A shooter that's definitely worth playing. But be prepared for some frustrating sections.
Everyone knows that there are "two main lines" of Call of Duty games: The ones developed by Treyarch, and the ones done by Infinity Ward. I've always found the Infinity Ward games to be more engaging, and the Treyarch games to have more depth but a bit more frustrating. "World at War" reinforces those impressions as expected.
World at War offers much of the same gameplay mechanics. You point, you shoot and you die often. You have a truckload of weapons to use along the way, and each of those weapons have a distinct "feel" to them that it ultimately doesn't matter which ones you use; all of them "feel natural", and have an effect that is both believable and satisfying at the same time.
The story is one that I certainly appreciate, being set during World War II. Battles are furious and immersive; Cutscenes blend seamlessly with the story and actual gameplay; everything is brought together by good graphics and great sounds.
That being said, for me this is one of the more difficult COD games. There were several levels which were so difficult that I really considered to simply stop playing and get on with the next game. Some examples:
1. The one in Guadalcanal (night setting with a *** ambush),
2. the one where you're approaching a ruined building prior to the airfield(Hard Landing I think)
3. The one with the Sniper
4. The one where a lot of germans are rushing at you (near the end of the game)
I realize this might be because I was playing on the most difficult mode, but still -- many times it felt like I died from out of nowhere with no way to plan ahead. The snipers are too deadly and the grenades seem to pile up from out of nowhere EVEN WHEN YOU'RE HIDING.
Also, in trying to go for the platinum, I encountered what is perhaps one of the most difficult medals of all: The one where you're supposed to shoot at a General from long distance using only a pistol. This was entirely obnoxious, and made me want to through the controller at the TV several times.
There were some fun elements though; multiplayer was pretty good, although it didn't compare to the Modern Warfare series... but the zombie option was very cool.
All of this results in mixed feelings. All in all a technically good game, but somewhat frustrating experience for me.