The Only Review

After leaving many fans disappointed with the release of COD3, Treyarch stepped down and Infinity Ward took the helm, bringing the fight to modern day with phenomenal success. However this time Treyarch are back along with WW2 in Call of Duty 5: World at War, but will it live to expectations as one of the hottest games of the year? TheOnlyReview is here to find out!

Call of Duty 5 looks to be an impressive game - a thoroughly enjoyable campaign that focuses on the more unplayed aspects of the war, (Battles of the pacific as well as the Red Army's advance from Stalingrad) a welcome change from the all too familiar battlegrounds of D-day and Normandy that populate most WW2 shooters. The unfamiliar, interesting new scenarios and graphical design coupled with intelligent enemy AI that, for example, will maneuver to flank your player or play dead in an attempt to mercilessly ambush you with their bayonet up close, helps to create a great sense of realism that many other games of the genre struggle to establish.

Then of course there are plenty of heart-stopping full scale battles, one of which puts your right at the heart of a raging naval battle to clear the skies of Japanese bombers as you literally fight for your life against an oncoming horde of attacks. However the campaign, though exciting, is still short much like COD4 and fails to effectively hold an enthralling plot because of the massive jumps in time needed in order to cover the major battles of the war. Luckily though thanks to Treyarchs addition of a co-op campaign nearly all the missions can be replayed with up to four playing together cooperatively.

However multiplayer combat is where World at War really stands out, building on the massively popular formula laid down by its predeccessor Modern Warfare. There is still create-a-class along with the rank system that lets you unlock guns and perks in order to pick and mix to create different load outs to suit your play style. In addition to this Treyarch have added a dozen new perks, many of which are made to accomadate the new vehicles that can be seen in multiplayer mode on the four enormous maps specifically designed for them. The perks and kill-streak rewarding system have also been adapted for WW2 gameplay, for example players no longer gain the devastating helicopter for killing seven players in a row but instead lets you unleash a pack of rabid, killer dogs upon the enemy that can be difficult to take down and swarm the opposition in an attempt rip them to shreds.

World at War keeps all of the most popular modes from Modern Warfare such as team deathmatch and search and destroy but adds two new ones - war and capture the flag that add their own individual aspects to the game. Capture the flag is the old idea of teams taking it in turns to try to capture the oppostition teams flag whilst war focuses the combat on one chokepoint that both teams struggle to control. Finally there is the addition of a random yet highly amusing co-op mode called 'Nazi Zombies' in which up to four players work together to defend a bunker from hordes of attacking zombies, with each wave becoming increasingly more tough. Players gain points for killing zombies and rebuilding the barricades and can purchase new areas, weapons and ammo with these until eventually you die and you can compare how long you lasted on the leaderboard.

Overall the game reproduces the fast, fluid gameplay so typical of the Call of Duty series and with the excellently scripted combat, solid campaign and amazing multiplayer this latest Call of Duty title makes a valiant attempt to appeal to the already vast audience reached by Modern Warfare.

The Only Reviews Rating: 9/10

It looks as though the sequel to the brutal action genre classic Gears of War has lived up to the enormous hype surrounding it.

The sequel at first glances seems to be more of an expansion to the original rather than a whole new game, and in many ways this is true. There is still the same cover system known to all Gears of War fans, and yes, although there are minor flaws with it (hiding behind the wrong wall, etc) , the cover and shoot system is still extremely addictive and adds a new dimension to the combat within the game. Then of course there is the stunning visual aspect of the game, every minute detail is perfectly designed, making this one of the most graphically awe inspiring games to ever be made.

However its not until you delve deeper into the game that you realize its true potential. Whilst most shooter games seem to neglect the campaign in favor of creating a better multiplayer environment, GOW2 has them both. The ten+ hour campaign is both enjoyable and intense all the way through and offers incredible backdrops, memorable showdowns and an interesting storyline that keep you playing until the end.

The games multiplayer, however, takes it to the next level.The original Gears of War even now, has a cult following around the world with millions of players playing online regularly, and with this said Gears of War 2 looks set to beat it. The introduction of many new guns, maps, bots and of course Horde mode (up to four players fight alongside one another against up to 50 waves of locust enemies.) means that the new multiplayer has been 'fleshed out' whilst keeping the same addictive and intensely focused combat that made the original such a hit.

The Only Reviews Rating: 9/10

A fantastic remake to an already brilliant game.

Buy Xbox 360's and Gears of War 2 here.

It was always going to be hard to top Robert Wise’s sci-fi classic, and even with lead man Keanu Reaves and a multi-million budget it seems ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ is destined to be yet another sci-fi flop in what seems to be a dying genre.

The 2008 remake starts of promisingly, by unlike the original, creating an effective mix of both awe and fear in the build up to the initial encounter with alien Klaatu (Keanu Reeves). However the film fails to maintain the gripping introduction, and under developed themes, poor characterisation and an overall lack of depth stop the film from excelling to nothing more than routine entertainment.

Although overall being a poor showing, the hollow script of David Scarpa and the incompetent direction of Scott Derrickson bear the brunt of the blame. The film gives the audience no realistic characters to connect with and the ever wooden Reeves plays a sobering, robotic like Klaatu, given unimaginative, dull lines that seems an almost exact contrast to the complex, deep character created by Michael Rennie in the original. The movie seems slow, uneventful and lacks the relevance to modern society that made the original one of the best sci-fi films of all time.

The Only Reviews Rating: 4/10