Gadgetrepublic.com - Gadget Review

The creation of Activision's Call of Duty franchise tends to be shared in turn between two developers, Treyarch and Infinity Ward. The last installment Call of Duty 4 (COD4) was created by Infinity Ward, and was set in the current world's geopolitical landscape, where you alternated between SAS Commandos and US Marines hunting down terrorists with nuclear weapons.

To me, COD4 was, and is, the ultimate war game, and every time I play it, the game takes on a fresh, new dimension as you battle your way through an endless array of scenarios, weapons and villains. It is beautifully rendered, with exquisite attention to detail. It comes as no surprise to me that COD4was recognised across the games business as the best game of 2008.

However, Call of Duty 5 (COD5), or World at War, if you insist, was a total surprise to me, and not entirely in a pleasant way.

First of all, it goes back to the World War II era, which, while no bad thing, wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Secondly, I felt the game lacked the story and dialogue that held COD4 together and made it so gripping.

Instead, the game features some barely audible monologue by a grizzly veteran who sounded more like Elvis with haemorrhoids, and is illustrated graphically by flashing lights and maps that make you think of a documentary on Discovery.

The game takes you to the Pacific Islands campaign as a leader of a US Marine squad island-hopping your way to victory. In fairness, this is an aspect of the World War II genre that hasn't been treated well by video games, and atrociously by the rival Medal of Honorfranchise.

Despite the lack of a compelling storyline, the action itself is fantastic and graphically the game is certainly a step forward. You can see the effects of light and shade on vegetation, and weapons such as the flamethrower and the impact of fire on buildings and vegetation are photo-real.

The enemy - the Japanese - are wily and can strike at you from anywhere, from undergrowth, trees and, unlike most villains in games, tend to run directly at your character with a samurai sword or bayonet. With mere seconds to respond, you can either shoot them or plunge a dagger into their necks. The action is quick, dirty and unquestionably addictive.

Other chapters in the game take you to the Eastern Front on the Russian side as you march from the burning streets of Stalingrad to the very last hours of the doomed Nazi empire in Berlin. As a private in the Red Army you get to fight as a sniper, house to house, street to street, and also as a tank commander, brewing up burning panzers in your wake.

While technically the Pacific theatre provides most of the technical innovation and sophistication, the Eastern Front, with a host of new weapons ranging from Molotov cocktails to high-powered sniper rifles, was my favourite as I battled through the chaos of the Reichstag to plant a flag high above Berlin.

Overall Call of Duty: World at War is a creditable addition to the franchise, marching forward in the design and technical wizardry stakes. Sadly, I felt it was lacking in terms of dialogue between characters and, ultimately, story development.

While I realise the game is set during a tumultuous time in history, and has to strive for accuracy, other WWII era games have succeeded with storylines. The lack of a storyline outside of the history books meant I was unable to establish the same emotional bond with World at Waras I did with COD4.

Despite this, I still play COD5every chance I can get. The action is realistic, furious and hours slip by as my adrenalin-soaked mind stubbornly refuses to lose.

I anxiously await the next installment in this winning franchise.

Gameplay: 4
Originality:3
Graphics: 5
Overall score: 3/5

Call of Duty: World at War is out now in most games stores for around €60 and can be played on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Windows platforms.

By John Kennedy