Product Description

Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare technology, Call of Duty: World at War brings an uncensored edge to combat, as soldiers face the most harrowing and climatic European and Pacific battles in which an enemy, who knows no surrender and no retreat, will fight to the last breath, unleashing an arsenal of lethal surprising tactics. Peril and danger lurk throughout the battlefield as players combat the unknown risk of the new chaos of battle.

From the remains of Russia and the ruins of Berlin, to the beach and jungles of the deadly Pacific Theater, the volatile action takes on added depth as players employ new features that previously were only available in multiplayer, including perks, rankings and online stats in up to full four-player co-operative gameplay. New infantry and vehicle-based weapons, like the potent flamethrower, bring the battlefield ablaze.

• Final Battles: Call of Duty: World at War forces players to survive the final climactic days of a world at war to thwart the advance of Axis powers on multiple fronts from Europe to the Pacific - delivering the hallmark Call of Duty cinematic intensity on a worldwide scale. Play as a U.S. Marine or Russian conscript across a variety of European and Pacific infantry, vehicle and airborne missions.
• Co-Op Campaign Mode: "No One Fights Alone" takes on new meaning as players can complete the entire single-player campaign with up to four players online or two players via split-screen (both online and offline). Strategising with others provides gameplay diversity, replayability and engagement.
• Addictive Multiplayer: Call of Duty: World at War continues the addictive and leading class-based multiplayer action. The addition of vehicles to the highly-successful Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer that already includes persistent experience, player rankings, upgradeable weapons, squad-based gameplay, map

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2008-11-14
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.co.uk
Call of Duty returns, and to many people’s surprise, it’s going back to World War II. While original series creators Infinity Ward brought the series into the modern day, developer Treyarch are setting out to make the definitive historical first-person shooter.

The Soviet attack on Berlin features intense street battles

Take on the Japanese navy as you board a U.S. flying boat

World at War features the most realistic fire effects ever

The new ability to swim adds to both the story and multiplayer modes

The game is primarily set in the Pacific theatre and has a much more realistic, violent tone requiring less-linear game play than previous Call of Duty installments. You'll struggle to survive Japanese attacks without mastering new gaming skills, like swimming or how to use a flamethrower--a weapon that packs some punch in the fully destructable game world.

Also featured is a campaign on the Eastern front, where you take control of a soldier in the Soviet Red Army during the attack on Berlin in the closing stages of the war. The game also includes the series’ first co-op mode, while the competitive multiplayer mode aims to build upon the achievements of Call of Duty 4 and add to the game’s longevity.

Key Features

• Dual campaigns: Fight in two very different World War II battles. Take on the Japanese Imperial army in the Pacific, and liberate Berlin as part of the Soviet Red Army.
• Grim realities: Experience the most bloody and realistic combat ever seen in the series, as you witness enemy atrocities and wield horrific new weapons such as the flamethrower.
• Job with benefits: Revamped competitive multiplayer mode features useable vehicles and an expanded perks system from Call of Duty 4.
• Brothers in arms: For the first time, a Call of Duty game features a four-player co-operative mode that’s playable online or via a split screen option on the same console.
• Modern graphics: The game uses an enhanced version of the Call of Duty 4 graphics engine, with wood that splinters realistically when shot and fires that spread organically.

About the Developer: Treyarch
One of publisher Activision’s biggest internal studios, Treyarch have worked on many of the company’s best known titles, from the Spider-Man movie tie-ins and spin-offs to several of the Call of Duty sequels and the new James Bond game, Quantum of Solace.

Manufacturer's Description
Call of Duty: World at War completely changes the rules of engagement by redefining WWII gaming and thrusting players into the final tension-filled, unforgiving battles against a new ferocious enemy in the most dangerous and suspenseful action ever seen in WWII.

Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare technology, Call of Duty: World at Warbrings an uncensored edge to combat, as soldiers face the most harrowing and climatic European and Pacific battles in which an enemy, who knows no surrender and no retreat, will fight to the last breath, unleashing an arsenal of lethal surprising tactics. Peril and danger lurk throughout the battlefield as players combat the unknown risk of the new chaos of battle.

From the remains of Russia and the ruins of Berlin, to the beach and jungles of the deadly Pacific Theater, the volatile action takes on added depth as players employ new features that previously were only-available in multiplayer, including perks, rankings and online stats in up-to full four-player cooperative gameplay. New infantry and vehicle-based weapons, like the potent flamethrower, bring the battlefield ablaze.

Final Battles: Call of Duty: World at War forces players to survive the final climactic days of a world at war to thwart the advance of Axis powers on multiple fronts from Europe to the Pacific – delivering the hallmark Call of Duty cinematic intensity on a worldwide scale. Play as a U.S. Marine or Russian conscript across a variety of European and Pacific infantry, vehicle and airborne missions. An all new depth of WWII-era combat variety, from the tactics and weapons to the unique and varying locations that traverse the ruins of Western Europe all the way to the harsh, wetlands of Imperial Japan, immerses gamers into an adrenaline-filled, epic struggle.

