Call of Duty: World at War (aka CoD: WaW) is the follow up to the smash hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developed by Infinity Ward. CoD: WaW is developed by Treyarch Studios who brought you such awful titles like Call of Duty 3. CoD3 was one of the first games I played on my Xbox 360 and, well, let’s just say I didn’t keep the game for very long. With the huge success of Modern Warfare, Treyarch has learned the valuable lessons that made Call of Duty 4 so popular and what provided it with such a long shelf life.

One of the advantages Activision has with its Call of Duty franchise is that it rotates developers each year. Treyarch took full advantage of the Call of Duty 4 engine; the environments are stunning however there wasn’t an improvement over the CoD4 graphics. As soon as I received the flamethrower in the story mode, I caught myself on several different occasions setting grass and trees on fire just because it looked cool. The audio was exceptionally well done and the voiceovers were good. The soundtrack was something I really liked about the game. There’s nothing like playing as American solider and hearing some classic rock in the background to get you pumped up to shoot enemies or blow things up. It didn’t quite work the same for me when I was playing as a Russian Solider.

One of the first things you will notice when you start the single-player campaign is the level of realistic violence. Body parts get dismembered and there is a lot of blood. These visuals should make you realize how violent and bloody WWII actually was. You could be walking through a jungle environment with your flamethrower setting grass and trees on fire and then suddenly have a Japanese Solider come out of a trench and start attacking you. Overall I found the single player campaign very fun. The action was well paced but the campaign wasn’t very long. One of my major concerns lay in the fact I found my character seemed to have a big target on his head and his AI buddies were just along for the ride. I was constantly under siege with grenades. No matter where I was the on the map they found me. My saving grace? There are a ton of checkpoints in each level.

There was a level in Call of Duty 4 called “Death from Above” that put you in control of the guns on an AC-130 Spectre gunship. You played the level from the perspective of a person watching a thermal television. That level was one of the best levels of CoD4 as it put real war into perspective. World at War tried to copy this feat by having you man one of three weapons aboard a plane and rotate from weapon to weapon. When you’re not blowing up U-boats, you are rescuing survivors. I’m not quite sure what Treyarch was going for in terms of mood, but it felt sloppy. Overall, it felt out of place.

The co-op campaign takes a page of out Halo 3 by offering campaign scoring, which is a nice addition, and a new feature called death cards. What are death cards you ask? They are similar to the skulls found in Halo 3. Different death cards can be used to add extra challenges to the game.

The weakest part in the Call of Duty: World at War package is the multiplayer. It feels like they did an export of CoD4 and added World War 2 guns and character models. CoD: WaW didn’t innovate or improve on anything from CoD4’s high ranked multiplayer mode, giving CoD4 players little reason to leave familiar territory for something new.

Conclusion
Call of Duty World at War is a very fun game that tells a very good story about the Pacific Rim. Treyarch vastly improved their performance on this edition of Call of Duty but didn’t do enough to set it apart and make me want to leave Call of Duty 4. The “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” attitude seems to have been applied to this game. I’m not sure it justifies spending $59.99 on this game during a holiday season filled with so many Triple A titles.

Last night, in the tunnels that run deep under Toronto, Xbox Canada and High Road Communications hosted the Gears of War 2 launch event. The evening started with community members and press meeting at Bay subway station. Attendees were greeted by Xbox Canada’s own JadeLive. After receiving guest badges, we were escorted down into the bowels of Toronto’s Lower Bay subway station. Yes, that’s right… the GoW2 launch event was held at the abandoned subway station.

On the way in, we each received a swag bag containing a copy of Gears of War 2 and a Gears of War t-shirt. Swag in hand, we descended the stairs and found ourselves on a dimly lit subway platform flanked by two subway cars. Between the cars were dozens of wide screen televisions displaying Gears of War 2 start screens.

I headed to the back and started playing the five player horde mode with fellow community members KowZ and The Forum Troll with a few other folks. Horde is all about teamwork and communication. Considering all we could hear was the rumbling of the subways above us, we still managed to fight off the Locust and make it to wave thirty five. I avoided checking out any of the television sets with the GoW2 campaign mode going on as I didn’t want to see any spoilers! Also of note, was the set of ten televisions back to back (five on each side) where people were playing 5 on 5 COG versus Locust. Ridiculously fun. DarthAlbert III and Mister Switch of ohmpage.ca played on opposing teams with much smack talk between the two.

