Call of Duty World at War Review (PC)

Game Play & Mechanics

The game play in Call of Duty World at War is very similar to that of previous titles in the series including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Players are guided through missions with the use of a small compass and star that directs them to the current objective. The overall game mechanics have also remained relatively unchanged with basic movement conrtols and standing, crouch and prone positions as well as health. When you are injured the corners of the screen turn red and and you'll hear the distinct sound of a heart beat and heavy breathing. Resting out of the line of fire for a few seconds will return you to full health. In addition to these standard controls players will also have additional options for grenade toss back, "cooking" grenades, misc explosives, perks and weapon attachments. One final addition to Call of Duty World at War are the secret Death Cards that are found in various missions of the campaign. These Death Cards provide a little extra ability or perk in co-op mode.

Players can carry up to two weapons with various types being found throughout the game. All the familiar weapons you've seen in other World War 2 games are present in Call of Duty World at War. These include the M1 Garand, Thompson Sub-machine gun, Browning Automatic Rifle(BAR) and many other Russian, Japanese and German weapons. Weapons can also be found with a wide assortment of attachments such as a scope, rifle grenades, bayonet, and tripod just to name a few. These little extras may not seem like much but they add a nice level of detail and realism to the World War 2 setting.

Addictive Multiplayer

As with other Call of Duty titles the multiplayer portion is no afterthought and is as much a part of the game as the solo/co-op campaign. All the favorites game mode are present with Free-For-All, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, War, and others, there are a total of eight multiplayer modes in all. The multiplayer portion also includes a leveling system that allows you to unlock new weapons, weapon attachments, perks and vehicle perks. Introduced in Call of Duty 4 the idea of perks is a great little feature that adds some unique abilities to your custom classes. The multiplayer mode contains five standard or base classes but you have the ability to completely customize up to five more using the various weapons, attachments and perks that you have unlocked by your level. While I do like the single player/co-op campaign for World at War, the multiplayer portion really has me hooked, the options for custom classes, leveling and numerous multiplayer game modes makes the game fresh and exciting each time you play.

Bottom Line

While many critics may say the World War 2 shooter has run it's course and then some, Call of Duty World at War proves otherwise with an engaging single player/cooperative campaign and a robust multiplayer game. While you can turn down the blood and violence in the game settings, the game is rated M for Mature for a reason with adult language and themes. With that said however Call of Duty World at War is easily one of the top shooters of 2008 and is a must for any fan of World War 2 themed video games.