WithCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfareholding its own against the likes of multiplayer juggernautHalo 3since it was released almost a year ago, the question on everyone’s mind is, undoubtedly, “How doesCall of Duty: World at Warstack up in comparison?”
Like many of you, I had my doubts aboutWorld at Warfrom the start, but for good reason. Infinity Ward has proven itself time and time again; no one’s arguing that. Treyarch, on the other hand, has developed a reputation, and let’s just say it’s not a very good one.
[Editor’s note: For whatever reason, Grim’s preview disappeared from the site at some point in the day. Anyway, here it is again for all to enjoy.Sorry for the inconvenience.]
Let me start by saying I’ve invested literally hundreds of hours inCall of Duty 4‘s multiplayer and participated in the beta for that title as well. To this day, I have a vivid memory of the first time I booted it up, and can still remember how fresh and inspired the gameplay felt initially.
Perhaps, though, I have logged a fewtoo manyhours intoCoD4, as my first two hours with theWorld at Warbeta left me feeling incredibly jaded. For the most part, the game feels almost exactly likeCoD4in terms of just about everything, from the perks to the HUD and even to the way your character handles.
While that may sound negative to some, it’s really not. Why would Treyarch want to risk screwing up Infinity Ward’s tried-and-true formula? I’m not sure, but then again I haven’t the slightest idea why the company decided to travel back to World War II in the first place.
If someone like me, whose firstCall of Dutytitle wasModern Warfareand who has a general hate towards WWI and WWII videogames, can actually find enjoyment inWorld at War,then I guess Treyarch’s done some good for the franchise after all.
One such example of this is the revamped Domination, which is now appropriately titled “War.” Other modes from the beta include your standard Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, and Capture the Flag, but War is by far my favorite of the bunch.
Rather than having multiple points for your team to capture from the start like inCall of Duty 4‘s Domination, War has you all going after one initial control point. Once that point is captured, it vanishes from the map and another point pops up in a different location. This goes on until one team has all of the capture points or the timer runs out; in my experience, the latter happens much more frequently.
That might not sound like much in writing, but believe me when I say that it’s quite tense and will surely get your adrenaline going, provided the two teams are comparable in skill level. This is especially true of the map Roundhouse, which is easily the best level from a design perspective.
Roundhouse is a large circular map covered with debris from a war-torn European train depot. Unlike the two other beta maps, Castle and Makin, it has drivable tanks, which is somethingCoD4is missing entirely. My main issue with those other maps is that they don’t flow as nicely and appear to be somewhat thrown together.
The only other major change betweenWorld at WarandModern Warfarethat you should know about (besides the weapons, which are from WWII. There. That’s it) is the new set of kill streak bonuses.
Kill 3 enemy soldiers in a row, and you’ll receive radar support; 5 in a row will net you an artillery strike, which causes your enemies to become incredibly disoriented and lasts considerably longer than it ought to; annihilate 7 soldiers in a row, and you get to unleash a pack of rabid attack dogs.
Sure, you can take down one or two dogs by yourself, but can you fend them off while simultaneously being shot at by your enemy? I know I can’t. Personally, the sound the dogs emit right before dying is unbelievably satisfying, but that’s just me.
Seeing as how me being excited by dogs dying is just as good of a note to leave on as any, I will summarize my answer to the question in the title by saying that Treyarch has exceeded my expectations, but anotherCall of Dutyfrom Infinity Ward instead ofWorld at Warwould’ve been greatly appreciated.
It’ll be interesting to see how those guys handled the campaign mode, as it’s got online co-op — a feature that would’ve added much-needed replayability toCoD4‘s single-player experience. Similarly, I’m eager to see what elseWorld at Waroffers in terms of multiplayer maps beyond the three from the beta.
