Game: Call of Duty: World at War
Ranking: 37/100
Score: 83.59%
Well, it’s been a while; I’ve been a busy bee these past
couple of months and have only just got around to adding a new post.
Number
twenty-eight on the list of the top 100 rated Wii games is ‘Call of Duty: World
at War’. Has war never been so much fun? More to the point, has my Cannon
Fodder reference passed everyone by?
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| 'World at War'. If the 'world' consists of the US and Japan. |
Intro
The intro uses an interesting combination of real-life
footage and snazzy graphical representations of factual information; it's
rather like watching a souped-up version of any article on a news channel. In
fact, the opening cut-scene upon starting a new campaign instantly made me
think of 'Dad's Army', which admittedly I doubt was what the makers were going
for. That aside, it was a nice way to clearly show the progression of WWII and precisely
where in history the game's events fell. The presentation of hard WWII facts is
a good way of getting the context across to the player without glorifying the
violence or the combat elements.
I can't adequately assess the manual, because the version
that the rental company have scanned into their database is for the
Playstation. Either they've made a boo boo, or the people doing the game
conversion have*. I shall assume it's the former. Something that instantly made
me wonder about the cultural relevance of this game on a global scale was the
swift focus on the US attacking Japanese
Territories; from the point of view of this European, it really isn't the first
thing we would think of when given the topic of WWII. I'd imagine the Chinese
wouldn't necessarily think of this immediately, either; nor would anyone in
Africa. The game instantly feels as though it is pitched solely for US players;
if it were called something along the lines of 'The Pacific Invasion' for
example, you would at least have that impression from the moment you loaded the
game and it wouldn't seem so jarring.
For a title that says 'World at War', it seems at first
glance to be very American/Japanese centric. Perhaps this comes later, but I
would like to see campaigns that cover various aspects of WWII, such as the
Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Brevity, D-Day Landings, Operation Dragoon,
etc. Additions like these would truly make it feel like it was a world at war,
without seemingly glossing over the rest of the world involved in the conflict
at the time the game is set.
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| 'Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler? If you think we're on the run...' |
Getting Going
The game eases you into the missions with a combination of
text and voice acted instructions; none of which feel out of place given the
narrative of your player character starting out as a private under the command
of others. You are gradually introduced to new forms of attack, such as
grenades, and the game creates a good balance between throwing you in at the
deep end while still performing a useful amount of handholding. If you loiter
around for too long in an area when you should be moving on, one of your CPU controlled
comrades will shout at you to get a move on, or to follow; you won't be stuck
wondering where to go next for long. What's also great about the in-game communication is that if you switch the subtitles on, all this information is conveyed - it even shows you who is talking. Although the help messages on what each of
the controls do seem to be just time-based, they do tend to crop up at roughly
the time you might care about them. In the very first mission, the time you get
information on how to crouch and lay prone is around the time you're in serious
danger of getting shot at.
The help text displayed on screen is also a might
confusing on occasion; at first glance it appears to be suggesting you should
crouch or throw a grenade when it first pops up fleetingly. Soon enough it
becomes apparent that it is programmed to pop up at specific time intervals and
is not indicative of an action you should necessarily perform; as the messages
are generally well-timed, it can really throw you a loop when they aren't so
relevant. Help text also appears if you point the Wii remote at a gun or other
object; the trouble is, you get no other cue that you can interact with an
object.
I'd like the visuals to make it a little more obvious when I'm looking at an
important item; some of the missions are in relative darkness, which makes it
difficult to realise you've pointed the Wii remote at a gun. A glow on objects
you can pick up or otherwise interact with would give you an idea of where to
aim in order to get text information on what to do with said object.
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Fun
There is a fair bit of variety introduced early on; the
first few missions involve more than just shooting your way to each checkpoint.
