Call of Duty: World at War
Oct 29, 2008Treyarch, the developers of Call of Duty: World at War, have done more than just take Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and drop the game into World War II. They've made significant changes to Infinity Ward's CoD4 engine, adding flame and water mechanics, vehicles, and most importantly, cooperative network code for the main campaign. For the first time in the Call of Duty franchise's history, up to four players will be able to tackle the game's storyline together.
When Editors Collide
We recently had the chance to visit the Treyarch offices in Santa Monica alongside IGN's Jason Ocampo and TeamXbox's Andy Eddy. Together we teamed up with and took on the Call of Duty: World at War development team, and no quarter was asked or given. Our only request? To pass us that last slice of pizza. The goal of our trip? To get a firm grasp of Call of Duty: World at War's multiplayer, and to provide you with multiple perspectives, as well as showcasing three of the new maps from the game. We'll be showcasing video footage of Cliffside, while you can learn more about Outskirts and Seelow by visiting IGN and TeamXbox, respectively.
If you're playing the Call of Duty: World at War beta on Xbox Live, then you're already familiar with three of the maps, Makin, Roundhouse, and Castle. We had the chance to check out a wide variety of the other multiplayer maps in the game, and you can check out video footage of these maps throughout the article.
Take a Trip to the Cliffside
Cliffside is a map designed with plenty of long line-of-sight opportunities, favoring snipers and bolt action rifle users, while also presenting a handful of interesting choke points and terrain considerations. It takes place in an area that is equal parts jungle foliage and ancient architecture, including statues and stone structures that have been converted into impromptu bunkers. Players will take defensive positions within these bunkers, taking advantage of the superior line of sight offered from these vantage points, but also making themselves vulnerable to flamethrowers and explosives.
We played the War multiplayer mode on this map, which makes its return from Call of Duty 3. In this mode, you have to move from control point to control point, capturing them and keeping your enemies from doing the same. Those who are aggressive enough to control points end up gaining momentum, which in turn allows you to capture another control point more quickly. It's a great mode for getting entire teams to converge on a single part of the map, leading to exciting firefights and plenty of action.
If it Ain't Broke...
Perhaps the most comforting thing about playing Call of Duty: World at War is that it feels so much like CoD4. This is a good thing, as you'll recall that GameSpy awarded CoD4 our prestigious The focus, according to the Treyarch team, is on making the kill streak rewards more about helping your team and less about just racking up personal kills. The recon plane serves the same purpose as the UAV recon, so nothing's changed there. But the artillery strike feels a lot different from CoD4's air strike. For one thing, the effect lasts a lot longer, and ends up serving as a form of area denial. It can protect your flank during an advance, or it can keep an objective area free of enemy troops, giving your own side time to capture it.
With seven kills, instead of bringing out a helicopter you'll summon a pack of ferocious dogs to the battlefield. When dogs hit the field, players instantly panic. To tell whether or not the dogs are friendly or liable to eat your face you'll have to quickly recognize their breed. The dogs take two different forms, German Shepherds and Dobermen Pinschers. Knowing which breed is on your side and which is to be avoided can mean the difference between life and death. At any one time there are four dogs on the field, with eight total dogs being put into play when a player earns the ability.
These dogs aren't just a way for you to earn kills, though. They also help your teammates significantly. Dogs will sniff out enemy troops, so as soon as they appear, players will end up following the dogs right to enemy hiding spots. It's not the dogs you often have to worry about, it's the players who are being led towards you.
One trick we learned while playing was to stay perfectly still in the face of a hungry dog. If you stay perfectly still and don't make any noise, they'll run right past you to more obvious targets. We stumbled on this by sheer accident, as we were lying prone, keeping an eye on the far side of the map through the sight of our sniper rifle, not paying any attention to our teammate who was having his face eaten by a hungry Doberman.
