Call of Duty: World at War follows two conflicts waged in the closing months of World War 2. The first takes you to the Pacific region, with players joining in the US assault of a Japanese-controlled island fortresses. The other tracks the push of Russian forces into Nazi-controlled Germany. Like Modern Warfare, the campaign constantly switches between two player characters. In between, loading screens are overlayed by a newsreel-type presentation, with historical footage and territorial displays establishing mission goals. The premise is well-narrated, and levels link together coherently. But if there is a fault with the story, it is that you seldom connect with the characters on a personal level. This may be because you only have two in-game companions, as opposed to a group of buddies in Modern Warfare. Brothers in Arms partially succeeds as a WWII game because of its detailed character establishment, and this is something which World at War lacks. Finally, insofar as the plot goes, we fall back on the same criticism – many are already overly-familiar with the WWII scenario. Treading over the same well-worn ground becomes tiresome very quickly.
The Russians are back.
Setting aside the whole WWII issue, Call of Duty: World at War nonetheless works as an excellent first-person shooter. Call of Duty has always offered the best stop-and-pop gunplay, and World at War makes no deviation. Applying the ‘if it ain't broke’ notion, sensitivity, aiming and movement work exactly the same as in Modern Warfare. Indeed, Treyarch, the same studio behind Call of Duty 3 and Big Red One, almost go a little far in replicating their well-received predecessor, with sniping and air-based missions similar to their Modern Warfare counterparts. The comparable levels – sniping a German commander and providing cover from an American aircraft – don't quite raise the same level of excitement as before, but still add variety to the game. Rechargeable health and dog attacks also make a return. There are a few novel additions though, including camouflaged enemies that leap out of the grass, and a flame-thrower that is essential to proceeding in certain levels. If burning foes out of bunkers or storming the central building of the German war machine sounds exciting, than there is plenty more excitement to be had.
Call of Duty: World at War, not surprisingly, looks much like Call of Duty 3. There are plenty of bombed-out urban sprawls, trenches and lush forests to battle the enemy in, and this time around, foes are a little more aggressive. As with previous Call of Duty games, players must advance through an infinite number of re-spawning AI soldiers to trigger the next scripted event. Like most shooter titles, the ‘one-man army’ concept comes into play, as AI allies generally do little to help. Environments are expertly detailed, and there are usually plenty of ways to flank the enemy. However, in certain narrow environments, you can quickly become overwhelmed by Japanese or Nazi soldiers, even on lower difficulty settings. In the Pacific levels, foes sometimes stand above you in the trenches, so fighting can become exceedingly tedious. But in a sense, this helps convey just how stalled fighting often became during the Second World War, especially when battling from island to island as the Allies did in the Pacific.
If you thought war was hell, wait until you activate the ‘Death Cards’.
Call of Duty: World at War is kind to those with little patience, with a conservative checkpoint system and instant reloads. The difficulty system from Modern Warfare makes a return, with four levels of complexity to test your skills on. And if you thought Call of Duty 4 was over too quickly, then World at War is even shorter. The single-player campaign can easily be completed in less than a day, so hardened shooter fans may want to opt for the harder difficulty setting. Those who complete the game on Veteran difficulty will be pleased to know that a plethora of Xbox 360 achievement points lie in wait as a reward. Nonetheless, the shelf life of World at War is lengthened by a campaign which, except for a few missions, can be played almost entirely in co-op. There are also numerous hidden ‘Death Cards’ – similar to Halo 3's skulls – to be found. Each ‘card’ can be activated when replaying levels to create more of a challenge. For example, turning on the ‘Queen of Hearts’ card will only allow you to recharge your health by killing enemies.
Once you have completed the single-player campaign, a level titled ‘Nacht der Untoten’ is unlocked. Meaning ‘Night of the Dead’, you are pitted against wave upon wave of zombies in full Nazi attire. Players are situated in a bunker with boarded windows, which zombies will attempt to break through. Similar to Gears of War 2's Horde mode, things start out easy enough, but as you defeat each consecutive wave of zombies, the number and ferocity of undead increase. You are rewarded with points for each kill, which can be spent on better weapons, ammunition and access to other areas of the facility. Perks also appear randomly from the bodies of downed victims and reward players with advantages such as unlimited ammunition and one-shot kills. It is hugely entertaining to see how long you can survive the onslaught, which can be enjoyed with up to three other friends.
Modern Warfare undoubtedly has one of the best multiplayer components of any game on the market. Thankfully, World at War largely replicates the system implemented by previous developer Infinity Ward. The points system from Call of Duty 4 is again used, with players given the ability to choose and upgrade their abilities and weapons, but you can now progress to higher levels.
Tanks feature in both single and multiplayer.
A new addition to multiplayer is vehicles, with larger maps catering for mechanised warfare. Jumping into a tank to pursue the enemy can be fun, but it sometimes make matches slower and cumbersome. Rewards for netting the requisite number of kills have also been redesigned to cater for the different time period; players can now call ‘spotter’ planes, artillery strikes and a pack of canines to swarm the enemy. The multiplayer is ultimately well designed and implemented, but in the end, some may find using war-era weapons not as exciting as Modern Warfare's contemporary arsenal.
In terms of presentation, Call of Duty: World at War excels in both visuals and audio. The wastelands of war-torn Berlin and burnt-out bunkers of the Pacific peninsula have never looked so good, with first-class lighting and smoke effects to match. Watching as a flare went off in the middle of the night – to the fear of our allied soldiers – was a particularly breath-taking moment. Characters models are excellent as always, and animations are fluid and believable. Most importantly, the Call of Duty 4 engine runs at a smooth frame rate, and we did not experience a single moment of slowdown during the entire game. The World at War soundtrack is also well composed, and voice acting is genuinely convincing. The battle calls of enemy soldiers can be especially chilling among the constant explosions of artillery fire and detonating grenades. Kiefer Sutherland acts as your commanding officer during the Pacific levels, and he injects his usual urgency and shades of black and white into the role.
Call of Duty: World at War has all the necessary production values of an epic first-person shooter. Visuals, sound and gameplay have been developed to a high standard, and the single-player campaign may be described as cinematic. Multiplayer is solid as ever, and whoever thought of dressing zombies as Nazis is a genius. In the wake of Modern Warfare, World of War was always going to be in for tough comparison. The fifth Call of Duty game may not net the same following or create the same level of excitement because of its well-worn historical foundation, but it is still a solid addition to the library of WWII titles. Suit up everyone, duty calls – again.
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