Call of Duty: World at War Review for PC

System: X360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Treyarch	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Activision	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 11, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-18	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Mature	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

As great as this game is, it does have a couple small problems worth mentioning. My biggest gripe with the game is the squad A.I. There are times where it malfunctions. Sometimes your squad mate blocks you off, this is especially annoying when there is a grenade in close proximity that you cannot throw back, but it is close enough to kill you. Grenades will kill you repeatedly because of this bug.

Call of Duty: World at War screenshot

There are times where the friendly A.I. is just dumb, I have seen them completely ignore enemy soldiers and even walk past them. Or, they'll engage enemies over a wall or some other obstacle, but for some unknown reason become stuck in an infinite loop, shooting at each other, neither dies because they never make contact. So, they continue until you kill that specific soldier or else they will not stop. The other problem is the enemy respawns endlessly until you hit a trigger, so you have to move forward or you will never get through the game. Finally, the last issue I have is with some of the commentary. Why are Russian soldiers speaking fluent English? I know this is a small problem, but it is distracting and I am sure others will notice too.

Call of Duty: World at War looks fantastic and runs even better. You will never see the framerate hiccup. There is great texture work, animations are nearly flawless, and there are awesome particle effects, with excellent lighting. I played World at War on a mid-range machine with an Intel Core 2 Duo, running at 3.4 GHz, with an Nvidia 8800GTX, with all the details set to maximum, and the game ran perfectly. It looks even better than last year. The sound, as always, is excellent. This is the perfect excuse to invest in a sound system or a nice pair of headphones. You will hear constant gunfire, explosions, and officers barking orders. The voice acting is excellent, everyone sounds great, especially Sergeant Roebuck voiced by Kiefer Sutherland, it is awesome to hear the voice of Jack Bauer barking orders.

Treyarch came back this year with an excellent addition to the franchise. Many gamers may look at this game with an "I've been there, done that" attitude. I am here to tell you that this is the best WWII effort so far, as well as the best game in the franchise. Call of Duty: World at War will be available November 11th, it's been developed on every platform, and will retail for $49.99 on the PC.

By Youcef Baouchi
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.5

Graphics
The game looks fantastic, but there is a lot of competition among other PC games.

4.5

Control
Controls are great. They are standard, but solid. No complaints.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
There is not a game out there that sounds better than World at War. Explosions, guns, and voice work are all top-notch. However, I did find Russian troop commentary to be disconcerting; they speak fluent English.

4.8

Play Value
The single-player is a blast, extremely chaotic, and fun. It would be perfect if the campaign were longer. Co-op is a welcome addition. The multiplayer is awesome; you will find yourself coming back for more.

4.8

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Call of Duty 4 Technology: Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield. Players that attempt to harness the power of new weapons, like the flamethrower, will find themselves capable of burning away environmental elements that give cover to a camouflaged enemy, leaving a charred battlefield - and their foes - in their wake

Coordinated Assault and Support: For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the No One Fights Alone mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The title also incorporates traditional multiplayer components such as challenges, rankings and online stats into the co-op campaign for deeper re-playability and advanced gameplay

New Theaters of Operation: Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies - some new to the Call of Duty franchise - that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war. Epic conflicts are fought on multiple fronts, playing through the climactic battles of WWII in the grittiest, most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date

Innovative Multiplayer: Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty. Combined infantry and vehicle missions add a new dimension to the online warfare and offers more PERK abilities

Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound: Treyarch's award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine