When this game was first announced, is it possible I was the only person who instantly thought going back to WWII was a step backwards? After the success and leap forward that COD4 had been I just couldn’t understand why they had decided to the over used era of the Second World War because even the most ardent FPS fan must be fed up of shooting Germans by now surely?

Well now the game is here and although, in my opinion, it dosent hit the glorious heights of its predecessor, I have to say it is an excellent game with a decent variety of levels, even if some of them seem like variations of themes that have gone before. The variety is such that you never really know what is coming next. One minute you are in the jungle, knee deep in crazy kamikaze Japanese soldiers and the next you could be driving a Soviet tank outside Berlin or doing a turret mission above the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps the biggest change in this game is the introduction of Japanese Soldiers and it is one of these levels that begin the game in an incredibly detailed and violent nature. Within seconds of the game starting you see a Japanese soldier put out a cigarette in a prisoner’s eye before having his throat cut. The effect of this is too-fold. Firstly this immediately builds up in you a sense of needing to get revenge and secondly it shows that this game is going to be more brutal and grittier than any of the titles that have previously been released.

Throughout the game you are able to witness sights such as Japanese soldiers having their limbs blown off or dreadful torture being used by the Nazis against the dying and wounded in some of their levels.

The game also, plays against your sense of morality at various points. For example at one point to have the chance to rescue survivors that are going to die in the water but in doing so, you potentially allow the enemy planes a chance to break through the lines and get to their planned destination. What do you do?

There is a very strong sense of the struggle the people who fought in the war in various places faced and some very thought provoking sequences where the developers have decided to show the madness that war is, and no-where is this shown in greater detail then in the stages set on the Eastern front.

Perhaps the worst part of the game in total is actually the bonus section that you get for completing the game for the first time. Here you get to face unlimited waves of Nazi Zombies in a new survival mode. Whilst the level itself is not bad, it does however, stick out like a sore thumb against the more realistic and serious levels you have already faced.

Once you have finished with the single player experience there is a full multi player experience to be enjoyed. This has been expanded on last year with a full co-op mode, vehicles and the Zombie mode previously mentioned. On top of this there is the usual Team Deathmatch and Capture the flag modes.

Graphically this uses the same engine as the previous game and for me is hit and miss in places. Strangely it is the new elements in the jungle that suffer the most, with some of the trees, plants and jungle seeming incredibly unrealistic compared to other areas. Having said that the rest of the game on the whole is impressive and there is no sign of any slowdown at any point, no matter how much is going on, on screen at any time.

Sound wise the developers have really pulled out the aces. This is not just with the inclusion of big names such as Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman. The game is full of authentic sound effects with effective pieces of audio happening throughout the game. This is a game where the sound track wouldn’t look out of place in a blockbuster movie.

Overall as I said in the opening couple of paragraphs, this is an excellent title that has taken elements of the previous one in the series and has done its best to improve on them. However in doing this, the developers have probably giving the game its biggest problem as some people will find it too similar to what has gone before. Having said that, it is without doubt one of the most atmospheric FPS ever released and features some truly epic battles in places, however, I for one, hope that this trip back to this era will be the last and instead we can return to more modern warfare in future releases.