Call of Duty: World at War Preview
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 – by Jereme Puik, Staff Writer

Treyarch doesn’t exactly have the greatest reputation in this industry, especially after the debacle that was Call of Duty 3. After Infinity Ward took the reigns and gave us an excellent trip to Modern Warfare, our saddened eyes became even sadder when Treyarch announced it was taking on Call of Duty 5. They titled it, World at War and sent us on a trip back down memory lane. Sure, World War 2 has been beaten to death and I believe a lot of us are Nazi’ed out, so how can we give this developer another chance? GamePlasma recently got the opportunity to experience World at War first hand with an entrance into the multiplayer beta that launched this week and will run until the games release on November 11^th, 2008.

Visiting World War II Might Be A Good Thing

Some might think it’s impossible to top Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, however, World At War certainly comes close. The first thing you’ll notice when entering the beta is the fact that its entire interface is similar to that of Modern Warfare. There are a few tweaks here and there and the overall look of the design is different, but the mechanics of the interface are still there. You are given the chance to choose between about 6 or so different matches to play through and only a couple of maps (about 3) to cycle through. The games run from Team Deathmatch to War (capture enemy territory points) to Capture the Flag…etc. The maps themselves are quite large and fitting for the era we are being presented with. War is sort of like Call of Duty 4’s Domination except you are only capturing one enemy point and afterwards it disappears and reappears on the other side of the map, acting more like king of the hill.

The maps themselves stretch from Castle, Makin and Roundhouse. Castle brings players into an Imperial Japanese fortress used to fend off the Allies towards the end of the war. It’s a pretty closed map for the most part, although giving you some freedom here and there to move around and find cover. They are pretty standard affairs here; however, for the first time since before Modern Warfare, players are now able to take control of tanks and blast their way through the enemy team. Castle and Makin make for a more strategic approach to what you’ll experience in the full game.

Roundhouse, however, is probably the one highlight map in the beta due to its ability to drive tanks. Tanks may prove useful in tight situations although will severely outnumber you in the long run if you’re on the enemy team. Replay cameras make a return here and there are updates to give you better views of enemies killing you. The competitive multiplayer brings back the rush of racing to level up your character and fly through the ranks as quickly as possible. With these come a bonus perk.

Each perk has its own advantages. Yes, Matrydom makes a return here, and something a lot of people might roll their eyes about, but it’s useful and you can’t deny that. The thing that surprised me most about World at War is the fact that Treyarch was able to add something a little extra to the game itself and changed the perks a bit to differentiate itself from Call of Duty 4. If you manage to kill 3 enemies in a row you’ll get help from a recon plane flying above. If you manage to get a streak going and hit 5 kills, you’ll be given an airstrike to take control of and wipe out the enemy team, if you can. Now, 5 is tricky considering it can only be seconds before you’re discovered and shot at by your enemy trying to hold that streak. It might be the overall feel of the game that might change my mind about this developer, but the excitement I am building for World at War is continuing to grow. Something I’m surprised about myself.

Some of the cooler known weapons aren’t available in the beta considering their level strength you have to reach. For instance, the flamethrower, probably the cheapest weapon in the game isn't reachable until level 65, which is reasonable for the most part, considering in Call of Duty 4 most of the good weapons didn’t appear in your choice radar until level 50 or so.

Call of Duty World At War is a bold step for Treyarch and something they should be proud of. Although they took pretty much everything that was successful about Call of Duty 4 and used it for them, they made it original enough to put it in its own class. Don’t forget this game come launch time. It may not be Modern Warfare, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to go back to an era we all know with a love/hate relationship. This is a highlight for the books.

Conclusion

It’s about as addicting as it can get for a first-person shooter title. This is a new standard formula much like what Halo started when its control scheme first appeared on the Xbox 360. This should be what other developers take note of and work with it. The leveling system is uniquely designed to give as much satisfaction to the player as possible. Each rank provides something new to explore. The challenges that are unlockable during the beta and most likely in the final game reach a new height. It gives the people a reason to come back to the game, much like I had every reason to spend countless hours in Call of Duty 4. With online co-op in the single player campaign, this is one title to keep an eye out for during the holiday rush.