Call of Duty: World at War (2008)

Call of Duty: World at War is a great game but came as a surprise after Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. At the time, I (and I think many others) thought the series had shifted towards “the future” and was continuing the Modern Warfare theme. For this reason, this game came “out of nowhere”.

Nevertheless, the shift back to WWII, was welcome, and Call of Duty: World at War showed new perspectives to the war with the addition of the war against Japan. In the game, you take control of Private C. Miller against the Japanese army in the pacific war. You start in a POW camp where you witness the slaughter of your fellow marines. The camp is attacked and you break free and rejoin your squad, taking the fight to the Japanese and securing the island of Makin. After this, further in the story, you assault the island of Okinawa and start the painful conquest of the endless bunkers, hideouts and death traps the Japanese had laid out for you. In this campaign, you are presented with choices of who you want to save in the end, Roebuck or Polonsky, both squad mate since the beginning of the campaign. This adds some moral and emotion to the story.

In the second part of the campaign, you play as Private Dimitri Petrenko and awake in a body filled fountain in Stalingrad. You escape the Germans and meet up with your squad. Heavily outnumbered, you try to assassinate the German General Heinrich Amsel, but this attempt fails. You escape via the Volga River and the next mission begins. Now you fight in the battle of Seelow Highs, in which you blast your way through the German lines in your T-34 Tank. Your hatred for the enemy is endless and no mercy is shown, making this the most violent and brutal installment thus far in the series. Finally, you reach Berlin in the final mission and, after getting badly wounded, you help your comrades get the Soviet flag up above the Reichstag.

I really enjoyed the story and think this is one of the best, along with Call of Duty 2.

The Graphics and animations in Call of Duty: World at War are greatly improved and the addition of dismembering enemies came out of the blue. I was surprised and flabbergasted when I shot an enemy and his arm flew off. Like I said before, I think this game is the most brutal and violent of them all, in terms of gibs, story and overall feeling.

In the audio department, I was surprised as well. Sound of gunfire and explosions are really good and the music is excellent. This is an example in which the visuals are backed perfectly by good sound design.

Call of Duty: World of War is also the first game that introduces the “Nazi Zombies” mode, in which you defend a small map against waves of zombies. Like the rest, this mode is brutal and so much fun to play and laid the foundation for the rest of the series.

In conclusion, Call of Duty: World at War is still a great game and one full of happy memories.

Definitely would recommend this gem.