Another chapter unfolds and another sequel is unleashed. Call of Duty World at War with all its adrenaline-fueled odyssey through the navigation of the world by combatant soldiers. The war-torn battlefield and mighty explosions rock the virtual theatre of war like no other. Let’s unveil the very riveting and engaging units of the game.
The Initiation
Hot on the heels for the revolutionary Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, Trey Arch was striving for another mainline entry to the series. Unlike Infinity Ward, Trey Arch believed that the World War 2 era has still abundant stories that needed narration. They decided to build yet another experience set in the 1940s but instead of using their NGL engine, Trey Arch built their game off of the refined 3.0 which was used to make Call of Duty 4. This permitted them to analyze the unutilized ideas in the design and features of a battlefield in the game.
Just like modern warfare, Trey Arch not only sent the teams to research the various settings for the game but also new audio for all the weapons for the better design of the most authentic shooter game in the franchise. After two years of striving and development, Trey Arch released their sequel in the market entitled Call of Duty World at War in 2008.
Gameplay of Call Of Duty World at War
The single-player game encompasses the first-person perspective primarily the role of Private C. Miller, a member of the United States Marine Corps 1st Marine Division, fighting alongside Corporal (later Sergeant) Roebuck and his marine raiders during the Pacific War, is assumed notable no playable characters within the marine raiders unite include Sergeant Tom Sullivan and Private Polonsky.
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The second playable character is Private Dimitri Petrenko of the Red Army who battles on the eastern front alongside Sergent Viktor Reznov. The third character Private Chernov is Reznov’s subordinate who serves as the reason of voice throughout the campaign, expressing aggression and disappointment at the atrocities witnessed.
Lately, the third playable character in the campaign is petty officer Locke, a weapon operator on a PBY Catalina aircraft. However, Locke is only playable during the mission entitled “black cats”.
American Campaign
The campaign begins with the eye of Private C. Miller who witnesses the brutal torture and execution of his squad by the Imperial Japanese Army. Fortunately, a squad of Marine Readers led by Corporal Roebuck and Sergeant Sullivan comes to his rescue, immediately launching a counterattack against Japanese positions on the island. This event took place in August 1942 on making island of Japan.
In 1944 the squad joined the Battle of Peleliu. A tragic incident happens when Sullivan dies due to a Japanese soldier’s fatal stab which results in Roebuck’s promotion to Sergeant. The squad traverses a swamp to secure an airfield and neutralize anti-aircraft guns. They continue swapping the enemy crews to clear out the path for advancing American tanks. Venturing through the tunnels, they successfully assault the artillery positions, ultimately securing Peleliu for the United States.
Moving to April 1945, Petty Officer Locke a PBY Catalina, initially participated in a raid on Japanese merchant ships before being redirected to aid Task Force 58 of the US Fifth Fleet, under attack as part of Operation Ten-Go. Lock’s crew drowns in a heroic effort to rescue American sailors while fending off Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo boats and zero fighter planes. A squadron of Vought F4U-1Cs intervenes and drives off the remaining zeroes just as the damaged Catalina runs out of ammunition.
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In May 1945, a Millers squad attacked on Japanese position in Okinawa. They systematically cleared out the path for American tanks to advance. As victory nears, they storm Shuri Castle. Some Japanese soldiers surrender but reveal concealed grenades when Roebuck and Private Polonsky attempt to search them. Miller faces a terrific situation with a dangling knife to either save Roebuck or Polonsky. Reinforcements arrive and the castle is vanquished by Japanese soldiers. The Shuri Castle falls with the air strike that marks the end of Japanese resistance in Okinawa.
Soviet Campaign
In September 1942, Private Dimitri Petrenko a member of the 62nd Rifle Division awakens in a grim scene in Stalin guard, surrounded by the execution of his comrades by German troops. His chance encounter with Sergeant Viktor Reznov sets them on a mission to eliminate German General Heinrich Amsel, responsible for heinous war crimes across the Soviet Union. Battling German forces, Dimitri and Reznov join forces with Dimitri’s unit to plan an attack on the general communication post. They target Amsel as he tries to flee, but their hiding spot is discovered which causes them to escape through the Volga River.
Proceeding rapidly to 1945, Dimitri narrowly dodges German soldiers during the Battle of Seelow Heights. Reuniting with Reznov, he also meets Private Chernov who struggles with the brutality ordered by Reznov. Dimitri and Reznov then take control of a t34 tank, leading a group of others in eliminating the last pockets of German resistance before boarding a train bound for Berlin.