Co-Op Campaign Mode: "No One Fights Alone" takes on new meaning as players can complete the entire single player campaign with up to four players online or two players via split-screen (both online and offline). Strategizing with others provides gameplay diversity, replayability and engagement. Complete unique co-op challenges to earn rewards and bragging rights.

Addictive Multiplayer: Call of Duty: World at War continues the addictive and leading class-based multiplayer action. The addition of vehicles to the highly-successful Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer that already includes persistent experience, player rankings, upgradeable weapons, squad-based gameplay, map scripting, customizable classes and perks, brings a new dimension to Call of Duty online warfare.

---

Customer Reviews

FULL GAME REVIEW!
It's a very difficult job following on from one of the greatest title's ever to grace the gaming world (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare), but Treyarch and Activision have produced a master-class, which follows on proudly from it's predecceser.

CAMPAIGN:

The game's campaign splits time between two different fronts. For half the game, you'll play as an American Marine taking on Japanese forces as you push from their forward island bases all the way back to Okinawa. The other half puts you in Russian boots as you strike back against the Germans, pushing them out of the motherland and sieging Berlin. Like the previous game, the campaign jumps back and forth between the two perspectives.

The campaign provides a good amount of first-person shooter variety, but it excels when the levels are wide open and all hell is breaking loose around you. There are more than a few moments where you're charging against an entrenched enemy, and the game does a good job of making these moments feel appropriately chaotic. You'll also see the requisite vehicle sequence and some up-close indoor battles. Overall, a quality single-player campaign which will keep you going for hours.

MULTI-PLAYER:

Once again, the Call of Duty multi-player has the ability to leave you playing for hours on end without losing interest, and drooling for more action. In what feels like no time at all, you could check your score and find that you have played it for 5 hours or something!

Some of the major changes include:
- Rank 65 before Prestiging.
- Tanks available for some maps.
- 3 kills (Plane Recon), 5 kills (Artillery), 7 kills (Dogs).
- Different Perks and Guns.
- Different game modes/maps.

Overall, the World at War multi-player has stayed in touch with COD4, and is still very enjoyable to all who play it, resulting in hours on end of playtime. The new additions are very clever and there is just something about COD online. It can't be rivalled. There seems to be a touch of genius about World at War, and still you will find yourself desperately trying to climb up the ranks and get to Rank 65 on the 10th Prestige! It is just brilliant!

VISUAL/GRAPHICS:

Fire seems to be a big visual theme in World at War. Large portions of the campaign are devoted to running around with a flamethrower and burning as many Japanese soldiers as possible. You'll run through burning buildings. And if you play long enough, you'll be able to unlock that flamethrower for use in multiplayer. The fire effects, thankfully, are good enough to warrant their featured position. The flamethrower snakes around as you wave it and burns up most nearby grass and trees as you go. Creeping through dark, but still-burning buildings shows off the game's terrific lighting, as the soft glow of the flames reflects and flickers onto the nearby walls. All of the lighting, is done extremely well, and playing this on a HDTV will be truly stunning.

In conclusion, I think it's safe to say that everyone will agree on World at War being an extremely good FPS that had ticked all the right boxes. However, there will be divided opinion on whether or not it's better than last years masterpiece. My advice...buy World at War now, but keep COD4. World at War is extremely well made and should be bought by anyone who is as fan of the COD series, but COD4 is just too good to throw out or trade in and should still be kept for all the right reasons.

Hope my review was helpful and feel free to leave any comments.

War - it's fantastic
You know, I sometimes catch myself wondering what it must feel like to have a brother like Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali or Chuck Norris - someone so incredibly successful and respected in their field that nothing you could possibly do with your life would ever measure up. Now I realize I only need to ask the nice people at Treyarch how it feels having to compete with Infinity Ward.

As everyone who's ever played First Person Shooters will know, the Call of Duty series has had a somewhat checkered history, alternating between creative brilliance and formulaic tedium over the past several years. Then Infinity Ward went and brought the series bang up to date with Call of Duty 4, and game critics the world over proclaimed it (rightly so) as the best thing since 3D graphics. The game has since gone on to be more popular than breathing.

Publishers Activision promptly demanded a sequel. When they were bluntly informed by Infinity Ward that a sequel would be anything but prompt, and that rushing a game through development with no regard for quality rarely results in blockbusting sales, Activision turned their eye on Treyarch, who were brought in to helm World at War.

But how to create a sequel to one of the most popular FPS's of the past decade...

With World at War, Treyarch certainly done their level best to go one better than their Infinity Ward brethren, throwing in top-notch graphics and an impressive voice cast (Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman, no less).

But does it measure up?

Unlike Modern Warfare, World at War takes us back (again) to WW2, with the story alternating between American and Russian campaigns, because we all know us Brits were busy drinking tea and eating jam scones while this whole war lark was going on. Anyway, the action jumps between the Pacific and Eastern Front theatres, with each mission providing a markedly different gaming experience.

