GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx 4 Elements
xx 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven
xx Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile
xx Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Make the Grade
51 Beijing 2008
77 Bejeweled Twist
86 Bionic Commando Rearmed
71 Birth of America II: Wars in America 1750-1815
xx Bolt
xx Brain Training for Dummies
81 Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
xx Building & Co: You Are The Architect!
69 Bully: Scholarship Edition
88 Call of Duty: World at War
xx CellZenith
81 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
xx Commander: Napoleon at War
84 Crysis Warhead
56 Dark Horizon
85 Dead Space
xx Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
xx Deer Hunter Tournament
xx Disciples III: Renaissance
xx Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets
65 Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon
xx Duke Nukem Forever
xx Dynasty Warriors 6
59 Euro Truck Simulator
xx Europa Universalis: Rome - Vae Victis
63 Everlight: Magic & Power
xx Exodus from the Earth
xx FaitH
92 Fallout 3
86 Far Cry 2
xx Fate: Undiscovered Realms
77 FIFA Manager 09
80 FIFA Soccer 09
86 Football Manager 2009
xx futureU: The Prep Game for SAT
xx Galactic Civilizations II: Endless Universe
xx Grand Theft Auto IV
xx Gravitron 2
82 GTR Evolution
50 Guild 2: Venice, The
xx Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
66 Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft, The
xx Hell's Kitchen
xx High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance!
67 Hinterland
xx History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions
xx Igor The Game
xx Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion
82 King's Bounty: The Legend
88 Left 4 Dead
42 Legendary
79 LEGO Batman
72 Line Rider 2: Unbound
xx Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, The
xx Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
70 Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
xx MindHabits
67 Moto GP 08
74 Mount & Blade
76 Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest
61 Murder in the Abbey
69 MySims
85 Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
xx NBA 2K9
63 Need for Speed Undercover
xx Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
73 NHL 09
71 Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
66 Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy
xx Operation Mania
59 Outcry
81 Peggle Nights
80 Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2
70 Penumbra: Requiem
xx Perimeter 2: New Earth
xx Pipe Mania
xx Poker For Dummies
xx Price is Right, The
xx Prince of Persia
xx Prison Tycoon 4: SuperMax
xx Project Aftermath
83 Pure
70 Quantum of Solace
70 Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
xx Rise of the Argonauts
75 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
76 Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
82 Saints Row 2
xx SAS: Secure Tomorrow
xx SCORE International Baja 1000
41 Shattered Suns
xx Shaun White Snowboarding
xx Shrek's Carnival Craze
83 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
xx Silent Hill: Homecoming
xx Silverfall: Earth Awakening
75 Sims 2 Apartment Life, The
68 Sinking Island
60 Space Siege
59 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
84 Spore
xx StarCraft II
xx Still Life 2
73 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner
81 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free
81 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands
82 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective
71 Summer Athletics
xx Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows
80 Tomb Raider Underworld
xx Vampyre Story, A
86 Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
64 Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March
xx Wartime Command: Battle for Europe 1939-1945
86 Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The
90 World of Goo
91 World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
71 WorldShift
74 X3: Terran Conflict

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Call of Duty: World at War pc Game Reviews
Call of Duty: World at War
Critic Score
Metascore: 88 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.4 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 80 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Utilizing the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War throws out the rulebook of war to transform WWII combat through a new enemy, new tactics and an uncensored experience of the climatic battles that gripped a generation. As U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers, players employ new features like cooperative gameplay, and weapons such as the flamethrower in the most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date. Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-operative play, bringing fresh meaning to the "No One Fights Alone" mantra with up to four-players online for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, or two-player local split-screen on consoles. Nintendo Wii will also support a unique co-op mode for two players. For the first time ever players can experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The co-op campaign allows players to rank up and unlock perks in competitive multiplayer by completing challenges and earning experience points, adding continuous re-playability and team-based gameplay. Whether playing competitively or cooperatively – if players are online with Call of Duty: World at War – they always gain experience points. Based on a player’s experience rank and rank of the player's friends, Call of Duty: World at War scales dynamically to provide a deeper level of challenge. [Activision]

PUBLISHER: Activision
DEVELOPER: Treyarch
GENRE(S): First-Person Shooter
PLAYERS: 18
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

