Call of Duty World at War PS3 Review

Call of Duty World at War

PS3 Review
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Players: 1-2 (1-18 Online)

Call of Duty 4 released last year and took us into modern warfare for the first time in the history of the franchise.  This time around, we have gone back to WWII with Treyarch as the developer yet again.  So did going back in time help or hurt the Call of Duty franchise?

I have to admit I was a bit bummed out when I heard that the whole Modern Warfare concept was being thrown out the window in World at War.  With that said though, once the game started up all of the doubts were immediately erased.  World at War is an in-your-face first-person-shooter which really cranks up the pace and action to levels never before seen in a Call of Duty game.

The game puts you in two perspectives, from the American side as well as the Russian side, similar to how Call of Duty 4 was set up.  The whole way in which the story progresses throughout is very well-done and the presentation, as expected, is top-notch.

The biggest issue with Call of Duty World at War is the fact that since we are back in WWII once again, there is not a whole lot here in regards to innovation or surprise.  If you have played the older Call of Duty games, you can pretty much guess what type of weaponry you are going to be able to use, the enemies, you will face, mission objectives, etc.

The whole game does have a great deal of excitement to it, and it is really well-done, but at the same time we have seen all of this done before with the same level of polish and quality from the franchise.  This is not a negative thing by any means, it is just that everyone knows how great the game is, and you know exactly what to expect.  There is just no surprise-factor at all.

Anyway moving on, beyond the single-player you can also do four-player co-op, as well as two-player offline co-op to enjoy the campaigns with friends, which adds a lot of fun.

If you want more, there is also the ability to play with up to 18-players in online matches such as Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and others.

The online component of Call of Duty World at War is phenomenal and will probably end up making for one of the best online games of the year on the PS3.  There is tons of stuff here which you will absolutely get hooked on.

In terms of the graphics and sound, you can surely expect to be blown away here by Call of Duty World at War.

The graphics are top-notch and are actually an improvement over Modern Warfare if you can believe it.  The game runs incredibly smooth with some great details, textures, colors, etc.  The same can be said about the way in which the audio was done, as the game will blow you away with the great sound effects, voices, music, etc.

Call of Duty World at War may not pack a whole lot of innovation, but it is probably still the best shooter to release this year on any platform.  For Call of Duty fans, you are still going to have a blast with this one, just don’t expect too many surprises.

Graphics: 9.0 A great looking game from top to bottom with amazing details.

Sound: 9.0 Great sound effects, voicework, etc.  Extremely engrossing.

Gameplay: 8.5 The game plays great, but lacks innovation.

Replay Value: 9.0 Tons of quality stuff here with a great campaign, co-op and online battles.

Final Score: 8.8

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