Combat in World War II was in many cases the most intense and dangerous of any war fought previously. Men from the allied and axis nations locked in battle and often fought to the death for the causes of both fascism and freedom as well as Communism. The intensity and of this raw combat is captured in the latest title in the Call of Duty franchise, World at War.

Call of Duty World at War is a first person shooter that places players into the heat of infantry combat in WWII. Through a series of missions players must battle as US marines, Soviets, Nazis and Japanese as they fight all over the world from islands in the Pacific to the streets of Stalingrad.

As each chapter in the game opens players are given a historical and usually quite personal storyline to explain who they are and what they are fighting for in each section. The narrator usually takes on the part of a comrade in arms and briefly describes where you are and what comes next and a series of game movies play to give you a visual representation of this.

The first mission opens with you a prisoner of the Japanese, being interrogated by a vicious officer who quickly murders your fellow marine in front of you and as he turns to get you next, pandemonium breaks out as a rescue attempt for you is underway.

You start to learn the basics of the game here as you have no weapons at start but you can pick up any weapon dropped by the soldiers around you or from dead enemies. Each weapon has a different effect in battle, with various amounts of ammo and effectiveness in battle.

Like many shooters you can carefully aim by hitting the correct button but watch out as this slows your reaction time, and you could even be killed by the enemy who rushes at you while you are busy aiming elsewhere.

The game missions are arranged in classic fashion and you must accomplish a series of goals to reach each way point in the mission, where your game will be saved and you can continue. The mission objectives are usually to clear the enemies from certain areas, but you will also fight tanks, AA guns and many other WWII era things on the road to final victory.

The game uses the ability of the Xbox360 quite well, the soldiers and equipment look very realistic and often quite accurate and the combat in both extremely violent and intense. This is not a game for children as it is extremely bloody and it is even too much for most teenagers.

The weapons control and the movement of your character are extremely well done and the game does move right along, no mission is so impossible that it would hold you up for more then a short time. The voiceovers are excellent and match well with the characters in the game and this gives the game a very realistic feel.

Overall this is the best shooter I have seen in a long time but the extreme nature of WWII combat means it is not for everyone. People who don’t like bloody or violent games should avoid this, and it’s Not for kids at all. However, if you want a good shooter and a real challenge, this game is a can’t miss.

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