96
Cheat Code Central
Treyarch came back this year with an excellent addition to the franchise. Many gamers may look at this game with an "I've been there, done that" attitude. I am here to tell you that this is the best WWII effort so far, as well as the best game in the franchise.
Read Full Review
96
Game Chronicles
Call of Duty World at War is an amazingly fun and addictive game all around. You couldn’t ask for a better FPS value.
Read Full Review
92
IGN
This is a solid, confident shooter with plenty to offer the casual and hardcore alike.
Read Full Review
91
GamingTrend
The game is definitely an incremental step forward for the series, and not a revolutionary one.
Read Full Review
90
VideoGamer
A stunning game that doesn't miss a beat from start to finish and includes one of the most feature packed multiplayer components of any game released this year.
Read Full Review
90
Gameplanet
The single-player campaign involves a riveting and emotional story, and the inclusion of co-op is fantastic. The game itself however is heavily weighted towards multiplayer, as was its predecessor.
Read Full Review
90
BigPond GameArena
Overall Call of Duty World at War is a great game with some great ideas, but it feels too familiar to be a real must have title.
Read Full Review
90
GamePro
The single-player isn't as compelling as Modern Warfare but it's still worth playing nonetheless; the best part though is that there's a deep and satisfying multiplayer component waiting for you when you're done.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
It's certainly not the bar-raiser that "Modern Combat" was, especially in the solo campaigns. But with the new co-op play and the rest of the multiplayer content, World of War turns out to be an extremely entertaining and faithful addition to the Call of Duty family.
Read Full Review
90
Games Radar
All in all World at War delivers. It isn’t a revolution in Call of Duty gaming, but neither is it a step backwards, like some have claimed. Right now, it’s the best WWII shooter we’ve played, largely because it’s got a solid (if unoriginal) single player, some spectacular multiplayer, and oh yeah: because it’s brutal as hell.
Read Full Review
88
3DJuegos
World at War is a great new entry in the epic saga. The new Call of Duty just misses the inspiration that Infinity Ward brings to every project, and which Treyarch still aspires to. This new game offers everything we were waiting for, and has better value in its co-op campaign.
Read Full Review
87
IGN UK
Although World at War too often feels like a refit, it’s a refit of one of the greatest games of the current generation - and one that’s, by and large, been confidently handled by Treyarch.
Read Full Review
86
GameStar
Call of Duty: World at War goes back to the battlefields of World War 2. The game delivers well staged nonstop action and looks good, but the missions are barely connected, just like in the first three games of the series. It's still a good, maybe even a very good FPS, but not fit to hold a candle to its predecessor.
Read Full Review
85
GameSpot
World at War brings proven Call of Duty mechanics back to WWII with great success.
Read Full Review
85
GameZone
Overall the game feels a bit short but is not only a very tasty bit of eye candy, and a treat for the ears as well, but a briskly paced action-adventure that should please fans of WWII first-person shooters.
Read Full Review
84
Gamer 2.0
Treyarch has made vast improvements from their COD 3 work and delivered a solid product.
Read Full Review
80
Meristation
Following the work of Infinity Ward with "Modern Warfare", Treyarch has made a good work following those steps as close as possible, while adding elements of their own. The grim scenario of the Russian campaign is a clear highlight and a triumph for the studio, and the same could be said of the four player cooperative mode. However, we miss more evolution on the graphics engine, and some elements added to the multiplayer experience don't convince us.
Read Full Review
75
MEGamers
World at War is nothing but a mutated bastard child of its immortal predecessor.
Read Full Review
60
Edge Magazine
Treyarch has taken just enough from COD4 to make World At War a broad success, but it remains firmly in its shadow. [Christmas 2008, p.90]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 80 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Reader Who reads gave it a4:
Infinity Ward - a small boutique game developer (since purchased by Activision) that has exclusively worked on the Call of Duty series. They did the original COD, COD2, and COD4. All of them absolute hits, pushing the envelope further every single time. Think of them as the creative geniuses of the genre. Treyarch - an industrial bulk game development shop ("focusing on AAA quality next generation games" as per their own website). AAA as in subprime AAA? They have done no less than 25 games so far - not a single one of them being a success (including COD2). They are basically the whore studio of Hollywood and they are the kind of guys you hire to develop a crappy little game to go with a big budget movie (e.g. Spider-Man 2). Look up either studio on Wikipedia to learn more about them. As such, you should not be surprised that CODWAW was not named COD5, since it is more of an expansion pack for COD4. Basically Treyarch decided that they are indeed incapable and unworthy of contributing to the COD franchise, but to nonetheless milk the captive audience, they put out some garbage while the guys at Infinity Ward are working on the next truly innovative installment. Factually, CODWAW is basically a few more missions set in WWII and powered by the old COD4 engine. There are new fire effects - exciting for 2007 but embarassing in 2008, at a time when we have Far Cry 2. If you watch up close the grass burn, the grass object is simply shrunk and is given a black coloration while emitting smoke. And only some objects can burn; and there's no catching fire concept. Now try the same in Far Cry 2. Watch every leaf and every branch get charred, watch how the fire spreads in the savannah, see the AI respond to it, and imagine all the strategies you can apply using it. So now that we've established that the engine brings nothing truly new, let's focus on the actual solo missions. They shamelessly plagiarize COD4 - you will be injured countless times, shot, drowned only to have your good buddy rescue you in a slow-motion scene. There are also two parallel plots that you alternate between. However, the specific missions are extremely heavily scripted. More so than the original COD4. In many instances you're better off going to the right place to trigger the next event than focusing on doing a good job shooting. There's a scene where you man the machine gun on a plane, but that is also incredibly scripted. Overall this plays much more like an interactive movie than a real game - which is a huge drawback. Think of the sniping mission in COD4 - how incredibly immersive it was - there are whole websites with strategies for the last part, right before you get rescued. There is no equivalent here. Its much more point and click. The realism element is missing, and I could not relate to any of the in game characters. Do not buy this game - play COD4 multiplayer and Far Cry 2 single player in the mean time, and await patiently COD6.

