While it isn't fresh to the genre of first-person shooters, Call of Duty fans will appreciate what World at War is
Despite the fact that it takes place during World at War, you'll stumble across a new setting as you play through the game's campaign. You'll be familiar with the German setting, but the Americans are fighting in the Pacific islands near Japan. Though you'll be switching between the two armies every couple of levels, the campaign does feel like one steady progression.
Each soldier's journey commences with a scene of despair. Weaponless and surrounding by your enemies, you really feel the gritty emotions of the plot. Though the mood of the campaign will eventually turn towards triumph, you'll still remember those moments from the beginning of the game. While the first few levels seem like you're barely getting a foothold on your enemy, the later ones have you and your comrades pushing toward the enemy capitols. You're usually accompanied by an elite officer who stands out more than the other soldiers. However, the game lacks the character-bonding element that made Modern Warfare's campaign of such a high quality. Not to mention the fact that the campaign will probably take you less than four hours to complete on the recruit difficulty level.
There are some new weapons that haven't been seen in any other Call of Duty game, like the bayonets and flamethrowers. You'll be able to wield both in the American missions to scorch several enemies at a time and to fend off the banzai raiders. It's particularly satisfying to see an enemy being burned to a crisp in a tree, and then to see his dead body hang by the foot from a thin rope. The Russian campaign is slightly more predictable than the Americans', but they both remain intense throughout and end in an awesome fashion.
The game does make a leap forward for the series by offering a two-player split-screen and a four-player co-op campaign over Xbox Live. It's exactly the same experience as the Solo campaign, but the number of enemies increase for every player that joins. You'll be able to turn on competitive scoring, and this does add a bit of flavor and fun to the campaign. There are hidden items called Death Cards on each level-similar to skulls in Halo 3-that turn on cheats to alter some gameplay options, like enemies only being able to die by headshots. There are challenges in these modes that contribute to your multiplayer status, linking them together in an entirely different way.
In case you missed it last year, the multiplayer in Call of Duty 4 is phenomenal, and World at War is basically a World War II version of it. You're constantly building up a character and unlocking new ranks by gaining experience points through several ways. When you rank up, you'll gain new weapons, accessories and perks. Perks are special abilities that alter the traditional gameplay style, and you can have four of these for each of your five classes (one being vehicle-specific). This leads to an addictive element of customization: will you choose to increase your bullet damage and health, or have a faster firing speed and being able to sprint faster? The perks are all well balanced, and offer so much to the multiplayer. This multiplayer system is just as superb as last year's, though slightly less fascinating.
There are, of course, new maps, but there are also some altered bonuses. For example, when you get a seven-kill streak, you'll have the ability to call in not a helicopter but dogs. There are some maps that support tanks, but the driving is a bit clunky and the aiming a bit annoying. Most of the modes are still the same, though there are some new modes like Capture the Flag and War. But the most appealing new mode is a cooperative game called Nazi Zombies, playable when you beat the campaign, or play with someone who has. This mode puts four players in a house that is being attacked by the undead. Killing the fiends and repairing the barricades earns you points to spend on ammunition, guns, or to unlock new areas of the house. Each round brings tougher, faster, and more numerous waves of zombies, and the game will ultimately end up with all four players dying. Though the random weapon box, special abilities and bonuses of your teammates and some variation, each new round plays similar to the last. Still, it adds a whole lot of fun and excitement to the series.
The audiovisual presentation is great for the most part. The visuals are of high quality, and the sound effects are incredible. The soundtrack adds to the emotion in the campaign. It also has a pretty smooth frame rate throughout, even though the graphics look very similar to its predecessor.
By staying true to the Call of Duty 4 formula, Call of Duty: World at War is indeed a superb shooter, particularly in the multiplayer and co-op options. On the other hand, the lack of a fresh approach and familiar weapons and gameplay mechanics take some of the shine off it. This is only a bad thing if you expected this to triumph over its predecessor. But if you want an exciting campaign, fun co-op modes and an engaging multiplayer action, then you'll find a lot to appreciate in World at War.