Call of Duty: World at War is essentially the last hurrah of the World War II genre of video games. After Battlefield 2 and the blockbuster Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, the first-person shooter genre was decidedly heading into the War on Terrorism; yet Treyarch was tasked with giving Call of Duty one last shot at letting people experience the most devastating war in human history while Infinity Ward was working on Modern Warfare 2, and I can say with confidence they did not disappoint.
Compared to the previous Call of Duties‘ almost “romanticized’ depiction of the European campaign, Treyarch does a good job in reflecting as best they can under a virtual medium of what the American Pacific was, a bloody, vicious, and downright maddening affair. Shortly after the start of the American campaign, you are whisked away to Stalingrad in Russia. The battlefield here is even grimmer and the bloodlust reflected is even more palpable, which is fitting considering the legendary brutality the city endured. However, the level ends quickly and you are suddenly sent three years ahead into Germany as the Russian army advances. It is here that the American campaign and the Russian campaign differentiate themselves. While the former is a long, inch-by-inch slog through stiff Japanese resistance, the latter is about overwhelming force against a collapsing Wehrmacht. This helps to keep the overall campaign interesting and well-paced.
Helping to add to this campaign’s strengths is a uniformly excellent audiovisual presentation. The gameplay is juxtaposed with statistics, maps, models and even real-life WWII footage to give perspective as you advance. The strong animations and superb voice acting help to really bring the war alive. Of particular note are Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman, who voice characters you consistently interact with throughout the campaign. A final call out has to be given to the phenomenal music. It ranges from bombastic Russian orchestras to downright haunting operas and really helps to set the mood.
Alas, I found two things of particular irritation with the campaign. The first is the mixed A.I. It works for the most part, but oftentimes, enemies will make it half way through your lines before your computer partners decide “Hmm, I guess I’ll shoot him now.” The other complaint is some frustrating level design toward the end of the game. Of particular note is a final Russian charge sequence at the end that is supposed to be heroic, but instead becomes a frustrating exercise in trail and reload.
Moving on to the multiplayer, WaW boasts a wide and surprisingly deep variety of options and opportunities. You start off as a grunt with limited options, shooting your way up the leveling chain, gaining new classes, ranks and weapons. There are a number of modes to choose, from Free for All, Search and Destroy to my personal favorite, Team Deathmatch. The tight controls and fast-paced nature of the combat keep things engaging and a lot of fun, even when you are getting screamed at with excess profanity. A word of caution though, you will need Punkbuster if you’re playing this on a computer. WaW should automatically install this, but if not, you will need to go to Punkbuster’s website.
Finally, there is the Cooperative mode. Here, there are two options, Campaign Co-opt and Nazi Zombies. The former is self-explanatory. The latter, however, is unique. Basically a ‘how long can you survive’ ordeal, you and up to three others are tasks with holding out as long as you can while Nazi zombies are trying to break into your stronghold. Every zombie you kill adds money for you to buy new equipment and weapons or rebuild barriers. Unfortunately, at least on the PC, there is hardly anyone playing these modes anymore and even when there are, you never know when one will drop out. It would have been nice if Treyarch added the option of A.I. players.
To conclude, World at War is a fine addition to the Call of Duty franchise. A strong and brutal campaign, a superb multiplayer, and, when you have the team, a fun Nazi zombies mode round out a great package overall. Bravo Treyarch, bravo!
(Note: Screenshots are not my own)
