After nearly four months from its initial release, it appears a miracle may finally have occurred – Treyarch have fixed all the glitches that had been infesting the World at War multiplayer maps like a rabid family of moles happily and contently destroying a garden. In short, it was a mess.
The question many people are asking though is that how did the game come to be released in the glitched, bug ridden state it was? Two years in the making and I found the multiplayer to be virtually unplayable. From browsing several Call of Duty forums, it was abundantly clear that I was not the only one slightly annoyed with what I was witnessing and I soon found myself returning to the welcoming, and relatively bug free, Call of Duty 4; Modern Warfare.
 
The problems I found with World at War were numerous; a large percentage of the maps had glaring glitches allowing players and teams to get 'under' the map as it were. A quick perusal of Youtube will demonstrate just how ludicrous this was and many games just collapsed into abject chaos as the finding of tactical positions, flanking, counter attacking became moot points as teams raced hell for leather for the now well known and advertised glitches and engaged in grenade lobbing frenzies to clear out the enemy. Then they could sit before their peers knowing that their 75-2 score was a thing of beauty and not from exploiting a glitch that should not have been there in the first place for a game that had benefited from two years production. Now, don't get me wrong, Modern Warfare still has the occasional glitch (I've seen people outside of the map on maps such as Ambush and Backlot) but for the most part, its more or less glitch and bug free.
 
This was strangely incongruent to the first player game of World at War, which was a polished near master piece of a first person shooter and historical game amalgamated into a stunning production. I am keen on anything connected with World War Two, I've written freelance articles, wargames articles, factual pieces, fictional pieces and was yearning for an excellent World War Two multiplayer game. Yet I found World at War somewhat lacking, every map was dominated by the SMG, the reintroduction of tanks from Call of Duty 3 was slightly overpowered, the perks were very much identical to those found on Modern Warfare, dubious weapon attachments spoiled the historical slant for me (aperture sights on an MP40.....) and I found the whole episode rather disappointing after contemplating the forty bones I'd shelled out for the game. So now these days I have returned to Modern Warfare. In the interests of impartiality, I have and will continue to play the odd session of World at War despite the words of Johnny Lydon ringing in my ears “Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?”