Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2.[1] It is the fifth installment in the main Call of Duty series.[2] The game is set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II.[2][3] The game shipped in North America on November 11, 2008,[4] in Australia on November 12, 2008,[6] and in Europe on November 14, 2008.[5]
The story focuses on the final battles of World War II in the Pacific and Eastern Europe involving the United States, the Empire of Japan, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany.[2] It is told from the perspectives of a Marine Raider and a Red Army soldier, and is based on several historical battles, including the Makin Island raid, the Battle of Peleliu, and the Battle of Berlin.[1][10] The multiplayer portion of the game contains various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons and rewards as they progress, which was originally implemented in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. A new feature to the Call of Duty series is the co-op mode, which can support up to four players online and two offline.[3]
Gameplay
World at War features a more mature theme than previous installments in the series.[11] The game is more open-ended than previous games in the series, as there are multiple ways to complete objectives.[12] The gameplay of World at War shares several features with previous iterations of the franchise. Once again, players fight alongside AI-controlled teammates. They help during the game’s missions by providing cover fire, shooting down enemies, and clearing rooms for entry.[13]
The game’s return to World War II-era warfare reintroduces weapons and technology that have been seen in other games in the Call of Duty franchise, including the Thompson submachine gun, flamethrowers, the Mosin-Nagant rifle, and the Panzerschreck anti-tank rocket. The player gains access to these over the course of the game, but may only carry up to two weapons in addition to grenades. Weapons from fallen foes can be picked up to replace weapons in a player’s arsenal. Players can also find weapons with additional attachments, including guns equipped with rifle grenades and telescopic sights.[13]
A character can be positioned in one of three stances: standing, crouching, or prone; each affecting the character’s rate of movement, accuracy, and stealth. Using cover helps the player avoid enemy fire or recover health after taking significant damage, as there are no armor or health powerups. When the character has taken damage, the edges of the screen glow red and the character’s heartbeat increases. If the character stays out of fire, the character can recover. When the character is within the blast radius of a live grenade, a marker indicates the direction of the grenade, helping the player to either flee or toss it back to the enemy.[13]
A special mode called “Nacht Der Untoten (Night of the Undead)” is unlocked once the player completes the single player campaign. In it, up to four players must attempt to defend themselves from limitless waves of undead Nazi soldiers. The players are confined to a delapidated house divided into three sections, two of which must be unlocked; each section contains different weapons and more places for enemies to enter. Players can unlock the rest of the house and purchase new weapons by spending points, which are earned by shooting and killing enemies as well as repairing barriers. The mode can be played in single-player, splitscreen co-op, or online co-op.[14]
Nintendo Wii
