creating a very realistic environment for World War II warfare. This can become very, very stressful at times and from personal experience the key level here being the epic last level to storm the Reichstag (you have been warned). There is a great sense of accomplishment when you complete the game and place the Red flag high over Germany however there are a few fatal flaws you will encounter on the way which may take away some of the joys of the game. The most noticeable flaw is the ridiculous use of enemy grenades being launched at you from left, right and center. Certainly, on the harder difficulties is does start to become manic as you find you self surrounded with a ring of multiple grenades perplexed as to what move you could possibly undergo to survive. The truth is, there isn’t one, user’s will find themselves die way too many times by the hand of an infamous Steilhand grenade. The main problem with this is it just becomes a cheap way for the computer to kill you off, now and again leaving gamers fuming when they haven’t reached their beloved checkpoint, not to mention it is a very unrealistic representation of the ammunition either side would have handled during the war.

            An added bonus unlocked upon completion of the game is a new single or multiplayer feature called Nazi zombies. As the name suggests players will have to fight off wave after wave (increasing in difficulty each time) of Nazi zombies. As much as this is a nice addition to the game there are both positives and negative it brings. Firstly the idea of gathering with your mates to blast down hoards of Nazi zombies is a pretty neat idea however the game offers no ending level which does make you feel like you’re achieving nothing and becomes fairly pointless. To second that the mode is only available on one level which does make the mode tiresome rather fast however I’m sure there will be room for expansion with downloadable content. This aside the game mode does offer quite a bit of fun when you get into playing it and makes a neat addition to an already packed game.

            How next generation consoles have evolved from their predecessors can certainly be strongly linked back to the depth of social gaming they now provide. Since Call of Duty first hit the console shelves back in November’ 06 it has certainly been one of if the best multi-playing games out there (matching its rivals such as Halo 3 with ease). With the very strong success of Call of Duty 4, making use of its engine would give us no doubt this will be the best World War II shooter or is it? The simple answer is yes and no doubt about it the depth which has carried the series is better than ever and merging with the Modern Warfare engine has created a truly wonderful multiplayer game. A few minor flaws such as the truly unrealistic kill streak you can gather with the use of dogs, niggle at the overall experience but it’s certainly nothing serious. Overall, the multiplayer offers a wonderful expansion once the story has been completed providing fantastic value for money making this game simply a must have .

            Contradictory to the opinion from fans of the Modern warfare scene, Call of Duty World at War makes a brilliant u-turn back to 1940’s warfare. This is what Call of Duty games are meant to do, provide the gamer a chance to hack away at Nazi infested Germany opposing their own personal slice of Hitler’s policies and doing a very good job at it. Once again, Treyarch have presented us with a truly stunning representation of warfare including immersive single and multiplayer modes to enjoy. With literally hours of fun to be had, it’s a good thing we have plenty of time to kill until developers hit us with another Call of Duty.