GENRE
	First-Person Shooter
	DEVELOPER
	Treyarch
	PUBLISHER
	Activision
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	Yes
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
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World War II: The historic event that haunts the minds of veterans and survivors and fills pages upon pages of history books. At the same time, it has become an overused setting in video games, especially amongst first-person shooters. Thus, some gamers were no doubt unhappy about Call of Duty's venture back into the battle against the Axis Powers.

Developer Treyarch, however, shows that the choice to revisit the war was not unfounded, showcasing stunning Japanese beach vistas and dreary German cities slowly crumbling. The Call of Duty 4 graphic engine successfully makes the transition to Wii, something that seemed impossible after Activision's dreadful Quantum of Solace. The controls also hit the mark, but fall short of matching the best found on the system. Even so, Call of Duty: World at War beats the odds and delivers an explosive package to Wii.

visuals

Ports usually turn out rather rough around the edges on Wii. Take a look at recent examples, like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. It doesn't help matters that the Wii version was to be run on an (unproven) modified graphic engine that was built for Xbox 360/PS3. In spite of this, the title definitely delivers. Smoke and ash fill the screen with solid particle effects, even during online bouts. Lighting plays a dominant role as the sun peeps through war-torn structures. Player models animate with realism as enemies fire blindly behind walls and burn to a crisp at the hands of a flamethrower. The frame rate may not hit 60 frames per second, but it mainly stays locked at 30. This all becomes even more impressive when witnessing air strikes bombarding the screen with the stellar smoke effects and a camera shaking to enhance the tension.

The modified engine is an obvious success but there are still a few quirks that could be ironed out. Graphical clipping is prevalent, as are a few see-through objects, like the rocks in a Japanese castle seige. Jaggies could be smoothed. Overall, though, these are small complaints to a strong visual title from a third party.

audio

The aural presentation hits the same high as the visuals. Players get the same audio as the bigger console brethren, so the voices Keifer Sutherland and Gary Oldham are peppered throughout the adventure. While Sutherland is easily recognizable, Oldham perfectly pitches his voice for the Russian Sgt. Reznov. Because of the personality instilled, Reznov elevates the uplifting Russian storyline and will become a fan favorite for many. Heart-thumping sound effects fill in the left-over voids, with bullets thudding into bodies and tanks clanking through the rubbles of a city.

gameplay

Call of Duty: World at War is a delight for the ears and eyes, but the feel of controls is a top priority for Wii. Sadly, it does not live up to the high standards set by Medal of Honor Heroes 2. The IR functionality just does not respond as quickly or maneuver as smoothly as EA’s series, in small part to the inability to achieve 60 frames per second. Still, Treyarch offers an admirable effort that does offer some pre-set options to tinker with. With enough playing time, no one will have problems pinpointing enemies with ease. Still, thoughts of what could have been are unavoidable.

These thoughts are mitigated somewhat by a strong single-player campaign. A well-rounded effort awaits as missions switch between American marines storming Japan and a Russian soldier (somehow surviving everything thrown at him) taking over Berlin. The split storyline has its ups and downs. The strength of this plot choice is in the variety of gameplay and settings, as the game switches from grayish European cities to bright and sandy beaches littered with palm trees. Missions change up consistently, ranging from flamethrower beach invasions to a tag-team sniper attack throughout a dense, mid-century city. On the other hand, the narrative can be a bit jarring with the constant back-and-forth nature of the tale.

As for features, in comparison to the bigger consoles, Wii does receive the short end of the stick. For one, there is no online cooperative mode present -– not even in split-screen. Instead, this version contains a Squad Mode where another person can control a reticule on-screen in an on-rails style. This may help video game newcomers adjust to the sensitive shooting, but for regulars, players will find themselves annoyed by not having more control. Even more so, the main player may hate the eyesore of another huge reticule appearing on-screen, as it becomes a bit confusing deciphering who is who.

multiplayer

This version also fails to contain the same number of multiplayer options available on Xbox 360 and PS3. The number of players online is capped at eight, there are no vehicles or vehicular-based maps, and Wii Speak is not utilized. Last but not least, Zombie Mode sits firmly out of sight.

Things may sound pretty bad, but that could not be further from the truth. Yes, the lack of features is bothersome. But what is still intact performs extremely well for Wii. The Perk System and leveling up are available and balance matches. The variety of weapons and attachments is impressive, especially considering that add-ons graphically appear in online bouts. For example, if someone equips a silencer, that will be seen; if they equip a scope, it fits snugly on the character’s gun. To wrap it all together, there are no hiccups online. Lag was minimal in hours upon hours of multiplayer matches (hitting over double digits) and the matchmaking works like a charm. This is a must-own for Wii online fanatics.

overall

Treyarch had a laundry list of obstacles in front of it while developing Call of Duty: World at War, especially the Wii version. Modifying the Call of Duty 4 engine for Nintendo’s system is no minor task but the developer pulled it off to a great degree. The single-player campaign, along with audio, matches the next-gen consoles and together offers an awesome package for any sound and sight junkie. The controls, while not perfected, perform a dutiful job. The multiplayer runs smoothly and features an enomormous amount of balance and smoothness, thanks in no small part to the near flawless Perk and leveling systems.

At the same time, there’s a lot still left to improve. Minor graphical flaws remain, the controls still sit below the standard set by EA’s shooter, and feature-wise, Wii owners are left with the short end of the stick. Even with these setbacks, this is still the best first-person shooter on Wii.

8.5/10