Thanks again to Jade and her team for inviting us to their brilliantly planned and executed launch party.

Some quick thoughts about Gears in this special edition of Quick & Dirty for GoW2:

Gears of War 2

Teh Good

- Horde mode

- Better cover system including meat shield (use your dead opponent as cover)

- Improved graphics and audio

Teh Bad

- The controls when driving vehicles are still a bit wonky

- Voice “acting”

- There’s still nothing you can do should a team member go rogue and chainsaw you from behind. I’m looking at you HalfLife84!

Teh Verdict

If you enjoyed Gears 1 you will love Gears 2. More than just Gears 1.5, the new weapons (mortar!), enemies, and multiplayer modes create a brand new Gears experience. This game will account for a ton of time on Xbox Live for me and many other gamers. Gears of War 2 is a must buy this holiday season, make sure to pick up and join in on killing the Locust!

CONTEST TIME!

EDIT: CONTEST IS CLOSED folks.  Congrats to Carnage1975.  Hopefully your golden Hammerburst will still look nice and sparkly when it’s on the ground beside your freshly chainsawed corpse.

Img source: IGN.com

I know you want this sweet gold-plated HammerBurst firearm. Well, thanks to our good friend JakenBear at Xbox Canada, tehflakes.ca has a code to give away for one. All you have to do is respond to this post with your comments and one lucky winner will be chosen at random to win the code. Good luck!

Photos by okaybuddy. More pics available here.

Little Big Planet

Teh Good

- Large, beautiful worlds

- Interesting and unique game mechanics

- Co-op has never been more fun (especially online)

Teh Bad

- Um… teh bad?

- Okay, sometimes it’s hard to jump between the three planes (foreground, middle and background)

- Oh, and some users report having trouble with online, but so far so good for me

Teh Verdict

If you like platforming games, you will LOVE LBP. Early levels are good “gateway” levels for those new to gaming. This game makes me laugh my butt off. Sackboy is the cutest hero ever.

Mega Man 9

Teh Good

- This is the Mega Man you remember from childhood (NES glitches included)

- When you complete a stage you feel a true sense of achievement

- It’s only $10!

Teh Bad

- This game is controller-breakingly hard

- CAPCOM is selling different difficulties and bonuses separately

- #*@%! Why is this game so fraking HARD?!? AAAARGH!!!

Teh Verdict

Mega Man done right. The sound, design and level structure all remind me when I was a kid. They also show me how babied gamers are nowadays in terms of difficulty. This is a game that I pick up, play for a level or two and then put down for a couple weeks because it makes me so angry (in a challenging way, not due to poor design). So worth the $10.

It’s hard to review a game like Fable 2. Like any blockbuster we’ve spent years listening to previews, bits and pieces, developer diaries and studied every screen shot wondering what the final game will be like. However even as the Microsoft marketing and P.R. machines chew through your game shows, magazines, podcasts and blogs there is yet another more intimidating hurdle to clear.

In my opinion and many others the first Fable was anything but the best RPG game. Although it did a lot of great things – like looking beautiful for the original Xbox’s always beefy graphics engine, introducing easy to pick up controls and RPG elements of depth and customization, it also did a lot of things poorly. The most talked about and obvious problem was the length of the first game and it’s limiting – although attractive – world. Beatable in a few hours was a jolting disappointment to many of us who where just starting to become deeper intertwined in the story and lush landscapes especially when there simply wasn’t much else to do but the main story. So unlike many of the masses who had followed Fable 2’s progress since the launch of the Xbox 360 a few years ago, I stayed away. I ignored the hype and dare I say was mildly interested, if at all. As I sat down with a copy of Fable 2 in my Xbox it was a hard memory to forget… for at least the first few hours.

For fans – the happy and disappointed – returning to Albion will for the most part be a welcoming experience. For first time players – you will be a little less jaded and more likely to dive head first into the opening act to be swept away by the grandeur in what a blockbuster game is expected to deliver. As you trek through this lush and diverse landscape much of the look and feel is the same as before, simply larger and graphically more advanced. This isn’t a bad thing. One thing to note is that this game takes place 500 years after the first game. In the 30+ hours I played the game I have to admit that I was a tad disappointed in this future where really all they seemed to have accomplished in 500 years is change the buildings a bit and invent guns. I am crossing my fingers that they will introduce a bit more technology and industrialization before the end.