Firehawk gave it a10:
This is the best call of duty game ever made, I have got and played every single call of duty game ever apart from cod3 which was a disappointment and was also made by Treyarch. After Cod 3 i thought that treyarch was going to screw up again with cod world at war.. but I was wrong, I is soo fun everything about it is great especially the multiplayer. The single player is short but is a lot more "epic" than the cod 4 battlefields with tanks ambushes and the new co-op. definetly my favorite WW2 game and probably my favourite FPS ever. Good Work Treyarch!!!

Steele X gave it a9:
I don't understand why people say that it wasn't better than CoD4. Even if it isn't, why does it have to be better? The single player was shorter than CoD4's, but it still solidly maintained the epicness of all CoD series. The Japanese banzai troops who pretended to be dead soldiers. The flamethrowers and tanks who tried to blow up the house of Dimitri and Reznov. The water that flooded the entire underground tunnel. It's even better when you get to scream with your friends on microphone through Co-op mode while everybody are playing it the first time. When the campaign missions are done you can replay it countless time with the zombie mission. A very original idea which only came true on 2D flash game is now avaliable in 3D FPS. The mutiplayer is very well done as well, with all the levels and unlocks to keep yourselves busy. Overall, CoD:WaW is the perfect WW2 FPS game to play when you're down in your luck one day and can't kill a single person in Red Orchestra.

Simon gave it a10:
Very good single player game,only too short. There is the new idea of co-op that works very well and the MP is as the cod4's , but in a new ambientations, with new weapons and skills.I like prestige classes too. In conclusion it's a must.

Mikko gave it an8:
The single-player campaing sucks. You just run in a tube and kill everything that comes in frot of you. You tond get inside buildings even if the door is wide open. There is just a invissible class wall. But the 8 comes because of the multiplayer. Same modes as in modern warfare, witch is good. Best WW2 multiplayer I have played so far. Love It!

Lester G. gave it a6:
A solid game but feels like a bad rerun most of the time. If you haven't tried COD1, COD2 & COD3, this game is worth checking out. However, If you've played the previous World War 2 versions of COD, you will not miss much by skipping COD: World At War. It's a nice a graphical upgrade but brings nothing new in terms of overall gameplay and experience, especially compared to previous World War II versions. Overall, save your money and buy something else.

Andres gave it a6:
I really cant see how the game reviewers rated this 9/10. First, the gameplay hasnt evolved at all, tightly scripted game with the ai taking lame shots at each other, waiting for you to do something, so immersion is nonexistent. The gun sounds are truly bad, really bad, i didnt fell anything from shooting.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use