If you never played a WW II FPS before or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare you will find this game great, superb…put here any superlatives that come in your mind. This, not being the case, because I play WW II shooters since Wolfenstein 3D and I played COD 4 too, I’ll not give you this perspective on the game. The important minuses that this game has, are: the same COD 4 game mechanics, the lack of a story and of course…the old, tired WW II setting. Modern Warfare was a breath of fresh air…that’s why it was so appreciated. It’s too bad that World at War won’t get the same attention from the players and critics because it is a really good game if you look at it like a standalone game, and not put it in context. The developers could have put more effort in making the characters in the game more complex. Even Sgt. Reznov and Sgt. Roebuck could have been made a little better. Although their voices are performed by Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon from Dark Knight) and Kiefer Sutherland (from 24), it feels like something is missing. You don’t feel any attachment to this characters. It’s not the actors fault, they do a good job…it’s something else I can’t quite put my finger on it. The story…like I said before, kind of doesn’t exist. Practically the game follows Pvt. Miller from the US Army and Dimitry from the Russian Army on two different theaters of war in key moments from their lives and the war at the same time. There is no connection between missions (with some exceptions), this means there is no continuity, maybe that’s why it feels like something is missing or maybe because the game is focused on action too much and you don’t have time to get attached to your companions but on the other hand it gives you a taste of the despair many soldiers probably feel in the heart of the battle. I should probably tell you that the game isn’t a walk in the park, and you will dye a lot, especially if you are not familiar with the game’s mechanics. But at least the game is kind enough to tell you how you died… A grenade killed you…bla bla…I saw this too many times…it even became frustrating and I had to exit the game in the middle of the mission.
Like the previous COD this game gives you a unique perspective on the war, for example you are the gun man in a plane and you have to destroy a Japanese ship convoy or you drive a tank …and this tank has something special..a flamethrower…I bet you never burned before a dozen of Nazis at once. Speaking of flamethrowers, you have the chance of using one on several missions with Pvt. Miller and it’s spectacular, the bayonets are a new addition to the weapons too, harder to use but when you get the chance is ….spectacular.
Compared with Cod 4 and most shooters this game is more bloody, more violent even shocking in some moments. It actually starts with a scene where you and your comrades are being held capture by the Japanese and interrogated. You are tied up in a corner and watch the whole thing… one of your mates spit the interrogator in his face… an unfortunate action…because the Japanese takes his cigar and puts it out in your mate’s eye, after that he commands another guy to … cut his neck with a big knife…which he does….blood all over the wall…you get the picture. This is just one of the very explicit violent scenes. When you get your hands on a heavy machine gun you can dismember or blow the enemy’s heads off. The game is rated M for Mature, so it shouldn’t fall in the wrong hands. It gives you just a glimpse in the atrocities of war. For a video game it’s enough…the next best think is the real deal I guess. Splitting the game in two parts is not a bad idea because the two enemies…the Nazis and the Japanese act very different, giving you an unique experience. I really liked the first mission with Dimitry..it is very atmospheric and reminds me of the movie “Enemy at the Gates” . I’ll let you discover the rest by yourself.
The graphic is good, it’s not Crysis but it looks nice…you saw the screenshots. The sounds are well made, the music stands out. It runs smoothly which for me is very important(I hated Crysis for the slow performance). The multiplayer is very similar to COD 4 which is a really good thing. The maps are big so don’t forget to bring as many friends as you can…or join an internet game. The new addition is the Cooperative mode which allows 4 players to play the single player together…hmm…in that case I guess is not called single player any more. If you finish the game you will be awarded with a bonus mission: Nazi Zombies…which I enjoy very much. This concludes the review, I’ll give the game 8 out of 10.