You have to find hiding spots, help trigger explosives, invade an enemy camp
and call down air strikes on their artillery, and that's just in the first two
missions. These subtle differences in the gameplay help to make it feel like a
genuine campaign, as opposed to just running in and shooting things for the
hell of it. Another interesting feature for me was how some of the enemy
characters attack; there were a few who fired rather haphazardly or just
sprayed bullets at you over their heads. Coupled with the brief narrative
segments referencing the youth of the 'old timers' in the Allied squadron, it
serves to make the player uncomfortably aware between bouts of massacring the
enemy that a bunch of inexperienced and scared kids are running around shooting
at each other. Although the levels are fairly linear, there is a real sense of
disorientation when you have to rush through jungle areas, or vault over
hastily constructed barricades. This combined with the snap decisions you are
forced to make if you don't want to end up dead help to create an unsettling
and realistic world in which you and your squadron are just trying to get out
alive.
This hint at the horrors of war are obfuscated somewhat by
the racist slurs various squadron members yell at the enemy, as well as the
rather stereotypical chants of the Japanese soldiers - if I had a pound for
every time I heard someone shout out 'Banzai!' I could put a deposit down on a
property. In London. Sure, it makes sense given the characters and situation,
but at the same time it directly contradicts the moments where you're made to
feel a little guilty for enjoying running around playing at being a soldier.
I would like to see a little more of a sandbox element to
the gameplay; although you can pretty much do what you want with regards to
whether you go in guns blazing or use cover judiciously, there isn't much scope
for developing tactics - at least in the earlier levels. If you could go where
you wanted in each level and, for example, leave your squadron to go and sneak
up on an enemy preparing an ambush, then that would be interesting and make you
feel more in control of the situation. Perhaps giving the player the full list
of orders per mission and allowing them to tackle the objectives in whatever
order they deemed fit would be a nice addition.
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| 'Is anybody there? Is anybody there? If you are not there, say so...' (Source: IGN.com) |
Visuals
The in-game graphics are suitably grim and atmospheric;
there are levels at night with limited visibility, levels in desert areas and
in dense jungle. There is variety whilst still keeping the look and feel
reasonably realistic. One thing that particularly grabbed me was the way severe
explosions are handled. If you're caught in the blast (and often, for the sake
of drama, the game forces you to be) then everything slows down and the sound
recreates the sensation of tinnitus. Even the gore is kept realistic; no blood
spurting in all directions for this game. This restraint with the blood and
guts aspect actually helps to make the game more harrowing; there's no way you
can laugh off a soldier getting blown up next to you when it's handled
realistically.
I wasn't a huge fan of the super-slick intro sequences.
Sure, they were a great way of getting facts about WWII across in sound bite
format and they had a dynamic feel, but there was something far too modern and
hip about them which didn't fit in with a game set in the 1940s. Plus, the map
sequences kept reminding me of 'Dad's Army'.
The intro sequences would have felt more in keeping with
every other aspect of the game if they'd gone down a historical route and given
them a period feel, adding aspects such as hand-written memos and 1940's era iconography.
This is captured in the initial sequences with the use of period footage, so
why not keep this theme going with the menu and campaign introduction
sequences?
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Intelligence
The game utilises difficulty levels well; each option
introduces the player to a distinctly different AI. 'Recruit' mode is
noticeably easier to play than 'Regular' mode, for example; the AI becomes
increasingly adept as you progress through the modes, and there is also less
on-screen help. In Veteran mode you are completely on your own, and you have no
idea who or what is shooting at you; in Recruit mode, however, there are a lot
of on-screen and in-game voice hints that direct you on what you need to do,
and the enemy soldiers are dumb enough to stand around and reload, giving you
chance to see where they're coming from. Most people could pick up this game
and find some level where they will progress without feeling frustrated or
bored. Enemy combatants use a variety of skills, and will throw grenades and
use close-combat melee attacks as well as just straight shooting. They also use
these attacks sensibly; if an enemy is right on you, chances are they'll use a
melee attack rather than waste time trying to reach for their gun.