Back with the Old
Just like in Call of Duty 4, players will be able to create custom classes that are defined by the armaments they carry and the special perks that provide unique advantages on the battlefield. Most of the perks from CoD4 are back in some form or other. Familiar favorites like Steady Aim, Iron Lungs, Deep Impact, Stopping Power, and Double Tap are all available and will be featured prominently in many different custom class builds. Yes, Martyrdom is still around. Yes, it's just as cheap as ever. And Juggernaut is still incredibly useful.
Things That Make You Go Boom
Sonic Boom has been renamed Fireworks, better fitting the technology level of the period while still providing the same bonus to explosives damage. Speaking of explosions, the claymores from CoD4 have been replaced by a grislier explosives device from WW2, the Bouncing Betty. These anti-personnel mines take a few seconds to deploy, since you have to actually bury them in the ground, but when stepped on they spring out and explode at groin-height, spelling bad news for the unfortunate victim.
One of the first things we noticed when playing Call of Duty: World at War was the big impact that the game's new grenades would have in multiplayer. The Tabun Gas Grenade was an instant favorite, and we made a custom class that carried extras of these into battle, along with the Gas Mask perk that reduces its effectiveness. Think of the Stun grenade from CoD4, only far more nauseating and debilitating. The Signal Flare is Call of Duty: World at War's flashbang counterpart, and similarly can be combined with the Shades perk so that you don't hurt yourself quite as much by the flare's full-screen white-out effect.
The Molotov Cocktail is another interesting grenade-like weapon, since it offers the advantage of not blowing up in your hand if you decide to run around with it at the ready. It takes a bit longer to get prepped, since you have to give the oily rag a flick with the zippo before it's ready for tossing into enemy hidey-holes.
In With the New
New perks include Flak Jacket, which reduces explosive damage, though we suspect that players will stick to Juggernaut if they want more survivability. The idea behind a Flak Jacket perk is sound, though. In many game types, particularly the objective-based games where you have to capture a point, your biggest enemy is an onslaught of incoming grenades. If Flak Jacket allows you to eat a grenade without dying, giving you just enough time to cap the flag, then it's more than worth taking.
Second Chance is a new take on CoD4's Last Stand, where you fall down and can take a few shots with your pistol. The big difference is that if a nearby ally can get to you before you take your last breath, you can be revived. This will probably end up being a very popular choice among team-oriented players.
Turn Up the Heat
At rank 65, players will unlock a perk that has the ability to completely disrupt the balance of Call of Duty: World at War: the M2 Flamethrower. The Flamethrower takes the place of your Tier 1 Perk, so you'll be forsaking explosive options like satchel charges, Bouncing Betties, and the M9A1 Bazooka. While that may seem like a lot to give up, we found that it was an incredibly good choice to take this perk in nearly every type of game and map situation.
It only takes a second or two to completely set someone aflame this way. That's a good thing, since the Flamethrower's fuel tank limits you to only a few seconds of flame at a time before needing a recharge. This is where the value of the perk really shines, since unlike Bazooka shells, grenades, and other explosive perk options, the M2 Flamethrower will serve you faithfully as long as you're alive. If you're good at staying alive, this weapon option offers unmatched value.
War. War Sometimes Changes
We had a (fiery) blast playing Call of Duty: World at War alongside the team at Treyarch and with the guys from IGN and TeamXbox. It feels like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in many ways, but it also manages to provide enough new features and gameplay options to feel unique. We'll be bringing you more details as we approach its November launch date.
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Man's Best Friends
The familiar C4 explosive from CoD4 has similarly been replaced by satchel charges. As with C4, you toss the satchel with one trigger and detonate it with the other. They're remarkably useful for setting traps, as well as for taking down enemy vehicles.
For one thing, the Flamethrower is nearly unmatched when it comes to user-friendly killing potential. We'll be honest and say that when it comes to a head-to-head duel against a game tester, we're going to lose more often than not if we're both wielding Thompson machine guns. If we had our M2 Flamethrower out, it was a completely different story. Unlike bullet-based weapons, the M2 requires very little in the way of aiming to use effectively. Get the opponent square in front of you, at a distance of about 15 feet or less, and if you're holding down the trigger they will burn, burn, burn.