Ever since the recent announcement of Call of Duty: World at War, there has been a lot of cynicism from fans of the series. Topping the near-perfection of Call of Duty 4 would be difficult for any developer, but given that the franchise has slipped back into the overdone World War II era and been put in the hands of Treyarch, the same developers who made the underwhelming Call of Duty 3, it’s easy to see why gamers would be nervous.

However, new details on World at War’s multiplayer have emerged via an Activision press release, and it appears that cooperative play is going to be a very important part of the new campaign:

“Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-operative play, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra with up to four-players online for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, or two-player local split-screen on consoles. Nintendo Wii will also support a unique co-op mode for two players. For the first time ever players will experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution.”

A fleshed-out cooperative effort is no promise that the game will live up to its predecessor, but given how important multiplayer is in this generation of gaming, I’m guessing fans of the genre will be thrilled to have more gameplay options. The press release also mentions World at War's multi-player modes will incorporate an RPG-esque system of experience points and leveling, similar to that used in CoD4, R6V2, and others. Treyarch is going to have to do a hell of a job to live up to Call of Duty 4, but it seems like they’re off to a good start. For more details, the full press release is below.

CALL OF DUTY®: WORLD AT WAR ENLISTS FOR NEW BATTLES

Expanding Its Theater of Operations to the Pacific, Latest Title in Hit Franchise Poised to Re-Define the WWII Experience

Santa Monica, CA – June 23, 2008 – Leave your packs and bring extra ammo, Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Treyarch, announced today that they will be taking Call of Duty players deep into the South Pacific and European theaters this fall for Call of Duty: World at War™, a gritty fight that will pit players against enemies that know no surrender and show no mercy. Utilizing the Call of Duty 4®: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War throws out the rulebook of war to transform WWII combat through a new enemy, new tactics and an uncensored experience of the climatic battles that gripped a generation. As U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers, players will employ new features like cooperative gameplay, and weapons such as the flamethrower in the most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date.

“With Call of Duty: World at War, we’re re-defining what it means to play a WWII game,” said Mark Lamia, Studio Head for Treyarch. “We’re excited to give players a host of new enemies that employ entirely new tactics, as well as new, groundbreaking tools – like co-op and the flamethrower – to succeed in the epic fight.”

Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-operative play, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra with up to four-players online for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, or two-player local split-screen on consoles. Nintendo Wii will also support a unique co-op mode for two players. For the first time ever players will experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The co-op campaign allows players to rank up and unlock perks in competitive multiplayer by completing challenges and earning experience points, adding continuous re-playability and team-based gameplay. Whether playing competitively or cooperatively – if players are online with Call of Duty: World at War – they will always gain experience points. Based on a player’s experience rank and rank of the player’s friends, Call of Duty: World at War will scale dynamically to provide a deeper level of challenge.

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