It's war, and exactly as we know it.
World at War has issues that are forever in the periphery of the mind's eye; they aren't even noticeable at first, and for many will never progress beyond mild annoyance, but they persist nevertheless for veterans of the war. I mean, CoD franchise. For example, the hit detection seems somewhat fickle, and this is in a sense a damning flaw if you care to dwell on it, as there is nothing more jolting than hurtling headlong into a dramatic firefight only to have to follow up a round that seemed unfailingly to you to have hit the damn enemy (DAMN HIM!) square in the cranium. Nor, for that matter, is it particularly gratifying to have to empty an entire cartridge of a bolt action rifle into a flimsily clad Banzai soldier. To refer to the previous installement, it seems we never encountered this issue; your targets would crumple satisfyingly (excuse my bloodlust) when shot. Granted, they were being shot with technology years advanced from Lee-Enfields, but suffice to say the pace is interupted in WaW by stubborn, stoic enemies.
The A.I of your squadmates leaves much to be desired also. Being pushed from cover by a myopic private is mystifying to say the least, especially when one is attempting to play on one of the harder difficulties. My advice regarding the higher difficulty settings incidentally, is 'don't'. They suck what fun is to be had by depriving you of any added respites, leaving you quite simply, to die over and over again, killed by near invisible tree-snipers or mad Banzai's whom your reflexes are not augmented by coke/coca-cola enough to counter.
However, the game has plenty of high points. Set-pieces, lighting, the gritty realism and unflinching attention to detail as well as an admirable determination to demonise the Japanese as utterly blood-thirsty maniacs prove to be genuinely unsettling.
Graphical brunt is also abundant, and the sounds of battle are as vivid and evocative as ever.
To judge WaW entirely on its own merit would be do to a disservice to the notion of progress in a franchise. To mark it too harshly on account of the previous efforts of Infinity Ward would be to akin to ignoring the entertainment to be had because there are 'more fun' games to be played. The issues that hold this game back from being a truly worthy continuation hinge more on your expectations; suspend those and you will encounter a gripping, intense, albeit brief foray into a side of war not yet shown.
Oh, and the Nazi Zombie mode is inspired, and should be expanded upon post-haste!
Ddddd