It may be a re-skin of CoD4 but that just means the Good War is back and it's better then ever.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a gamer today who hasn't heard of the Call of Duty franchise. After wresting the crown of premier WWII shooter from Medal of Honor, CoD has enjoyed tremendous success, with 9 games in the series so far and millions of units sold. To the shock (and delight) of many, last year's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took the series from it's trademark WWII setting and into the modern day. Now, almost precisely a year later, Call of Duty returns to the Good War, courtesy of Treyarch.
Not much has really changed in that period, both for better and worse. World at War doesn't blaze new ground and it often feels familiar to a fault. Yet, despite these shortcomings, it's hard not to get swept up in the intense action and sweeping set pieces that go hand in hand with any Call of Duty game. You'll still shoot your way from Point A to Point B in highly scripted levels that are often nothing more than twisting alleyways, despite their open appearance. You'll still engage in firefights where the enemy respawns endlessly until you manage to reach your objective. And yes, you'll still have loads of fun, enjoying the highly polished gameplay and tried-and-true mechanics. In an effort to add some fresh pizzazz, Treyarch added a few new weapons into the familiar arsenal you'd expect from a WWII shooter. The two most notable (although far from original or new) additions are the bayonet and the flamethrower. Out of the two, the bayonet fails to add any real change. Sure, impaling a Japanese soldier desperately trying to banzai your ass is a great deal of fun (especially if you manage to shoot him in the gut immediately after, as he's staggering about), but the fact that only a few weapons are equipped this way means it's a rare indulgence that has little bearing on the actual gameplay. Conversely, the enemy will use this maneuver often and quite effectively. However, the flamethrower, while not a new idea in gaming either, is so well implemented and utilized in a number of levels that it is a genuinely effective (albeit extremely sadistic) tool . Not only is it imperative to hose down bunkers and entrenched enemies with fiery death from time to time, it's an exhilirating experience to boot. Trust me, you'll be toasting Tojo every chance you get. As a nice touch, the flames will set fire to any surrounding vegetation, though the damage is not as extensive or long-lasting as in Far Cry 2.
The story alternates between Pvt. Miller, a Marine Raider fighting againts the Japanese in the Pacific Front and Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko, a Russian shocktrooper fighting his way into Berlin. Though not nearly as riveting as Modern Warfare's storyline, it serves as a useful excuse for jumping between two very different fronts. This difference is apparent in the wildly differing level design and enemy behavior of the American and Russian campaigns. The Germans pose a traditional threat, using conventional tactics and generally playing by the book. The Russian campaign is still extremely brutal, with both sides killing unarmed and injured soldiers at whim. On a few occasions, you're even asked to join in. The Japanese are a very different foe though, which serves to mix up the otherwise familiar gameplay. Japanese soldiers will often lay boobytraps, climb up trees in order to snipe, rush you in mad banzai charges, spring up from underground "spiderholes", play dead until just the right moment as well as use other devious guerilla tactics. This makes the American campaign a unique experience in all it's nerve-wracking glory. At the end of the day though, both campaigns are intense, bloody affairs with many memorable instances. Following along Modern Warfare's footsteps, World at War features both a sniper mission and a bombing/strafing run aboard a PBY Catalina, though each is decidedly different when compared to it's predecessor. Your stint onboard the PBY is an especially nice addition, since it contrasts nicely with Modern Warfare's cold and methodic AC-130 level by thrusting you into the middle of the action and carnage.
Unfortunately, the singleplayer campaign is about as short as Modern Warfare's. Thanks to a four player online co-op campaign mode though, the game has some serious replayability. Treyarch also decided to lengthen the game with the inclusion of a silly yet entertaining mode called Nazi Zombies or Nacht der Untoten. Just like the name implies, you and up to three others are holed up inside a reinforced yet dilapitated building, tasked with fending off the undead Nazi hordes. You get points for killing zombies and fixing the barricades, which in turn allows you to purchase better weapons and open up new areas of the house. With the right group of people, this mode can be immensely fun.
The multiplayer portion builds off of the solid foundation laid by Infinity Ward in Modern Warfare. The gameplay is practically unchanged, with create-a-class, leveling, rewards and perks making a comeback. Naturally, this being WWII, the weapons and abilities have been given a makeover. When you get seven kills in a row without dying, instead of Modern Warfare's attack chopper, you're rewarded with a pack of attack dogs that tear the enemy apart. Vehicles are also thrown into the mix, along with some vehicle-specific perks. With all the old modes (Headquarters, Search & Destroy, Team Deathmatch etc.) and two new ones (War, a Battlefield-esque control point grab and the iconic Capture the Flag), World at War has all the makings of a classic online shooter.
World at War uses Call of Duty 4's engine and it still manages to impress. Not only is the framerate mostly smooth, even during the most hectic of firefights, but the level of detail is quite astounding. Character models are detailed and varied and they move realistically, thanks to some impressive motion capturing. The lighting is top notch, particularly near the end of the game when levels take on an almost apocalyptic feel. The game also makes brilliant use of some terrific effects, like ashes floating around the battlefield after an artillery barrage and the way blood splatters in realistic fashion. World at War has few real faults when it comes to graphics, though it's not a graphical powerhouse anymore. Facial animations could use some work and textures tend to look a bit blurry in some levels. Likewise, water and smoke effects look a bit dated.
WaW has all the makings for a terrific sound package. Treyarch tapped some considerable voice talent for the game; the always astonishing Gary Oldman plays the part of a vicious and uber-patriotic Russian, whereas the not-so astonishing (though he delivers a solid performance here) Kiefer Sutherland portrays an American Marine that acts as a sobering counterpoint to Oldman's vitriolic character. The ambient and weapon sounds are top notch, as has always been the case with CoD. World at War also has the best soundtrack in the series so far, with masterfully remixed tunes that incorporate typical, epic orchestral music with tense electrical and rock compositions. Each level manages to outdo the former as the score keeps ramping up the pressure. However, despite all this, the audio stumbles in two extremely important aspects. The mixing is off, resulting in weird balance issues, where some sounds are very low key and others practically pierce your ears. The more grievous complaint however is the extremely low quality of the audio itself, especially apparent in the voice acting. Everything sounds fuzzy, as if a poor filter was used in the sound design. Whether or not it's actually a bug or just bad design (according to forums, either option is open), it's still inexcusable that a game of this caliber could have slipped past the QA department in this shape. This is a thing that can be ignored without any real detriment to the actual game, but it's still distracting at first and incredibly disappointing.
Despite the grumblings of many, World at War shows there is still a lot of fight left in WWII as a setting. And despite some obvious shortcomings, like the broken audio and straightforward story, World at War is every bit as intense, polished and fun as it's predecessor. The presentation is top notch, with cutscenes that mix real wartime footage with sleek, modern graphics. The short singleplayer campaign is helped by a terrific multiplayer and co-op portion as well as the ever fun Nazi mode. World at War doesn't reinvent the wheel by staying snugly in Modern Warfare's shadow, but it does make for a thrilling and enjoyable ride that fans of WWII and shooters alike are sure to appreciate.