In harder difficulties, it does seem nigh-on impossible to
see who is attacking you or where they're shooting from - even the radar
doesn't make this any clearer. I've been shot at from what appears to be
behind, despite nothing showing up on the radar (and not being able to see
anyone). This seems somewhat unfair, as you'd expect to see at least some hint
of an enemy nearby.
It would be nice to get more of an idea where enemies are
lurking in the harder difficulty levels; just some vague hints such as showing
rustling bushes or a shadow would help and make the AI feel a little less cheap
in those areas (and you get this in the easier difficulties, along with a host
of other information). Even at the hardest levels, the player needs a bit of
information to be able to deduce what's going on, and if showing a rough enemy
location on the radar is too much information, then some other subtle clues
would make those attacks something you stand a chance of avoiding or
retaliating.
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| 'There's no chip on my shoulder. I'll tell you what there is on my shoulder, though: three pips, and don't you forget it.' |
Immersion
The game really pulls you into the narrative by
interspersing each mission with interactive (or pseudo-interactive) cutscenes which
share the in-game graphics; this has the effect of making each transition feel
organic. By providing missing and objective based game play, you get a sense of
achievement early on. As the check points are close together, you are able to
pick up and put down the game fairly quickly, which makes it easier to play
whether you have half an hour or all day to dedicate to it. The fact that you
can wander off and use any sort of weapons lying about also allows you to
complete missions in all sorts of ways; providing you ignore the CO yelling at
you when you deviate from the plan.
The interactive cutscenes aren't all that interactive; you
are restricted to being able to look around a scene. you also can't skip any of
the in-game cutscenes - no matter how often you’re forced to replay a mission. There
is also quite a strong element of linearity within the game; although you can
wander off and search trenches or find alternative cover, you generally get
nothing out of it, which makes it feel as though these features were grudgingly
put in to disguise how linear each level is.
There could be more interactivity applied to the cutscenes;
even just allowing the user to select a yes/no response to the CO's orders
would make it feel as though you were participating. It doesn’t have to be
complicated, either - giving a 'no' response could just get your character
berated by their CO in an amusing fashion. It would also be nice if there was
more to discover by going off the beaten track, such as special weapons or
extra enemies. This happened on the odd occasion when I clambered around the
barracks, but not enough to make it feel as though exploring was a worthwhile option.
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Cameras
The game is solely in first person and the camera follows
the direction of your Wii Remote. The sensitivity of this can be adjusted in
the options, so if you find the movements too quick or too sluggish, you can
fine tune this. As you simply point in the direction you want to view, it's straightforward
and results in very few camera difficulties during play.
Having said that, it can be a little difficult to see off
into the distance. This makes it slightly awkward to play your attacks.
Something that I'd have liked to have had in the game was
binocular vision. It would be perfectly feasible for a solider to carry a set
of field glasses around, and it would make it easier to scope out your
surroundings while balancing that advantage with the disadvantage of not being
able to access your weapon until you switch out of binocular view.
Controls
The controls are easy to configure; there are several
pre-set combinations to choose from and the player can change these however
they see fit. The standard control set up works fine; the trigger button fires,
the Nunchuck controls movement and crouching, while the D pad on the Wii Remote
handles scrolling through weapons. The controls felt fairly intuitive and
aren't a barrier to getting into the game. You have the option to either spray
enemies in the vicinity liberally with bullets, or lock on the screen and fire
using the gun sight; the difference in accuracy is definitely noticeable.
One slight niggle I had was that the controls are a
little mixed up between the Wii Remote and Nunchuck; the Nunchuck handles
movements, except for one button which handles the gun aiming. The Wii Remote
handles all gun actions, apart from one button that controls movements. This
feels a little counter-intuitive. Although the controls are fairly fluid,
sometimes it can be a little difficult to keep your aim on an enemy, even when
lock-on is enabled. During these moments, it feels rather similar to playing
those old computer darts games, where the cursor would emulate a slightly drunk
player by wobbling around while you were trying to take aim.