As soon as they arrive, German forces cause a fierce assault on the city’s outskirts. They enter a Berlin U-Bahn station and fight until the Germans flood it in an attempt to halt the Soviet advance. Reznov and Dimitri escape together and regroup with the Soviet Infantry. The Red Army advances towards the Reichstag and during the assault, Chernov tragically falls a victim to flamethrower attack. Reznov, Dimitri, and the remaining soviet soldiers breach the Reichstag, clearing it of German defenders and ultimately reaching the rooftop. Dimitri gets severe injuries from a German soldier whom Reznov dispatches with a brutal machete attack. This event signals the Soviet victory and marks the end of the war in Europe.
Call Of Duty World at War Development
World at War utilizes various benefits with IW3.0. It also takes a completely different artistic approach. The environments are darker and grimmer and the game’s new core system greatly enhances it. To emphasize the devastating power of the game’s flamethrower, Trey Arch expanded on the visual effects to allow for more realistic fire propagation in addition to higher-quality flame effects and explosions.
World at War imparts itself from previous entries in the series due to its mature themes and open- ended gameplay. AI-controlled teammates support the player by providing cover fire, eliminating foes, and preparing rooms for entry. The game offers a wide range of World War 2 weapons and technology, which become available as the game progresses. It makes the players able to replenish their arsenal by picking up weapons and ammo from fallen enemies or allies.
Characters play in three stances: standing, crouching, or prone each of them affecting movement, speed, accuracy, and stealth. Conventionally, when a character faces injury, the red screen indicates the need for cover.
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The single-player campaign contains thirteen hidden death cards represented by playing cards on makeshift war graves. Collecting these unlocks cheats for co-op mode, including reduced enemy endurance.
World at Wars multiplayer constituent mirrors the established format of Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare across all versions of the game. A similar perk and ranking system are in place, offering six multiplayer modes such as Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.
Killstreak rewards are another way to tackle down the enemies. These rewards include a recon plane revealing enemy locations on the mini-map, an artillery strike targeting a specific area, and attack dogs that spawn to attack opposing players.
World War 2 version of the game lacks online co-op but offers a squad mate co-op mode where two players share the same screen and viewpoint.
Nazi Zombies
In the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows Versions of World at War, a unique mini-game called Nazi Zombies made its debut, marking the first appearance of the zombies’ mode in any Call of Duty game. This mode is accessible only after the completion of the final campaign and then Nacht Der Untoten map automatically starts.
In this mode, one to four players confront an endless onslaught of Nazi Zombies, initially armed with an M1911 Pistol. Points are rewarded by killing zombies or repairing barricaded windows, which are used to unlock the new areas of the map containing better weapons. Zombies frequently break through windows to attack players. If a player sustains enough damage, they become incapacitated and must be revived by another player within a certain timeframe or wait for the next round to rejoin. If all the players are drowned, the game ends.
As the DLC cycle continued, more features were added including perk-a-colas, traps, hellhounds, the bowie knife, and the pack-a-punch weapon upgrading machine. The early maps had a dark tone inspired by George. A. Romero’s work paying homage to his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.
Call Of Duty World at War Awards And Acclaim
Call of Duty World at War received generally positive reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. IGN praised Trey Arch for selecting the Pacific theatre of World War 2 as the setting for World at War and also commended the inclusion of a co-op mode, which enhanced the game’s replay value. They concluded the game a “solid, confident shooter with plenty to offer the casual and hardcore alike”
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Game Spot also lauded several aspects of the game including the character dialogue quality, specifically mentioning Sgt. Roebuck and Sgt. Reznov. They also positively reviewed the well-placed and action-packed single-player and co-op campaigns. They commended the game’s portrayal of World War 2 for its darker and more realistic picturesque. 1UP.vcom pointed out the increased graphic violence that surpassed the M-rated Call of Duty 4, contributing significantly to the game’s enhanced realism. They quoted;
“While enemies died in masse in previous installments, dismemberment and gore are essentially nonexistent. That’s no longer the case-here legs, are severed, men cry out in agony as they reach for lost body parts, and gouts of blood fly as bullets pierce flesh.”
And that;
“World at War portrays the horror of World War 2 more accurately than ever before.”
Call of Duty World at War achieved significant sales success in the United States. In November 2008, it ranked as the second best-selling game in the US with over 1.41 million units sold. For the entire year of 2008, the Xbox 360 version secured the sixth spot with sales surpassing 2.75 million copies.
The Xbox 360 version of World at War was honored with a double platinum sales award by the entertainment and leisure software publishers’ association ELSPA in the UK signifying sales exceeding 600,00 copies. As of November 2013, the game had achieved an impressive sales figure of 15.7 million copies.
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Final Word
Call of Duty World at War reached another milestone in the journey of the top-ranked games of the century. With the addition of zombie mode, it set another trademark which was later developed as Call of Duty Black Ops. Still in the struggle to get better from better, the developers did not halt here but kept on striving which we are still witnessing from great applause and follow.
