[E3 2008] Call of Duty: World at War
Treyarch takes yet another stab at WWII COD action.
Published: July 26, 2008
The boys and girls at Treyarch have got some pretty huge balls -- figuratively speaking, of course. Despite the absolutely ridiculous success of Call of Duty 4 and its modern-day setting (the game crested the 10 million units sold mark, which is absolutely unheard of in this industry), they're going back to the tapped well of World War II first-person shooters to give it (we hope) one last go.
It's not so much that WWII games don't sell (they do, though not nearly as well as they used to), it's that most people have trudged through Operation Market Garden so many times they almost feel like they've been there. The solution? Instead of heading east, Treyarch wants to go west to the Pacific Theater and expand on things there. It's a smart move, since hardly any other games have done this (EA did with Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, but that was on the PC), and it does offer plenty of fodder for new experiences.
You've got your attack on Pearl Harbor, you've got your atolls just waiting to be invaded, and you've got the Japanese mainland to deal with. Activision hasn't come out and said exactly where we'll be playing beyond the Pacific and, yes, parts of Eastern Europe (for all the Western European stories out there, there haven't been too many concerned with the Russians, they suppose), and from what we've seen of the game's Pacific areas, there could actually be life left in the ol' WWII girl.
For starters, it looks like the game will make heavy use of light. The inclusion of flame throwers creates some interesting dynamics with all the flammable vegetation and slightly destructible environments (we saw some limited chipping away at things like cover). Activision was all too proud to announce that Kiefer Sutherland would be providing his pipes for the role.
With a full online co-op mode that offers challenges and tracks stats, and enough variety to the online side of things thanks to squad-based gameplay, vehicles and more perks, we're almost tempted to admit that we're looking forward to things. Almost. Okay, fine, we are. After all, if the online play is as good as the last Call of Duty, there's really nothing wrong with that.
If those little tidbits weren't enough to get you excited, consider this: though certainly not taking place in the same decade at Modern Combat, World at War will be using the CoD4 engine (with some modifications, of course). Between Quantum of Solace also using the engine, Treyarch and Activision sure are getting some mileage out of that original Quake III engine, though we do wonder how much of the original code is even left at this point.
Right now, the game still has an uncertain release date, and frankly we rather like that. There's no need to rush things if they're going to send off the WWII shooter in style -- at least for a few years. So take your time Treyarch. If you can pull this one off, maybe WWII FPSes will go out with a bang rather than a whimper.
It's not so much that WWII games don't sell (they do, though not nearly as well as they used to), it's that most people have trudged through Operation Market Garden so many times they almost feel like they've been there. The solution? Instead of heading east, Treyarch wants to go west to the Pacific Theater and expand on things there. It's a smart move, since hardly any other games have done this (EA did with Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, but that was on the PC), and it does offer plenty of fodder for new experiences.
You've got your attack on Pearl Harbor, you've got your atolls just waiting to be invaded, and you've got the Japanese mainland to deal with. Activision hasn't come out and said exactly where we'll be playing beyond the Pacific and, yes, parts of Eastern Europe (for all the Western European stories out there, there haven't been too many concerned with the Russians, they suppose), and from what we've seen of the game's Pacific areas, there could actually be life left in the ol' WWII girl.
For starters, it looks like the game will make heavy use of light. The inclusion of flame throwers creates some interesting dynamics with all the flammable vegetation and slightly destructible environments (we saw some limited chipping away at things like cover). Activision was all too proud to announce that Kiefer Sutherland would be providing his pipes for the role.
With a full online co-op mode that offers challenges and tracks stats, and enough variety to the online side of things thanks to squad-based gameplay, vehicles and more perks, we're almost tempted to admit that we're looking forward to things. Almost. Okay, fine, we are. After all, if the online play is as good as the last Call of Duty, there's really nothing wrong with that.
If those little tidbits weren't enough to get you excited, consider this: though certainly not taking place in the same decade at Modern Combat, World at War will be using the CoD4 engine (with some modifications, of course). Between Quantum of Solace also using the engine, Treyarch and Activision sure are getting some mileage out of that original Quake III engine, though we do wonder how much of the original code is even left at this point.
Right now, the game still has an uncertain release date, and frankly we rather like that. There's no need to rush things if they're going to send off the WWII shooter in style -- at least for a few years. So take your time Treyarch. If you can pull this one off, maybe WWII FPSes will go out with a bang rather than a whimper.