This is a game targeted at a diverse body of gamers and it shows. Whether you want to tackle the straight and even path and work on the main quests or take your time and see the world, you are free to do so. Fable 2 treats its player with a very open experience where all actions have reactions and your very character is questioned. Much of this comes through in the good and evil approach to gaming. Commit crimes and be loathed or be virtuous and be loved.

The overall story is not a new one. Child and brother/sister – you are given the chance to play either at the beginning of a new game – are involved in a horrible incident in their youth. Your character grows up to become a hero and seek revenge or justice. As you travel you are encouraged to interact with the people of the land as well as find ways to leave your mark. You are invited to interact with some characters through conversation as well as shopping or doing jobs to earn some extra cash. Other characters are less interactive but will still react to you based on your renown, how you act around them, the time of day and even what you are wearing. There was one point while I played the game where I decided to buy some pink dye and proceeded to dye all of my characters clothes and his hair pink. Upon which the trader started to laugh at me. The laughs continued as I walked out into the marketplace. You will also be given sales and discounts based on your popularity or level of intimidation. You can buy property and rent it out to town folk to earn extra income which continues to accumulate even when your Xbox 360 console is turned off.

One of the games unfortunate downsides are the jobs, many of which earn little and are very tedious. Try pouring 281 pints of beer and you’ll see what I mean. After leaving my Xbox turned off for over 12 hours I turned it on, loaded the game and was welcomed with 3000+ dollars in earned rent and business. At last count I owned 3 homes, 4 caravans in a gypsy camp and over half a dozen trader booths selling everything from clothing, weapons, fish, to pies and fresh fruit. When the expensive items start to number in the tens of thousands – creating your own mini empire is a big help to making the game move along.

Beyond business and morality, you are also give dozens of expressions from funny to angry to friendly and yes, to flirty. Your expressions adjust how characters in the game react to you. And as you learn more you will unlock more opportunities. One of the larger ones is the ability to flirt with an object of your affection (guy or girl or both – this is a liberal Albion after all) and develop relationships. In the towns this will usually require a wedding ring and a house – hey, married life is a responsibility. However if you are outside the walls of the proper societies you will find others willing to have some fun without a ring on their finger… or you could always just get them drunk. Then all you need is a place to sleep. Here Fable 2 demonstrates one of it triumphs: humour. Humour plays a huge role in this game and in many ways you will find yourself doing things simply to see if you can and if you will get a good reaction out of a character. I’ll leave all the details for you to unlock but I will say that if you’re not serious about said strumpet that you have just seduced, be sure to stop by the general trader and pick up some protection. Seriously.

Beyond your character and the many people you will meet on your journeys you will also have a sidekick. Man’s best friend – or woman’s, depending on who you are playing – will be there by your side for the game. Your trusty dog companion becomes a helpful tool in what is often the worst part about games like this; the search for treasure. Your dog will often bark and run off the path you two are on and lead you to all sorts of places. It will warn you when enemies are near and occasionally fight with you – although do not expect this dog to become champion fighter. Like all characters in the game you have a special set of expressions to interact with your dog to show your appreciation, positive or negative.

When you are NOT parading around town in your pink dyed suit, playing catch with your dog or trying to work out a better deal on that hand gun by flirting with that shy weapons trader, you’ll spend a large part of your time duking it out with enemies. Fable 2 is, after all, an action RPG and fighting is part of its core gameplay. Like the first Fable this one has simple controls that are fairly easy to use and learn. At its heart Fable 2 is a bit on the button smashing side – but very accessible for anyone to pick up and play. As you proceed through the game you are given orbs that add to your abilities. Abilities break into 3 major categories: Strength (life, stronger attacks, etc.), Skills (aiming, speed, etc.) and Will (magic).

Beyond the single player mode Fable 2 also has a same system co-op where your character and a guest can travel the countryside completing quests and adventuring on the same screen. During the recent Toronto community and media launch event we had the opportunity to take this for a spin and had a blast while going on an evil killing spree and wiping out an entire town and a handful of guards. On launch day the developers released a downloadable update to unlock online play which remained untested at the time this was written.

In reality, after over 30 hours of playing the game, I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. It is a welcoming world to go back to and feels fresh and more accessible then I would have ever imagined. Most characters have a reaction to you, most doors to buildings are open or breakable and the main story is well developed and engaging. For the non-believer like me I suggest you give it a try and sink in a solid day of play before you turn your head from this one. And for newcomers with no experience in Albion, that are fans of action RPG games, this is a must have. You will be swept up and never want to leave. And by the way, kick a chicken… trust me.