Call Of Duty: World At War Multiplayer

Last weekend I was able to experience the Call Of Duty: World At War multiplayer, in it's entirety. Having played the Beta last month I had high hopes and thankfully I wasn't disapointed. Firstly, what struck me the most was the variety and complexity of the maps themselves. They are both beautifully rendered and intricately designed, which accomodates players with varying playing styles. Many of the maps feature a healthy mix of outdoor and interior locations such as Airfield and Asylum. It's also refreshing that snipers are going to find these maps tough as sight lines are few and far between due to the number of objects and obstructions which provide cover. Likely sniper positions are also made more risky due to buildings having a number of entry points, which will force players to be shrewd with the positioning of 'bouncing betty's'.

Further to the huge improvement of the multiplayer maps over Modern Warfare, it appears that World At War has adopted an almost 'bigger is better' approach. Whilst this doesn't always work (i'm looking at you, Far Cry 2) World At War successfully manages to provide a vast array of options whilst not compromising on quality. You now need to reach Level 65 before you can enter prestige mode, maps are bigger, there are more weapons of varying types, you no longer have the same upgrades for every weapon ( I mean, a red dot sight on a shotgun? Please!) and the number or perks you can choose from and use has increased.

Personally, the ability to diversify and customise my weapons and abilities is extremely important. Even though World At War has taken a step backwards in terms of the period in which it is set, the tools of your enemies demise are as fun to use, maybe even more so, than the weapons found in Modern Warfare.

The game modes from COD4 remain intact with the valuable addition of the War game type, which was first introduced in COD3. This team-orientated mode involves the capturing of control points. Once a control point has been captured the team gains more momentum, which enables further control points to be captured faster.

Treyarch have also enabled a stat tracking system that works by linking your gamertag to your Call of duty.com user account. The information is exhaustive and you are able to see everything from the challenges you have completed, to the number of kills you have with each weapon. You are even able to see where your 'killshots' landed on your enemies. Information can be read on a match by match basis and provides a nice record of your online achievements. Sadly, this system is only in its Beta stage and can take some time for your stats to be updated.

Lastly, I really need to mention the dogs. Every article i've read, or podcast i've listened to, has mentioned the attack dogs at some stage or another but I cannot stress enough how utterly cool they are. Seeing your dogs maul an enemy is great fun, especially you're staring down your sights from distance. Conversely, enemy dogs instill a sense of panic as the sound of barking gets louder. They take several shots to put down but you are rewarded for your efforts in the form of further XP.

In summary, despite the WWII setting, World At War has managed to expand upon the fantastic multiplayer model first layed down by Infinity Ward in Call Of Duty 4. Better design and a plethora of new weapons and features make this game a 'must own' title.