#CALL OF DUTY WORLD AT WAR 2 SERIES#

The message is, by nature, a conflicted one: Though you may feel like an action hero, you are actually participating in the most horrid of human endeavors. This grim sobriety is further enforced by the actual WWII videos, photos, and statistics presented in stylish interchapter cutscenes. The vengeful, spitfire Russian pumps up your adrenaline to intoxicating levels, whereas the grim, determined American provides a sobering influence. Throughout each level, you are accompanied by a superior officer who sets the emotional tone through well-acted dialogue. You'll be happy to follow your commanding officers into burning buildings. On your journey, you'll traverse a number of diverse, well-detailed environments that set an impressive and immersive backdrop for the action. The first few levels are a hard scrabble as you and your fellow soldiers try to gain a foothold for your country, whereas later levels are suffused with a sense of hard-won momentum as you fight bigger battles and push closer to your enemies' capitals. Though the emotional tone eventually rises toward triumph, you never quite forget the fate you nearly met. Weaponless and surrounded by the enemy, you get a taste of the despair that many soldiers are never rescued from. Each soldier's journey begins at a low point. Though you'll alternate between them every few levels, the campaign feels like one solid progression thanks to the adept pacing. In the campaign, you split time between two soldiers in two offensive theaters: the Russian push out of their homeland and into the heart of Germany, and the American struggle to wrest Pacific islands from the Japanese. It's a minor inconvenience, though, and all things considered, World at War's control scheme is well-suited for the rigors of war. Unfortunately, grenades are mapped to the + button, and shifting your thumb halfway down the remote can be awkward. The D pad is also used for switching weapons, so resting your thumb in the A-button/D-pad area is generally advisable. The D pad is the better option, but melee attacks will still tend to go astray more often than they should. Unfortunately, shaking will shift your aim abruptly, often causing you to miss your target. The fast and deadly melee attack is performed by shaking the Wii Remote or hitting down on the D pad. The default controls feel balanced and well-mapped, but there are a few hang-ups. There are a number of slightly tweaked alternate control schemes, including a Wii Zapper mode that, if you can endure the frequent twisting it requires, is actually pretty fun. The C button toggles your stance, and the A button lets you sprint or, when stationary or strafing, lock the camera for steadier aiming. In the default control scheme, you pull the B trigger to fire and use the Z button to look down your sights, which is a crucially important ability, especially in multiplayer. As a handy aid to newcomers and veterans alike, there are plenty of options to tweak various sensitivities and movement speeds. You move with the analog stick and aim by pointing the remote. There are a number of great components in Call of Duty: World at War, but none of them would work without the fully capable control scheme. Spewing fire with the Wii Remote is particularly enjoyable. Add in the engaging multiplayer system that made Modern Warfare a smash hit, and you've got one of the best shooters available for the Wii. The remote and Nunchuk perform admirably in combat, despite a few missteps, and the well-tuned weapons make firefights intense and satisfying.

Though World at War treads the familiar ground of World War II, the detailed, realistic locations and dramatic story elements make this trip to the past feel fresh.

#CALL OF DUTY WORLD AT WAR 2 SERIES#

After getting passed over by 2007's stellar Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Wii owners get their first shot at the revitalized series with Call of Duty: World at War.

Call of duty world at war 2