After Modern Warfare took the franchise to new heights in technical and gameplay execution, Call of Duty returns to its roots with a massively ambitious look at the Japanese and German fronts of World War 2 in ways never seen before.  Whether this will be considered a step backwards is debatable, the genre has rarely been presented in such a brutal and unflinching way, easily setting a new benchmark in violence and disturbing imagery for the series.  Developer Treyarch takes the lead from Infinity Ward this go-around, utilizing the powers of the Call of Duty 4 engine to create the most compelling and visually disturbing World War 2 shooter yet, managing to wring every last drop of emotion and vitality from a genre many feel has been spent creatively.  While not the masterpiece its predecessor was, Call of Duty: World at War is a completely satisfying shooter that should please fans of Modern Warfare and keep the franchise hopping for at least another year.

The atmosphere is undeniably epic as you’ll initially start your campaign as a P.O.W. which quickly elevates the momentum from emotional despair to soldiering through harsh adversities all in the name of triumph. The pacing and plot deals with the struggles between the American and Japanese fight for dominance over the Pacific islands to the Russians offensive against the Germans, and will alternate between two soldiers throughout the single player experience; fortunately the progression of the story isn’t broken up abruptly and flows nicely within the game. The majority of the game is violently graphic in nature with you taking part in one of mankind’s most devastating chapters, its undeniably vulgar with sobering portions created by well-crafted dialogue that is heard from your superiors and comrades alike and cut-scenes that lay out a heroic, yet somewhat contrast the horrid events yet to seen on the battlefield.

World at War definitely makes for some truly engaging combat, as the challenge and overall difficulty have been greatly increased as enemies are become even more aggressive, from treetop snipers to banzai raiders who are quite merciless and downright terrifying.  The action has never been quite this tense and provocative in a WW2 FPS.  Following the lead from the previous game, World at War continues the brutal direction and unflinching look at the impact and effects of combat in ways few games have, easily justifying its Mature-rating and almost rising to the level of exploitation.  The atmosphere is epic as you’ll begin as a POW, which quickly elevates the momentum from emotional despair to soldiering through harsh adversities all in the name of triumph. The pacing and plot deals with the struggles between the American and Japanese fight for dominance over the Pacific islands to the Russians offensive against the Germans, and will alternate regularly between two soldiers throughout the single player experience.

Treyarch definitely learned a few tricks from Modern Warfare, and these lessons has been applied to World at War, which makes for some truly engaging combat action. The challenge and overall difficulty have also been greatly increased as enemies are become even more aggressive, from treetop snipers to banzai raiders who are quite merciless; the action has never been quite this tense in World War II Shooter. Though determined as the oncoming opposition may be the excitement is thinned out at periods especially during the European scenarios where things can become predictable, but it probably goes without saying that the action is non-stop and almost always engaging, if a bit too familiar.

The multiplayer modes are just as solid and fan-pleasing as ever, with the added bonus of having cooperative gameplay (a first for the franchise) with both a two-player split-screen and four-player online cooperative modes to play with.  Not only do these modes increase the number of adversaries in the campaign, but they also adds competitive scoring and various numbers of objectives to complete. Going at it along with another person adds considerable depth and merit, as well since whatever challenges you partake in goes to your multiplayer ranking for competitive modes. Speaking of which, the ability-enhancing “perks” system for online competition has been modestly improved as a bigger emphasis is now centered on experience points.  Of course all this means is that the incentives are now better balanced and provide an even engaging aspect of customization.

Standard deathmatch and a multitude of other options are available, but the most interesting new mode is "Nazi Zombie,"  which pits you and three others in a house against wave after wave of the fascist undead, the only objective being survival and fortifying your base of operations.  The longer you survive the more difficult it becomes, until the inevitability of death you can't escape.  Although this strange mode doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the game, zombies are all the rage and its a welcome addition, entertaining on its own, and undeniably frantic.

The game's visuals are punishing, easily surpassing the visual damages inflicted in Modern Warfare and taking the franchise further than its ever gone before.  It would be impossible to separate the visual acuity from the masterful direction, which may strike some historians (particularly with the Japanese forces) as somewhat exploitive, although from what I've read are all based on fact.  From the opening execution to the charred bodies on the field, the level of detail showcasing the Japanese and German campaigns never lets up, allowing the designers to showcase a never-ending tirade of horrors and nightmare-inducing imagery that will stay with you long after the credits roll.  Dynamic lighting and spectacular effects help bring these campaigns to life in astonishing detail, and if you've got a proper HDTV setup than you'll be rightfully impressed.

The game's soundtrack remains epic and bombastic, easily impressive and one of the finer things about this or any version.  Equally good are the various vocal performances and acting, which help continue the high benchmarks set by Modern Warfare and feature the talents of Kiefer Sutherland (24) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight).  As impressive as the game's visuals are, play this one loud on a decent sound system and you'll get the full benefit of just how much effort went into crafting this unsettling experience.

Call of Duty: World at War is a great first-person shooter. It does well by sticking to a formula that has been proven to be a technical and gameplay high for the series, and maintains the functional qualities that many were probably dreading wouldn’t make the backwards leap from Modern Warfare back to World War 2.  Even if these qualms are mostly unfounded, one cannot help but feel its time to move on from a genre that's been exhausted, and explore new and fresh ideas.  But don't let these prejudices hold you back, as even with a sense of déjà vu the genuine appeal that World at War shouldn’t be ignored, because frankly there is much to like here.  Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms.