COD5 Richard's Impressions
Posted on: 11/09/2008 - By: Richard

One of the biggest names in first person shooters is returning to the setting that made it famous with Call of Duty: World at War. Set for a North American release in November 11, this first person shooter is currently in it's Beta testing and I have been lucky enough to get some hands-on time. The new Call of Duty boasts a four player co-op campaign, ranging over both the European and Pacific theaters via online and split screen. Six multiplayer modes have also been announced, including capture the flag, search and destroy, war which is a version of territories, deathmatch and team deathmatch.

The options available in World at War are just as deep as Modern Warfare, bringing back all the things we loved from that game as well as several additions. Perks are back, and an extra slot has been added for vehicle perks. The only vehicles that are driveable, as of now, are tanks. We can hope there will be more to choose from. Another significant change is the ability to call in packs of dogs. Taking the place of the helicopter strike, at seven kills you may radio in for a pack of dogs to be set loose to charge over the map seeking out your enemies and viciously mauling them. While their speed makes it difficult to take them out with guns, knifing them turned out to be effective at fending off the hounds. The dialog for the guy calling in the air strikes was pretty limited and hopefully will be expanded. If not, it would be nice if we could mute him. The guy only has one line, depending on what you are calling in or what you're opponent is doing. Challenges have been brought back, unlocking new perks, weapons, and upgrades. Some of those include are molotov cocktails, flamethrowers, and the ability to revive fallen comrades.

Treyarch put a ton of work into making this Call of Duty look as good as possible. Fire and explosions look awesome, causing widespread havok, but don't do any lasting damage to the environment. While cover does show scorch marks and bullet holes, it is not destructible. The three playable maps were rendered well, with a variety of locations, including a japanese fishing village, and a bombed out train yard. Water appears and react realistically, causing ripples on it's surface from bullets and slowing your movement. On the map Castle, lotus petals float in the breaze making this one of the most gorgeous maps to view. The detail of the bombed out train yard of Roundhouse made my jaw drop and had me exploring every inch of the map, examining broken down train engines, rusted metal on the catwalks, and broken brickwork in the warehouse just out of appreciation of the work that went into it.

Gameplay is everything you could ask for, with only a few minor issues. Most guns fire well and have enough kick to feel realistic, though some bolt action rifles seemed under powered and the Thompson poured out ammunition faster than it should. There are issues with spawn locations sometimes spawning you right in the line of fire and occasionally in front of an enemy dog. One such bug had me spawning in the same location multiple times, where an enemy soldier was camping and waiting to knife me in the back. These problems are minor though in comparison to the overall entertainment and with nearly a month left until release, Treyarch still has time to iron them out.

The only thing bad I could say about my experience was that it felt exactly like I was playing Modern Warfare set in WW2. The question I have is: “Is that such a bad thing?” Fans of the series shouldn't be disappointed with this next installment in the Call of Duty series and will eagerly be awaiting the full version of the game.