Call of Duty: World at War
To say that I was skeptical about Call of Duty: World at War (CoD5) is an understatement. I was never a huge fan of the first three CoD installments, finding the gameplay a clunky and the available weapons a bit lame. (coming from a guy that prefers railguns and rocket launchers to bolt-action rifles) When Infinity Ward dropped CoD4: Modern Warfare on us, my opinion of the franchise drastically changed. Faster gameplay, improved game mechanics, awesome multiplayer, a wicked selection of configurable weapons, and most importantly…a contemporary setting that has held my attention for months. Needless to say, when Activision released another World War II plot line, I was not thrilled.
Five minutes into the story and I was sold. From the grisly opening scene to the random ambushes of Japanese patrols, World at War was easily as captivating as Modern Warfare. I’ll avoid spoilers by not commenting on any details of the storyline, but I will say they did a pretty decent of job of developing a plot that’s still interesting…even though we all know how the story ends. Alternating missions between the Asian and European fronts deliver enough variance in gameplay and tactics to keep every new mission feeling fresh. Vehicle modes are not the best I’ve personally seen, but are still a good time.
As with any good Xbox 360 title, CoD5 delivers a healthy number of challenging and creative achievements. For example…
- Firestarter: Complete a mission with just a flamethrower
- No Safe Place: Torch a sniper out of a tree with the flamethrower
…and my personal favorite
- Kamikaze: Complete a mission without firing a shot…knife only
The real magic for CoD5 happens at the close of the final credits. A brief cinematic rolls introducing the unthinkable… nazi zombies. When I first heard about the addition of the nazi zombies I thought it sounded a bit lame and inappropriate for this particular series of games. One round of online co-op zombies and I was hooked. Four friends in co-op mode defending a building with multiple access points against killer nazi zombies. The levels are seamless and rapidly get more difficult as you progress through the mission; by level 12, zombies are pouring in from every direction while you and your teammates are frantically trying to keep the compound together. Simple and fun, nazi zombies co-op makes for a perfect way to blow an evening over xbox live.
Great single player, multiplayer, achievements, and nazi zombies add enough replay value to make Call of Duty: World at War purchase worthy. If you are a fan of Modern Warfare, don’t hesitate to give CoD5 a try.
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