The next installment of the Call of Duty series is here in Call of Duty: World at War. With the addition of online co-op, multiplayer vehicles, and a higher online level cap, CoD:WaW showed major potential. Unfortunately, potential and reputation are not the only things that make up a great video game. Some things about CoD:WaW are awesome, but there are also many things that they could have made better.

        The Campaign mode was a bit repetitive in places with a lot of the same objectives. "Take the enemy position.", "Take out that mortar site.", are statements that you will become very used to. Moreover, the near endless supply of enemy grenades that the AI is constantly throwing at you does become annoying as well. Despite the repetitive levels/objectives and the grenade indicator consently being on your screen, the campaign mode is enough to keep you killing for at least 5-6 hours depending on the difficulty. 

    Be sure to complete the campaign though as you are rewarded with the "Nazi Zombie" mini-game. The "Nazi Zombie" mode is very basic but it makes for a great play. You start off in the ground level of a battered and broken house armed with only a pistol. There seems to be a limitless number of rounds that you progress through with the amount of zombies increasing every round. You are awarded cash for every zombie you kill and every window or wall you repair. This "cash " is used to buy new weapons and gain access to different areas of the house. You are able to purchase all of the weapons from the campaign from various locations in the house and a special mystery box. Some of the weapons like the trench gun or the Browning machine gun are amazing for mowing down wave after wave, however, you should make a few purchases from the mystery box. Being that this is pretty much the only way you can obtain the all powerful "Ray Gun", which blasts through the undead like nothing else....cooked zombie anyone?

    In the multilayer, Treyarch decided to make the addition of drivable vehicles. The vehicles are a fun addition, however, in certain game types if you didn't board the lucky bus and get on a good team you will get seriously PWNED (beaten badly for those new to gaming). A few new perks were adds with the addition of the vehicles, "greased bearings" for example makes your turret turn faster. Treyarch also raised the "Prestige mode" cap in the multiplayer to 65, and copied nearly every other online shooter and added in a few new game types like "Capture the Flag".

    The sound in CoD:WaW is amazing. The music score for this game is moving and very well timed. Having your speakers turned up is nearly a must. You are able to hear the subtle sounds of footsteps, the reloading of weapons, and even enemy chatter. These sounds coped with the awesome sounding gunfire and explosions will make you want to go out and buy a new home theater system. The 1080p graphics take full advantage of HDTV's. The texturing and lighting rival that of many pc games. Realistic looking tree lines, reflections and ripples in water, fires lighting up dark areas and shadows bouncing off of walls make this one of the best looking console games yet. 

    Although CoD:WaW is set during WW2, you can't help but think about CoD:4 the whole time you are playing it. The menus, perks, and the movie before each level are nearly identical...even the names of the different button layouts are the same. But, just copying another developers ideas and crossing your fingers won't make a game good. Treyarch should be ashamed of themselves for this one, the only thing that saved it was the "Nazi Zombie" mini-game. CoD:WaW should have been released as add-on content to CoD:4 rather than a stand alone game. But hey, why do you have to try when you can get paid off of the accomplishments of others right? Smart thinking Treyarch...


The Breakdown:

Final score: $31.45 out of $59.99