2 posts tagged “call of duty”

While set in the second world war, the game will now explore areas not seen before on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It'll be set in the Pacific and will be focused more on survival rather than team-based warfare (while the latter still occurs). Now, Call of Duty 3 didn't go down well, mainly because it was shifted out in under a year. However, this [CoD: WAW] has been on the top of Treyarch's priority list and has been in active development since June 2006, four months before Call of Duty 3 even shipped. Also, if anyone is concerned about graphical capability, Infinity Ward has licensed the Call of Duty 4 engine "Proprietary" to Treyarch. Looking at the game, it has some of the sharpest graphics seen in a World War 2 shooter - very eery, dark and gloomy in places. A demo of the game was shown named "Maken Raid". It began with a torture scene and the execution of an American Prisoner of War with a katana to the throat while the player attempts to stop it while being tied up. Immediately you know that this game is probably the first one to reveal the true horror of war. 

Destructible environments are here, with bullet-shred bamboo huts which collapse providing new entrances to new areas. Then a sequence of escaping through a jungle as silently as possible with beams of light passing above you and rain-soaked leaves surrounding you along with 96 channels of audio detailing the realism of the scene. While most people may be accustomed to World War II games, this one is like no others and provides a new, disturbing experience and viewpoint into the constant terror of the Pacific in WWII. 

Taking a new turn on the WWII genre, certain missions require you to be stealthy and because of this you can now swim on the surface of water and under it. Which means, for example, you can be lurking at the edge of a guard post in a river and pull an enemy into the water to get into the base.

Of course, a new game equals new weapons and the most interesting addition is that of a flamethrower. Add that to the forest surroundings and you've got some good resistance. You wanna torch the undergrowth and cause a forest fire to clean out any hidden enemies? Sure, go ahead - (For fans of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, you'll probably recognise the flamethrower's design as it is based directly on it). But with 96 channels of audio spitting out terrifying sounds of burning vegetation and screaming soldiers as they burn, along with their melting faces - with added realism on this scale, you know you certainly won't be sleeping with a clean conscious.

Along with the campaign, for the first time, a 4 player co-op mode will be added and can be utilised over split-screen, system link and Xbox Live/Playstation Network. Additionally, the ranking and perk systems from CoD4: MW make a welcome return and are now more integrated with the single player experience too, not just multiplayer. Certain vehicle missions appear, notably a PBY Catalina search and rescue plane and a dramatic bombing on Japanese Aircraft carriers. 

And it's not just the American assault - there's going to be a Russian campaign too, yet details are scarce on this at the moment.

Additionally, the party mode in multiplayer makes a comeback and this time it's a little more advanced. The leader of the party can now issue orders to team-mates corresponding with their map and/or HUD and can even promote certain team-members for extra abilities. This title looks very promising and certainly won't disappoint. Some might say it'll be bigger, better and more badass. Where have I heard that before?