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Wednesday 17 Sep 2008
There are two groups of Call of Duty (COD) fans, those who played before COD 4 and those who joined the war with COD 4. Having spent 30 minutes fighting for survival in a stunningly rendered, fast paced, emotion dripping jungle in Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360), it is safe to say the fan base will continue to expand with this latest addition to the franchise.
The story and weaponry in COD 4 were some of the best on offer and I was somewhat skeptical about the decision to return to World War II for this installment. Nevertheless from my first impressions I have no doubt that Call of Duty: World at War has used the best that COD 4 has to offer and taken it to a new level.
We were given the opportunity to play through the beach landing / jungle mission and it was an explosive fight from the get go. The controls system is very easy to pickup and in no time I was running from cover to cover amongst debris and flame. The weapons are suitable to the World War II period and do the job, however, sadly I didn’t get the opportunity to unleash havoc with the much acclaimed flamethrower. The action is well paced and the AI is suitably challenging albeit it was one of the easier difficulty levels. Visually the game is stunning and the Treyarch development team have taken the solid Call of Duty 4 engine to new heights.
You start the game as a prisoner of war, being interrogated harshly by the enemy. After witnessing a few rough moments of the reality of war, you are saved from the brink of death by your side’s soldiers and jump right into the action with your band of soldiers trying to escape the enemy. Enemies run at you, you aim and fire, taking one down but still others follow. The machine gun provides a brief respite as you mow down an onslaught of enemies before ducking into shelter. Once you fight your way off the beach you land up in a lush jungle, at times turning luminous white when overhead flares ignite, illuminating the chaos around you as you run for cover. And so it continues…
With the rise in social gaming, COD WaW has come to the party and for the first time offers a co-operative campaign element. You will be able to team up with thee mates online, or play local two-player split-screen. This is a fundamental addition to the single-player missions and will certainly be a big hit for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
You should have already signed up for the Xbox 360 beta testing program, pre-ordered the full game and planned your leave accordingly. If not then your only valid excuse is that you’re a COD 4 addict and haven’t been able to stop playing.
The game will be available in South Africa and across Europe on the 14th of November 2008 while US gamers can mark the 11th of November on their calendars. It is being released on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, NDS and PC. The PS2, Wii and DS versions are built from the ground up for their respective platforms, so no dodgy ports for this AAA title.
Fans should also watch out for the Collector’s Edition. For more information to tide you over until the big event you should check out the Call of Duty: World at War website.
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