First, the American campaign. You play as an American GI, taking on hordes of Japanese soldiers as you battle across Peliliu Island, and then the notorious struggle for Okinawa. This campaign is without doubt the more gruelling and brutal of the two, with booby traps, ambushes and suicidal Japanese charges to contend with. Deformable character models mean there's almost no end to the gruesome injuries you can inflict on your enemies, including setting them on fire. Yes, flame throwers feature prominently in this campaign, and their use is strongly encouraged. Kiefer Sutherland is also on hand, lending his distinctive gravelly voice to the action.

The only real sticking point in the Pacific campaign is the mission that pointlessly sticks you in the gun turret of a recon plane. This section stuck out for me as repetitive, clunky and not particularly rewarding.

The Soviet campaign is arguably less compelling, partly because it's so familiar, with Call of Duty favourites like Stalingrad and Berlin well represented, although it's nice to see the oft-forgotten battle for the Seelow Heights featured. Still, the fresh graphics help to inject a bit of fun into proceedings, and the final storming of the Reichstag is a genuinely challenging bit of gaming (even if it's been done before in the same bloody series!).

And yet, for all the things it gets right, it feels like there's something missing from World at War. For a start, the WW2 setting doesn't do it any favours. How many times do we have to revisit places like Stalingrad before someone admits that there's nothing more to be done with it? And after playing as a highly trained SAS or Delta Force operative in Modern Warfare, battling through as a lowly conscript with bog-standard weapons feels like a bit of a climb-down. And there's no over-arching plot to tie everything together - the Pacific and European campaigns are totally disconnected, removing the feeling that both sides are working towards a common goal.

I don't know - maybe it's just that fact that WW2 has faded from the public consciousness lately, replaced by newer and more relevant conflicts, that makes World at War feel strangely pointless.

But as with most FPS's, World at War stands or falls based on its multi-player modes. In this respect, it's definitely on par with Modern Warfare. Maps are varied and interesting, providing plenty of opportunities for interesting tactics, and the weapon selection incorporates everything used in the single player campaign, though as before, you have to progress up the rankings to unlock better guns.

Overall then, I give World at War four out of five. It's a solid, competent and occasionally impressive shooter that doesn't quite live up to the legacy of its predecessor.

A solid shooter, but nothing on Infinity Ward
Treyarch have a thankless job developing for the Call of Duty franchise. Following from series creator Infinity Ward, their games rarely match the quality or innovation. Sadly, World at War is no exception.
The unprecedented success of Modern Warfare meant Treyarchs decision to return to WW2 took everyone by surprise. To their credit, it isnt the disaster many feared, and they have managed to provide a fresh perspective on a creatively exhausted period in history.

Revenge is the central theme in World at War; the American campaign a response to the Japenese attack on Pearl Harbour, and the Russians march on Berlin is vengeance for the decimation of their homeland. This gives a perfect excuse to create morally compromising situations similar to COD4. Both the Russian and American characters are narrowly saved from certain death.

The game is solid enough. Clearly lots of effort has been made to preserve what made COD4 so memorable. Presentation is near identical, with similar menu screens, and online options. The achievement system has been expanded, as well as minor additions.
Co-op mode is the best new addition, one of the only things lacking in Infinty Wards classic.
On the other hand, vehicle sections (both in single-player and multi), only serve as a reminder why Infinity Ward leave them out. The controls are a clunky mess, and their inclusion feels unnecessary.
Use of the Call of Duty 4 engine assures solid visuals. However, the U.S campaign is set in the jungles of the Pacific, and here the textures are surprisingly average. Likewise for the flamethrower, although lots of fun to use, the fire effects (hyped as the most realistic ever) are very underwhelming, even in 1080p. Environments and objects suffer from a a strange white outline. Interaction between characters isnt entirely convincing, although the death animations are suitably dramatic. Smoke effects are solid, adding a sudden and very real sense of menace. The lighting is also excellent, as are the explosions from grenades.

The much hyped enemy tactics are mainly part of scripted sequences, rarely affecting gameplay as originally promised. Treetop snipers did take me by surprise however. Invisible trigger points are everywhere, and enemies seem to infinitely respawn until the squad have advanced. Granted, COD4 did the same, but it is much more obvious here, cracks are certainly beginning to show in the game mechanics. In addition, not every surface can be climbed over, leading to unintentionally awkward moments in gameplay.
Levels also have the tendency to end abruptly, without getting chance to savour the victory. A small point, but highlights the slightly rushed execution.

Sound is solid throughout. 24's Kiefer Sutherland gives a faultless performance as Sgt. Roebuck, improving the American levels significantly. His angry growls fit perfectly with the surroundings. Roebuck is almost as memorable as Captain Price. A massive achievement, but almost every other character is a bland, forgettable waxwork. Music is good, but some heavy metal selections jar awkwardly with the 1940's setting.

Its been said COD:WAW should be treated lke an expansion pack rather than the next instalment. A refinement instead of an overhaul. This would explain why '5' has been removed from the title. It certainly looks and plays like an expansion pack, so why not price it like one?
World at Wars release proves beyond all doubt that Call of Duty is a huge cash cow for Activision. Whilst most fans would be happy to wait for a 'true sequel', the popularity of the franchise means this will sell regardless.
A solid, if forgettable shooter. At least its Infinity Wards turn in 2009.