“War like you've never experienced before...”

Call of Duty: World at War returns to World War Two where players can choose to fight for the British or Soviets, with awesome new features added by Treyarch (Infinity Ward's sister studio) such as new weapons like the flamethrower, new vehicles and brand new co-operative play whilst maintaining the classic Call of Duty feel that has made the series so popular amongst it's fans globally.

Graphics and Presentation

Once again, true to Call of Duty style, the graphics in World at War convey the harsh realities of war by displaying a grim, dark environment similar to what the mind conjures when imagining what it must have been like to serve as a soldier in the War. This enhanced, dingy realism extends even to the menu navigation, re-creating that dark but realistic feel.

In the Campaign mode (single player), characters are very detailed and additional features such as splintering wood again tune the game in with a factor of great realism and give for stunning visuals. Each additional feature such as this, how ever small, helps to immerse you in the game and get your emotions pumping.

It's really remarkable how the design of each map or level can help to create a mood once combined with sound effects and the soundtrack of the game; the maps are also varied between indoor and outdoor environments meaning that Call of Duty: World at War strays away from being just a boring, repetitive WW2 shooter that so many games in the past have been classed as which has resulted in them falling by the wayside.

Multi-player features once again a huge variety of maps that are more balanced and allow players an element of freedom; contrary to single player levels which in most cases (in most games) force players to run from A to B in a straight line, the multi-player maps allow players to run from A to B and back to A. A first glance criticism of the multi-player maps has to be that the multi-player graphics are not as good as in single player – but this is to be expected.

Looking at it from an in-depth perspective however, this really is for the best as the knock-on effects mean that lag is reduced and gameplay becomes more fluid, but it is still a fantastic graphical experience. Lastly in addition, the downloadable content features a range of maps that gamers can also play, meaning that new and interesting environments have been provided for gamers to explore, keeping the game playable for a long time.

Sound

Call of Duty: World at War's soundtrack is very effective at setting the mood and making campaign missions a lot more exciting and intense, helping to set the mood for specific missions and environments; this is a strength that the Call of Duty franchise has always held and the latest COD instalment is no different. Despite this however a major criticism of the sound can go against the weaponry, which doesn't sound as good as in previous titles.

Guns can sound rather unconvincing and slightly tinny, which, as gun fire is obviously a main part of the game, is quite disappointing. That said, admittedly it isn't the “be all and end all” as certain sound effects and small additions for example hearing bouncing grenades can still be exhilarating and add to the overall experience.

Having a good audio yourself at home further adds to the experience that Call of Duty: World at War has to offer players especially in multiplayer where sound can be incredibly influential and help players to get better if they can hear where their enemies are; sound as a factor in gameplay has and will have a very big impact not only in Call of Duty: World at War but on future COD titles. With this said, it is obviously not great that Call of Duty: World at War's weapon sounds aren't up to scratch, however this should not act as a deterrent to buyers as the game still features other great sound effects, excellent gameplay and a good storyline once again.

Gameplay

Treyarch have switched the focus of the Call of Duty series back to it's traditional World War Two setting and to good effect; gameplay remains fresh with new environments and battlefields yet to be seen in the Call of Duty franchise which is a huge positive point behind the title. This is compounded by a great addition to the campaign mode in the form of co-operative play letting up to four players have fun with their friends whilst playing through the game. As mentioned, the campaign levels stay varied yet fresh, with indoor and outdoor scenes ensuring that players do not lose interest and there are various new objectives to complete.

Multi-player modes feature an extended perks system and the use of vehicles and new weaponry, however all in all Call of Duty: World at War was always going to be compared to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and the feeling is that in this respect it doesn't match up, perhaps because of a different developer or because of the weapons; unlike in COD4, the weaponry in COD:WaW doesn't seem as up to scratch or as skilful as previously due to the inclusion of too many ''spray and pray'' weapons, meaning that in many instances bolt-action rifles don't prevail.

As well as the aforementioned downloadable content additions which opens up a whole new range of environments to compete on, Treyarch have added new game modes and playlists such as the 'Nazi Zombies' game mode, where players can have great fun alone or with friends defending themselves and an area against wave after wave of zombies, bringing a whole new dimension to multi-player gameplay.

Closing Comments

Despite some multi-player criticisms, Call of Duty: World at War has proved itself to be a very intuitive World War Two shooter that doesn't follow previous WW2 titles that have fallen within a matter of days, with once again excellent graphics backed by a hugely popular co-op mode. Call of Duty: World at War on the PS3 is brilliant just for the single player and co-op game modes, with fresh gameplay and new environments in multi-player worth exploring as the game is kept up-to-date and “new” with additional downloadable content. The lack of competitive balanced weaponry online is somewhat disappointing however the game's longevity is certainly kept by all of the aforementioned new features and intuitive gameplay additions, making Call of Duty: World at War on the PS3 definitely worth a purchase.

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Michael Hallwood