Melee attacks are swift and brutal, as you either use your bayonet or stab your opponent in the chest and move on. The Japanese banzai attackers will go out of their way to melee you, but thankfully you can counter with a press of the right stick-be sure to press it repeatedly, as you’ll lose this duel if you press too early or too late-and Miller will respond by stabbing them in the neck first.

You can play the campaign mode in either solo or co-op, with up to four others online for the latter. This gives you incentive to replay the game, and for you Achievement lovers out there, Treyarch wants you to do just that, and has set aside gamer points for those who delve into every aspect of the title.

Once you finish the campaign, you are awarded with a new game mode, that of Nazi Zombies. This mode is addicting, and can be played with up to four others. The basic premise is that you are trapped in an abandoned and ruined building, and you are fending off an endless wave of zombie attacks. Each zombie kill gets you points, which you can then spend on rebuilding the barriers on the windows, unlocking different areas of the building to hide in, or on weapons and ammunition.

You will eventually lose-the waves never end, they just keep on increasing in difficulty-so the goal is to rack up the highest score possible and compare it to others on the leaderboard. Even if you don’t enjoy the campaign portion of the game, this mode makes finishing it worth your time.

The online play for Call of Duty 4 remains one of the better options for this generation, thanks to a leveling and perks system that gave you incentive to come back and play often. World at War mimics this system, except it’s obviously set during the WWII era now, with appropriate changes made for that. It’s an updated version of one of the top online experiences out there, meaning that you will not have any problems with it if you were a fan of the progress made by Infinity Ward back in 2007.

“Call of Duty: World at War” is a game that some people are going to love or hate, depending on their stance on World War II shooters. I’m as tired of them as anyone out there, which led me to be taken aback by just how good this title is. Treyarch did not take Call of Duty a step back as many feared, but instead took a step to the side, releasing a game that is nearly on par with the preceding title in the series while making an old standby, WWII, seem fresh and relevant for gamers again. If you missed this during the rush of holiday games, consider this a recommendation to dive in before the next big wave.

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About The Author

Marc Normandin was gaming editor of Blast from 2008 to mid-2010. You can reach him via e-mail at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @Marc_Normandin

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