To keep the gun controls solely on the Wii Remote and the
movement controls solely on the Nunchuck would make them easier to remember;
all that would be required is to switch the function of the A and Z buttons.
Having said that, the player can do this themselves, as the controls are all
configurable on the options screen.
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Ideas
There are lots of interesting features in this game, from
the well thought out difficulty settings to the variety of missions in each
campaign that make the game play feel a little more complex than simply
crouching and shooting. One thing I liked a lot was the way in which you could
interact with the environment. You didn't run around collecting ammo for a
whole cache of weapons you carted about your person - you could carry a service
revolver and a rifle. If you wanted any other weapons, you have to pick them up
from the floor (or prise them out of a dead soldier's hands) and discard
whatever you were carrying. It's also possible to use any weapons abandoned by
the enemy; including a set of anti-aircraft turrets that you previously had to
disable by killing the enemy soldiers operating them.
Sometimes the sheer level of cruelty you could inflict was a
bit grim and had no moral consequences. For example, in one mission I had to
acquire a flamethrower to set fire to a ramshackle enemy hideout. So far, so
unpleasant yet necessary. Having obtained the flamethrower, I quickly found I
could use it as a standard weapon and set fire to anyone in the vicinity.
Charming. At least your fellow soldiers don't cheer you on, as they do when you
blow up a tank. I’m happy that the game allows me to be as excessively violent
as I like, but I’m not happy that there are no consequences to this.
It would have been interesting if a level of morality had
been featured in this game. Given the first in-game introductory cutscene
focuses on the cruelty Japanese soldiers inflict on your fellow POWs, it seems incongruous
to then let your player do the same without so much as a comment on it. Even
something simple, such as an officer berating you or an argument where one
soldier cheered and another told him to cut it out would have been nice. Better
yet, if your actions were reflected in the narrative - the crueller you behave,
the more your player's narration slips into dark muttering of revenge, rather
than grim determination to succeed for their country.
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| 'You stupid boy!' (Source: IGN.com) |
Memory
There's a lot to like about this game; it's atmospheric and
keeps the gore and injuries realistic without going over the top. This adds to
the grim, oppressive feel that is very fitting for a period war piece. The
array of weapons you can use - and have to use in certain missions - also adds
to the appeal, and there are nice touches, such as an HUD that shows health
simply by blotting the edges of the screen with increasingly invasive red the
closer you are to death. This makes it easy to work out how close you are to
death and when you've recovered enough to come out of hiding. Plus, there is
some effort to make the missions varied and to welcome players at all skill
levels into the game due to the varied difficulty levels.
It does feel as though there are a lot of missed
opportunities in this game; there are bunkers and tranches you can explore,
only they are very limited and contain very little of interest. You can inflict
genuine cruelty on enemies, only the game doesn't care. You can crouch behind
cover and vault over to charge the enemy, but you can't make stealth manoeuvres
or lay traps. It seems that there was scope to make this a really multifaceted
war game where people had the freedom to simply crouch and shoot, or think
outside the box and take vastly different tactical decisions, but instead
everything was made rather linear and simplified.
I really would have liked to see some of the aspects
mentioned above in the game - not as mandatory gape play, but as an optional
way to go through the campaigns if you've played the game to death or you just
find that being a sneaky git is more your style. An element of morality game
play or even just the CPU players telling you off for being excessively
sadistic would also have been nice, especially in a war game based on fairly
recent history.
Overall, this is a solid FPS that conveys its period setting
well and has a fantastically well-designed difficulty selection feature. Sadly,
for a game covering such a recent and globally significant conflict, it
steadfastly refuses to delve into the political and emotional complexity of the
scenario.
*For the record, I did try to find out from the game rental
company. That was a fortnight ago, and thus far they have not been forthcoming.
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