ot content with nuclear explosions,
Treyarch has decided to burn players to
death. That’s right, flamethrowers are back in
vogue in Call of Duty: World at War, the next
instalment of the revered, down-and-dirty war
franchise.
Be warned: radiation has nothing on World
of War. One of the early levels features an Allied
prisoner being tortured by the Japanese before
having his throat cut. “The game has also taken
on a grittier, edgier tone. We’ve kind of taken
off the gloves with this one. We’re not sanitizing
World War II,” said Mark Lamir, studio head of
Treyarch in a recent interview with UK’s Official
Xbox Magazine. Judging by the excessively
violent trailer, he’s not kidding. In a couple of
minutes, you see characters being ambushed,
bombed, burned, kicked and executed via firing
squad. Also, a ninja comes out to stab a soldier.
I’m not lying. Freeze the trailer at the right
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time and you can make out a ninja mask as he
introduces his katana to some Allied kidney.
BACK TO THE TRENCHES
Of course, it’s not really a ninja, in the same
way that World at War isn’t a true successor
to the throne; it will be the ninth iteration of the
franchise, but only the third major instalment
of the series from Treyarch. Call of Duty 4’s
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success has made the market savvier as
well, with punters appreciating a break from
retreading the Second World War. “With Call
of Duty: World at War, we’re re-defining what
it means to play a WWII game,” said Lamir,
and judging by initial fears (and fairly average
previous efforts – Ed), they’ll have to. To keep
gamers on side, Treyarch is using the best parts
from COD4 – starting with the look. Modern Warfare’s
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visuals were a hit, and Treyarch
believes that the engine is perfect for recreating
the lush jungles you’d expect from a
Pacific campaign.
Taking place in the Europe and the Pacific,
World of War has players fighting as the Red
Army invading Germany, and also as the
Americans in their island-hopping quest against
the Japanese. One of COD4’s main flaws was
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