Hands on with Call of Duty: World at War

After enlisting for modern warfare, heading back in history wasn't the redeployment we were expecting from the next instalment of the Call of Duty series. Nevertheless, it's proving to be just as harrowing a battle with tighter action, greater variety, and a bump up in visuals. The setting may be worn, but the gameplay in Call of Duty: World at War is looking as action-packed as ever as we discovered during our hands on.

World at War chronicles events during the Second World War across three theatres of operation from the American offensive in the Pacific, the British push in western Europe, and the Russian defence. While we've seen the European front in previous instalments, the journey westward promises something a little different. In our hands on with the game, we battled Japanese forces in the Pacific through a mission entitled 'Into the Jungle.'

Navigating the tropics involves a control scheme inherited from Call of Duty 4, although somewhat refined. Part of the touchscreen is dedicated for controlling the camera view with the stylus, while movement is handled using either the directional pad or face buttons if you're left-handed. Pressing either the L or R button fires your currently equipped gun. A quick tap of the weapon's icon on the left side of the touchscreen triggers a reload. Additionally, you can switch to grenades by touching the corresponding icon and then chucking one with a tap of the L or R button.

A thin bar above the camera field on the touchscreen can be tapped to zoom in on your iron sights, which naturally helps with aiming. Beyond improving accuracy, switching to iron sights gives the game an opportunity to shine. World at War pushes the DS's limits with surprisingly detailed 3D graphics that get right into your face when honing in on enemies.

Not that there's much time to spend aiming when you're contending with tough foes. Weaving through the thick jungle, enemies pop out from straw huts and foliage to take quick shots. Between these intense firefights are mini-games related to different activities ranging from mine defusal to telegraphing. After clearing a Japanese camp, we took to a telegraph to tap out a message asking for reinforcements. As short and long dashes scrolled across the top screen, we followed the pattern with the stylus. It's surprisingly difficult and it took three attempts before we successfully sent the message.

Another mini-game had us defusing a land mine. Talk about anxiety - the multi-step process involves unscrewing the lid of the mine, some hasty swipes and taps, and deliberately pulling at the explosives inside the mine. The Operation-style ending requires moving the explosives out of the mine without it touching the sides of the device. World of War features half a dozen of these mini-games, which definitely keep things interesting and varied.

Beyond the single-player game, full support for local and online multiplayer is offered. You and up to three friends can engage in matches. We're not privy to which game types will be included, but the fact you''ll be able to play online via Nintendo WiFi Connection is a huge boon to the game. The multiplayer promise combined with a varied, action-packed single player campaign have World at War primed to fire, so let's hope it hits the mark when it releases later this year.