Call of Duty: World at War Preview

Call of Duty: World at War Beta Preview

When the title was first announced earlier this year, many gamers where cautiously optimistic about what was in store for Call of Duty: World at War, the latest game in Activision’s critically-acclaimed shooter franchise would differ from the wildly popular (and wildly awesome) fourth game in the Call of Duty series by bringing the series back to the weathered WWII setting and would be developed by Treyarch, the developer that also handled the somewhat underwhelming Call of Duty 3.

However, Treyarch is proving themselves to be very capable this time around, and the game is thankfully shaping up extremely well, as evidenced by the multiplayer beta now in progress. GameZone was recently given a crack at the beta, and the results showcased a very capable WWII shooter with deep and complex multiplayer that would do the much revered Call of Duty 4 proud.

The multiplayer features in World at War are very similar to those in Call of Duty 4 from the outset. Using the same kind of RPG-esque level building as CoD 4, World at War has you beginning at level 1 gaining levels and abilities for your character by getting kills or performing specific goals based on the game mode objective. As you gain levels, you’ll unlock certain classes, like Close Assault (a shotgun class) and Sniper that cater to individual playing styles.

Once you hit level 4, the game really opens up, as the excellent Create-A-Class feature from CoD 4 returns in fine form. In Create-A-Class, you can unlock special perks for your custom class, including better damage, improved aim, health, stamina, and so on. You’ll also have perks specific to tanks, which will let you aim faster or keep you from overheating. Additionally, you’ll have access to special items depending on your level, including special grenades and mines and even a flamethrower. Unfortunately, the flamethrower isn’t currently available in the beta, as the level cap is set to 11.

The challenges from CoD 4 have also returned, meaning by performing certain sub-objectives, you’ll be able to unlock new attachments and tweaks for your weapon sets, like scopes, silencers, etc. to give you an upper hand.

Call of Duty: World at War features the requisite online modes, as well as War, a pretty intriguing and exciting take on the standard “capture the spawnpoint” formula. Instead of beginning with a land grab style approach, requiring each team to grab up as many points at the start of the match and then fight for them all at the same time, War requires you to contend for one single point at a time, resulting in some very intense firefights with all team members attacking at once. This is an interesting take on the Battlefield-type game mode that allows for more exciting situations and a true feeling of tug-of-war and momentum shifting.

Call of Duty: World at War is every bit as intense as its beloved predecessor, and the online gameplay is just as (if not more so) furious. The multiplayer beta is currently in progress on Xbox LIVE, and the game is scheduled to launch next month.