Call of Duty: World at War

You know that thing about the so-called odd numbered Call of Duty games? Yeah...

So let's play fit-as-many-cliches-as-you-can. Our target is Call of Duty Fi... I mean, Call of Duty: World at War. Your time starts... now!

Ah, yes, there's the spinning retro news-cast globe. The danger-red lettering of JAPANESE OCCUPIED TERRITORY - very newsreel - and then we've got the stirring music. Cue the archival footage... there it is! Oh, wait a minute, some of this looks a bit too modern, but at least it's different... looks like I might be a missing soldier captured by the Japanese; guess that's kinda clichéd. This voiceover sounds familiar... oh, Jack 'Keifer Sutherland' Bauer! Big score there.

Now some gameplay at last. Or at least the chance to move my head while the developers convince me how evil the Japanese are. Torture? Check. Sneering superiorty? Check. And would you look at that? Marines! Rescuing little 'ole me! Well hopefully, the ballistics are going to be good - this M1 Garand looks the job, but... wow, it sounds like a pop gun. And, wait a minute... what do you mean I need to reload? You can't reload a Garand if there are rounds left in the clip... oh. You can in WaW.

Epic fail right there.

(interesting story from the Editor: I've had a couple of clever readers who are even higher grade war nerds than me get in touch following this review's publication in issue 96. It turns out that this little Garand factoid is not quite true. It is in fact possible to reload with rounds still in the stripper; it's a little complex, of course, and takes some skill, but it can be done. Common practice was still to fire off every round before reloading, and many soldiers were trained that this was the only way to do things with the Garand. So, apologies.)

When Call of Duty 4 came out and ditched the by then slightly worn and dog-eared World War II setting, people were sceptical. However, as it turned out it was a great decision, and game was a groundbreaking exampled of narrative structure and tight multiplayer mechanics. It's still one of our favourite online shooters.

So when Treyarch got tapped to take the series back to the grim war years, the sceptics again had a field day. We've long been fans of the WWII shooter, but even we admit that - just perhaps - it's seen it's time. Unless, that is, Treyarch were going to bring something substantially new to the table. World at War is, after all, built on the same engine as CoD4.

Instead, the game is surprisingly lacklustre, and seems a definite step back in comparison to the game before it.

As we said, it's built on CoD4's engine, and that pedigree certainly shows in the graphics. Lush jungles and open ocean await you in the Pacific campaign, while the full desolation of the Eastern Front provides ample atmosphere for the European campaign. But looks are only half the deal, and the gameplay that sees you traverse the pretty locales is simply a dose of the same old stuff we've been seeing in WWII games now for years.

While some levels boast multiple paths to target, the so-called open-ended-ness we've been promised really doesn't seem that different to what we've seen in previous titles. You're also constantly being yelled at by officers and sergeants; this does leave off a little in later levels, and we guess we should be thankful there are some good actors behind the voices (though, really, did Gary Oldman lose a bet or something?).

But it's the little things that niggle the most. The interstitial elements between each level are an odd mix of period footage and modern graphics that don't really gel. Then there are issues with the weapons, which simply feel awkward to use, and lack the visceral feel of feedback of pretty much every firearm in CoD4. Plus the sound of firing seems flat and lifeless. Combine all that with a very unimaginative AI and the single player is decidedly average.

Multiplayer looks up a little at least, and co-op is a welcome addition to any game. The multiplayer is let off by being built on one of the best online games in recent years, so Treyarch would have really had to try hard to mess that up.

This is a game that we can really only recommend to hardcore fans of the franchise. Then again, they are hardly the type to bother with reviews in the first place. For anyone else looking for a good gaming experience, at this time of year there are many better games to choose from.