E3 2008: Wii Call of Duty: World at War Impressions

As part of Nintendo's E3 press conference, Reggie Fils-Aime unveiled a number of games for the Wii. Some of these games, such as Animal Crossing: City Folk, were shown in depth, whereas others, such as Call of Duty: World at War, gave us just a quick peek at what to expect. Details are scarce on COD: World at War, but we were able to glean a few details from the brief trailer, which showed the Wii version of the game for the first time.

For starters, the game appears to be set in World War II (like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions), given that the weapons on display seemed to fit the time period--and it has the words "World at War" in the title. A standard rifle was, of course, part of the arsenal, but most interesting was the flamethrower, which was used liberally throughout the jungle areas as well as the remains of a war-torn city. The impressive inferno of the flamethrower made short work of the few enemy soldiers foolish enough to get close.

One obvious way in which World at War will differ from Call of Duty 3 for the Wii is that in additional to a traditional control scheme, it will make use of the Wii Zapper (the plastic shell that holds a remote and Nunchuk to simulate a gun). That's great news for folks with a Zapper gathering dust in the corner, but that's not the only exciting news. World at War will feature co-op play so that you and a friend can join together to crush the enemy. It's unknown at this time whether or not you'll be able to play cooperatively via the Internet, or if you'll be able to play the entire campaign with another person.

Although the official release date is a vague "coming soon," Call of Duty: World at War is already an impressive-looking game. The visuals were a cut above most Wii games, and there was no shortage of explosions to keep the action intense. We expect World at War to be on the show floor, so check back soon for more detailed impressions.