Developer: Treyarch (Certain Affinity)
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, Wii
Genre: First Person Shooter
Metacritic Rating: 84/100 Xbox 360; 85/100 PS3, 83/100 PC; 83/100 Wii
Copies Sold: 11 million (as of June 2009)
Release Date: November 2009

Call of Duty: World at War is another game in the Call of Duty series that has a more mature theme than other installments of the game. This is an open-ended game as there are numerous ways in which the objectives can be completed. World at War shares numerous features with other games in this series. Players and AI-controlled teammates fight alongside one another and can help in the different missions of the game by shooting down foes, providing cover fire and clearing rooms before they are entered.

With the Wii version of this game, rather than using standard controllers such as those that are used by the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, the Wii Zapper can be employed. This is an optional, gun-like controller. The Zapper or the Nunchuk or Wii Remote can all be used to aim and fire at targets and in the simulation of marksmanship.

The return to the warfare of the World War II era reintroduces technology and weapons that were present in the early games of the Call of Duty franchise such as the Mosin-Nagant rifle and the Thompson submachine gun as well as the anti-tank Panzerschreck rocket launcher. Players have access to each one of the weapons at some point throughout the game, but can carry only hand grenades and two extra weapons maximum. Players can additionally retrieve weapons from fallen enemies and use these to replace weapons within their personal arsenal. Weapons with extra attachments can also be found by players, including guns that have telescopic sites, rifle grenades and bayonets.

There are three stances that a character can be positioned in. These include the prone position and the crouching and standing positions. Each of these positions will impact the speed, agility, stealth and accuracy of the player. Taking cover will help to protect players from enemy fire or allow them to recover health after substantial damage has been taken. The edge of the screen will grow red and the character will develop a distressed heartbeat when significant damage has occurred. If able to remain outside of the line of fire, the character will ultimately have the ability to recover from these damages. When positioned within the blast radius of a grenade a marker will indicate the grenade’s direction, enabling the player to determine whether the weapon should be launched back or whether to flee the scene.

There are 13 hidden death cards that the single player campaign includes. These are marked by playing cards that have been placed atop basic war graves. Each level includes one, except for levels that are set in vehicles. Players can collect these to unlock cheats for the Co-op mode, such as “paintball mode” and reduced endurance for foes.

In November of 2008, Call of Duty: World at War was the second best-selling game in the US. More than 1.41 units were sold. The PlayStation 3 version and the Xbox 360 version were the ninth and second best-selling units respectively during the month of December 2008 in the US. 1.33 million and 533,000 were purchased for each of these version respectively. Selling in excess of 2.75 million units, the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: World at War was the sixth top-selling game in 2008 as well. The Wii version of Call of Duty: World at War ranked 19th among best-selling games for 2007 and 7th among best-selling Wii games in December 2008. There was increased interest in this game in the UK, where the first week sales were double the amount of Modern Warfare for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. It has also, excluding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV, become the best-selling game in the UK. Call of Duty: World at War has as of June 2008, has sold in excess of 11 million units.