CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR

[Tiplodocus]

I'm working my way through this on the Wii at the moment and it must be said, it's quiet an upsetting game.  I think it's the general unpleasantness of it all; it's bad enough running about the Atolls with a flamethrower but when you are marching through Berlin slaughtering every German you come across, it just seems, well, not cricket.

It's definitely the historical context that does it; I have no problems wiping out armies in Advance Wars, Battallian Wars, Space Invaders, Metroid, Jet Force Gemini, Zelda, Doom, Resident Evil or countless other games of killing and destruction.  And I didn't mind it so much in Call of Duty 3 - that had more of a Boys Own feel about it.

But this just seems plain wrong.  I know WAR IS HELL etc. etc. but while I can watch a film that depicts the violence, horror, futility and inhumanity of it all, it definitely doesn't fit right playing a game that purports to do it.

[Kerrin]

I'm playing through this myself at the moment on the PS3 and I'd have to agree with you in part. You know you've bought a first person shooter so you're going to be killing German and Japanese soldiers, that's a given. However, there are several instances I've encountered so far that seem to be unduly sadistic. Torture and the killing of unarmed combatants who have surrendered are unfortunately part of the scenarios that inevitably seem to arise in war and the game creators have included them in an unsanitised fashion which is in some ways commendable I guess. But it certainly ain't 'Commando' anymore and in some ways that's also good, war isn't a glorious endeavor. But it makes for a less enjoyable game. Which sounds really bad doesn't it. Not entirely sure I've actually got across what I meant to say. It seems much, much grimmer than previous versions. How's that?

[GordonR]

I know, it's shocking.  The most morally troublesome part is near the end, in the ruins of Berlin, when you're given a choice about what to do with a bunch of captured German soldiers.

One day, I'll find out what happens when you don't burn them to death with a Molotov cocktail.  One day.

[Kerrin]

you're given a choice about what to do with a bunch of captured German soldiers.

Is that near the end? Blimey, it's not a very big game on single player then, I've just done that level. You cocktailed them? You beast! At least I had the decency to machine gun them in cold blood.

[Roger Godpleton]

Y'know, I decided quite some time ago I wasn't going to buy this, pretty much as soon as I found out IW weren't developing. I enjoyed the multiplayer beta but still not enough to fork out. As soon as I read this thread though, I suddenly wanted to at least give it a rental. And therein lies a large part of the answer to this problem. BTW that's not supposed to be a knock on anyone here at all.

It shouldn't be too long before Activision starts bleeding the franchise dry so we can be appalled in every historical war that has guns in it.

[Proudhuff]

Playing thro this on PS2 and the bugger won't save after the Japanese castle level! Given what's been said above I don't fancy getting to Berlin..

i find that you, not your buddies, has to kill everyone everywhere before you can move on a real pain, I'm coming down on the side of Medal Od Honor, the team working there and the general ability to run around more, not to mentioon the health pack and ammo make it a better game by far...Sorry Rebellion!

[GordonR]

There's no Berlin levels in the PS2 version of the game, which differs significantly from the PS3/360 one.  The campaigns are different - the next-gen game has Russkies on the Eastern Front(that's where the Berlin levels come in) but the PS2 has the plucky Western Front Brits & Yanks instead, although the Pacific campaign is broadly similar in both versions.

The PS2 game is more junior-friendly, without the more gratuitious stuff that's in its bigger brother version.  No torture stuff, throat-slitting or execution of unarmed prisoners.

[Proudhuff]

phew! I can let Minihuff continue in my absence...

slightly of topic, but did anyone see Rory Bremner on Who do you think you are?  What a guy his fayther was! and some interesting film to accompany the bits about WWII,  mind you the idea to put a heavy MG on some poor dutch medic's shoulder while drawing the fire from the concealed enemy is a tip I'll salt away for future MOH campaigns!

[Tweak72]

Apart from Castle Wulfenstein, Which is set in a fictional context (a bit like the Indi Jones Films) I refuse to play games that depict actual battles in the last 100 years or so. As it is just to close to the now and still may have people living who lived through or experienced the events. I will play games that go for realism and possibly loosely based on some conflicts but the levels are not actual events. I have played COD4 as it is based on a what if but not any of the Medial of Honour or COD WW2 games because the levels are depicting very real events.

[Darren Stephens]

It is quite a depressing game, is'nt it? I'm enjoying it a lot though. What thats syas about me I have no interest in knowing!  

[mogzilla]

you're given a choice about what to do with a bunch of captured German soldiers.

Is that near the end? Blimey, it's not a very big game on single player then, I've just done that level. You cocktailed them? You beast! At least I had the decency to machine gun them in cold blood.

i did the decent thing and let someone else kill em.

[Kerrin]

Where's the fun in that? I mean, oh, I had not realised you could do that.

[Tiplodocus]

This just got worse because of, I assume, a glitch in the AI on one of the levels I've just completed.  All of the Japanese soldiers just stood by like dummies waiting for me to torch them with the flamethrower. Most unpleasant.

And worse, I'm now doing the bit where you assault the castle and by contrast, they are all fighting like mad bastards.  I can barely get twenty yards without grenades killing me. Gave up after about half an hour and a dozen deaths. I'm guessing I need to work my way round the sides or something but I can't see it.

Hurry up Rogue Trooper so I can kill fictional foes and be happy once more.

[Roger Godpleton]

The best solution would be to boycott Treyarch CODs forever.

[Kerrin]

And worse, I'm now doing the bit where you assault the castle and by contrast, they are all fighting like mad bastards. I can barely get twenty yards without grenades killing me. Gave up after about half an hour and a dozen deaths. I'm guessing I need to work my way round the sides or something but I can't see it.

Up the hill and bear to the left.