FoxZero.net

All and all it is a solid game, but a boring and short single player campaign and repetitive online maps really kills the replay value.

Overall Score: 7 Great

Audio: Top notch, the weapons sound different depending on where you’re standing. Really adds to the realism.

Graphics: On par with the modern shooters. A good bit of detail went into all the environments.

Control: The gamepad aiming is silky smooth. I was however bummed that the controls could not be completely re-mapped, but the default set up is nothing I’m not familiar with.

Story/Plot: It’s World War II. It was nice to play from the perspective of a Russian soldier but other than that it’s nothing new or really creative. The lack of dialogue from the protagonists just makes you feel like a faceless nameless soldier.

I’ll start by stating what a massive disappointment the single player was. Like COD4 it was over in two nights, however those two nights with COD4 were very enjoyable save for the climax. COD5 was the opposite for me. The majority of the campaign was simply boring and repetitive, but I did rather enjoy the final mission. The single player is over so quick you don’t even get a chance to use all of the weapons found in the multiplayer. Any time you use a different type of weapon it seems like a fixed sequence and it’s always very brief. All you do is simply fight through hordes of enemies trying to get from check point to check point. It’s fun at first, but after a while mowing down the Japanese with a BAR becomes a chore. The AI is predictable and only presents a challenge in numbers. The single player definitely falls behind last years COD4: Modern Warfare. Of course the co-op is simply the single player missions but with buddies. I will admit though that the Nazi Zombie mission unlocked at the end is very addicting and especially enjoyable with a few friends online. The rail shooter mission in the Black Cats in single player is far more enjoyable than last year’s shooting gallery mission. In fact the rail shooter portion is probably the best part of single player!

Talk to anybody about Call of Duty and chances are you are talking about the online mode. This is where World at War shines. There are only subtle improvements over COD4 and mostly it feels just like a total conversion mod. The helicopter that you could call in COD4 has been replaced with a pack of viscous dogs. The modern weaponry has been replaced with World War Two era weaponry and it’s the same deal with the maps. Everything else including the rank and upgrade system is completely identical to COD4. I did have a better time with the online multiplayer in COD5 mainly because I found the maps to be an improvement over COD4. Most of them though got repetitive quickly. There are a handful of maps like Airfield where there are large stretches of fields with limited cover for long range combat, but there are also large bunkers and trenches scattered about for serious close quarters fighting. These maps are few though and most people vote to skip them. The majority of the maps though are just unrecognizable blown apart towns covered in rubble. They look repetitive and they are very confined. Often I felt like we were just fighting over the few decent sniper positions in these confined maps. There are some great maps, but I find the majority of them too small and boring.

The game controls nicely. The stick movement is silky smooth and of course the auto targeting will help you track your shots. I still find shooting from the hip less effective than it should be but you can bring up your sights so fast it doesn’t bother me. The weapons are nicely balanced with the exception of the semi-auto weapons. Most of them fire as fast as you can pull the trigger usually with little recoil. This seriously takes away from the realism as such rapid firing in real life is physically impossible. The only thing that keeps the semi-autos from being overly effective is there generally small magazine size and long reload times. It just feels cheap unloading a whole mag of eight rounds into a guy in half a second.

The sniper rifles on the other hand are simply fun and a real challenge to shoot. It’s the same deal as in COD4 but you are primarily using bolt action rifles. Before you take your shot you have to hold your breath to steady your aim. The sniping is very dramatic and the silky smooth controls allow anyone to pick it up with ease. In fact there are quite a good number of snipers online. Don’t worry though even the semi-auto sniper weapons generate a ton of recoil forcing the player to take time between each shot to stabilize the rifle. This is without a doubt one of the best aspects of COD5.

The return of the tanks was a real drag for me with this game. They do add to the overall WWII experience, but I find them an absolute chore to control and a cheap way to acquire kills and call in the dogs with the seven kill streak. There’s only one tank mission in single player and where you can drive is so restricted it feels like a sloppy rail shooter sequence!

There was some real voice talent in the cast for this game. Even in multiplayer the commanders constantly screaming at you helps add to the sense of brutality that can only be found in WWII. The dialogue is well written but I found the cinematic sequences during the loading screens to be a bit cheesy, but that’s just my taste.

Overall COD5 is a solid game save for the single player. Just like COD4 the experienced based rank system is absolutely addicting, but the repetitive maps eventually killed it for me. I believe once a map pack is released the multiplayer will be truely enjoyable. The main flaw and the main problem with this game is that it is almost a repackaged COD4. Don’t expect anything new or innovative like last year’s title. If you are unhappy with the return of the WWII setting maybe you should stick to COD4, however if you missed last years title then I absolutely recommend this game.