Previewed On: XBOX 360 / PC

Treyarch are taking players back to World War II in Call Of Duty: World At War (CoD: WaW) and despite a return to one of the most common and reused settings for a first person shooter ever the numerous changes and additions prove it’s not just any old return to form.

As much as many never want to see World War II from a first person perspective again from first play of World At War the collaboration of the CoD 4 engine against the Pacific rim environments create a new and exciting experience be it an essentially familiar game. The perks and experience system of CoD 4 multiplayer are included and expanded upon with players gaining XP and unlocking new weapons in the same manner as before with a large range of selectable perks new and old.

Largely diverse and interesting maps serve as great battlefields for all the action that vaguely reflect the Pacific setting in some attempt to not look exactly like CoD 2 while most the weapons do the exact opposite. Loading into a dust ridden action packed WWII landscape with a Trench Gun may be an exhilarating experience but one I’ve done just so much before. On the surface World At War appears to be CoD 4 mixed with CoD 2 and for the most part this is a little too accurate, it’s when one begins to notice and learn the vast array of changes and additions that CoD: WaW stands out on its own.

With a return to the past so too is the ‘Modern Weaponry’ lost and a lot of familiar weapons from the first CoD’s reintroduced. Despite my extreme love for the death cannon known as the Trench Gun it took some time to re-acquaint myself with all the rifles and guns of World War II, that while clunkier and generally slower to handle than weapons from CoD 4 still unleash a lethal barrage of firepower when used correctly. Everything’s been kept historically accurate this way with not only guns reflecting the timeline but also the combo kill rewards being altered so that they make sense. Three and five kill streaks still reward in the same manner of CoD 4 by providing recon and attack abilities and have the same effect but are simply called a “Recon Plane” and “Artillery Strike”. A seven kill streak this time around lets players unleash the hounds, with a large pack of attack dogs circulating the map and attacking enemy players at random. Without appropriate response by the enemy team of physically attacking and killing each one of these dogs the potential capabilities of these dogs is almost overpowered, with an additional ten kills being easily achievable from the dogs alone on the more full servers.

Unfortunately due to the level cap imposed on the BETA I haven’t had a chance to try out the later level weaponry but what is included is already enough to exemplify a substantial amount of changes. CoD 4 veterans who jump in will find natural skill and ability in playing a game on the same engine but this will only last so far before the occurrence of say, a tank, throws off anyone trying to play CoD 4 all over again. It’s great and somewhat necessary that World At War requires a bit of learning before adapting fully to the intense amount of action always on display with new perks, weapons, vehicles and soldier abilities.

Many of the old perks have returned such as Martyrdom or Juggernaut, with about half of the 33 being brand new to CoD. Most powerful items have a supporting perk to combat them, such as the Shades perk negating the harsh affects of the blinding flare charges sent out by other enemies in gunfights. Chemical weaponry such as gas grenades can be handled with the Gas Mask perk and reportedly the most destructive perk is Flamer, giving soldiers a Flamethrower for close-range carnage and dampened by the Fireproof perk. Those who use Last Stand for a few seconds of survival now have a lot to live for, with allies being able to heal and revive their buddies by the Second Chance perk it’s just another example of the additions to CoD that help mould a new multiplayer experience around a familiar engine and game. Enough of the perks though, discovering and unlocking all of these bonuses are a big attraction to playing excessive amounts of CoD online which has been nailed again by Treyarch copying the core of CoD 4’s point collection system in both in-game point distribution and XP acquirement.

While perks are a big controlling factor on the war field they can only go so far against more solid additions such as the vehicles and tanks. Tanks were a sketchy addition to the fast paced realistic style of CoD that has managed to succeed in the only way possible, by being hellishly slow in all forms of maneuvering. Tanks still pack a punch whether you’re driving the two-manned vehicle or manning the gun turret, solid amounts of death can be dealt out by those patient enough to time their attacks and withdrawals appropriately.

Again if you’re experienced at Call Of Duty 4 the core mechanics of World At War could feel a little too similar to warrant a whole new purchase. There’s plenty of additions and changes that in my opinion spice things up enough to prove as a worthy variant to CoD 4, but certainly not a replacement. From the BETA I know I’ll be spending a lot of time in multiplayer on release in World At War but a return to CoD 4 will always be expected for a more modern fast paced experience.

Call Of Duty: World At War will be released by Activision on November 12, 2008 for PC, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii and NDS.