“CALL OF DUTY: WORLDAT WAR, while it may not be the most 'authentic' OR'romantic' musical experiencefor a World War II shooter, it certainly is an effective one. ”Modern World War Two FareReview by Christopher Coleman'We knew we were going tohave to stay within the expectation of Call of Duty (that we needed tohave some big bold, orchestra), but there wasn't anyone telling methat I couldn't throw a big, fat, oberheim synth underneath it!' Sean MurrayThere could hardly have been more pressure on the next game of the CALL OFDUTY franchise.

• Call Of Duty 2 Russian Soundtrack

CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE boldly took the franchisein a new direction with it's engrossing storytelling and new game features.It garnered the praise of critics and gobbled countless hours of addicts (myselfincluded). As successful as MODERN WARFARE was, initial reaction to theannouncement of next CALL OF DUTY game was mixed at best. First, theannouncement that TREYARCH would assuming the development responsibilitiescaused concern in some, as CALL OF DUTY 3 didn't meet their expectations.(I personally sank more hours in COD3 multiplayer than any othermultiplayer game on the Xbox 360 to date). Second, there was a dull groanthat echoed through cyberspace as it was also announced that this nextgame would be returning to World War II era.

Original CoD Black Ops soundtrack by Sean Murray.

Third, not only would this be a WWII FPS, but it would encompass thePacific Theater, which historically has proven to make for far lesssuccessful games than their European theatre counterparts.Still, the question that plagued my mind right up until the launch of thedemo was, 'Who is going to be scoring this thing? Whoever it is, they haveone heckofajob ahead them.' Most reading this review will know that it was MICHAEL GIACCHINO whohelped to launch the CALL OF DUTY franchise way back in 2003.

Thefranchise went on to have other notable composers like: GRAEME REVELL,JOEL GOLDSMITH and HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS, score subsequent games of thefranchise. That's a pretty rich line up - one not so easy to followeither. The key to the musical direction for CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WARwould be Treyarch's choice of just what type of game they would be puttingout. A return to the Call of Duty 2 or 3 style or something new?

As itturns out, composer SEAN MURRAY got the scoring gig. SEAN MURRAY hasdelivered a few games for Activision in the past such titles asTRUE CRIMES: NEW YORK CITY and TRUE CRIMES: STREETS OF L.A.Despite the fears of so many, CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR is being toutedas a success. Interestingly (and wisely), Treyarch decided to build on themany successes of CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, at least in terms of the style of gameplay, story development, achievements and multiplayer features. Infact, some would say that they actually improved on some of the verythings that made MODERN WARFARE such a hit! Rather than roaming thedeserts of the Middle East as a US Marine or the much colder environmentsof Europe and Asia as member of the British SAS, this time you suit up asa private in the US Marines hopping from one, hot, Pacific island toanother, fighting off the desperate and lethal Japanese army.

Call Of Duty 2 Russian Soundtrack

In thatwonderful contrast that Call of Duty is famous for, you alternatively playanother private, but this time in the Red Army - poised to take Berlin.Like its predecessor, CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR is an entrancingexperience. Moving from mission to mission is wonderfully addicting;however, the in-your-face-brutality of World War II, guerrilla-warfare ismuch more sobering than the cold and, many times, distant fighting of ourstealthily-evovled modern wars. So WORLD AT WAR combines the best of bothworlds: the classic WWII FPS gaming experience and the game play featuresof Modern Warfare. And backing all of it is SEAN MURRAY's score.WORLD AT WAR ranges from the triumphant, heroic sort of fare that we'veall come to expect from a WWII game to indigenous sounds of both Japan andRussia. Most surprisingly though, SEAN MURRAY introduces a clear,contemporary edge to this game's score.

He certainly delivers the expectedheroic patriotism in tracks like 'US Campaign' (1) and 'Opening' (5). Wehear Goldsmith-like brass fanfares and strings help the player to stiffenand straighten their backbone like a flagpole holding the stars andstripes aloft for all to see.

Still, your heroic deeds of the battlefieldaren't exactly taking place in cornfield of Nebraska and Murray's scorereflects this. Fighting through the unforgiving landscapes of PacificIslands like: Makin, Peleliu and Okinawa, we find two musical staples ofJapan: the intimidating taiko drum and also the ghost-like, shakuhachi.The combination of these two, iconic, Japanese instruments juxtaposedagainst the familiar elements of Americana makes for a visceral musicalexperience, which mirrors the ebbs and flows of these bloody skirmishes.Early on, Murray establishes a several motifs - the boldest areheard the least often. In 'Opening' and 'Trenches Long' we find adeclamatory, 4-note, brass motif that proves to be the main thematicconnection of the entire score. Long after the islands of the Pacific havebeen won, and into the battle of Berlin, Murray resurrects the 4-notemotif in 'Bold Men' (26) - musically connecting these two theatres ofbattle. Another notable, musical segment can be heard in the Peleliumissions and also while flying the PBY Catalina missions which follow.Upon reaching the Peleliu missions, Murray establishes a pulsing, stringsegment which is mindful of John Powell's recognizable musical-mark fromThe Bourne series.

In tracks like 'Peleliu 1A Load Jungle Push' (9), 'AirAddicts' (10) or 'PBY Wild Card' (16), we hear this idea undergirded withboth acoustic and synthesized percussion, which greatly bolsters theamount of tension and urgency of the moment.As the Call of Duty series is known for, the player proceeds through thegame in a non-linear fashion - jumping back and forth between at least twomain characters who are active in very different environments. Players ofthe game are aided in the transition from the Pacific theatre to theRussian/German campaign and back again via Murray's score. Waking up inthe cold defeat of Stalingrad, the hot, tropical jungles of the Pacificare quickly made a memory and musically we are moved away from thepounding taikos and shakuhachis and to Russian musical standards instead.The full orchestra is back in full-force, but now accompanied by a boldchoir. In 'Russians' (31) we get one of our strongest tastes of Murray'sSoviet flavor. Listening to this dance between brass, snare drums, low,male chorus and slightly brighter female chorus, it's almost impossiblenot to have thoughts of the famous, Polyushko Pole (Meadowlands). As youbattle your way from the frozen lands of south-western Russia into theheart of the German empire, Murray recalls the male and female chorusesand layers in the occasional balalaika and bell toll; making sure your localeis not completely forgotten.The final ingredient of the CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR original score iswhat truly sets it apart from all other games of the sub-genre. With thestandard, heroic elements and cultural elements well established, there isone more layer that takes the score in a unique direction.

While the 100piece orchestra and choir in Prague provide a solid performance, there isan important element of this score that couldn't be provided by them. SEANMURRAY mentions in ourwith him that the decision was made to take the music from being tonal andthematic at the onset of missions, down to atonal and dissonance towardsthe completion of those missions. This is more than just an interestingchoice.

It's an effective one. Murray has the music reflect the inner orpsychological turmoil the player would likely be experiencing in suchharrowing situations. This opens the door for him to employ his modern,electronic toolset. Numerous synthesized elements creep along side (orsometimes blast there way over the top of) variations of ideas establishedearlier. Duringthese frenetic moments of gameplay, it's unlikely this unconventional mixwill even be perceived. One of the most poignant examples of this can beheard in the track 'Hell's Gate GTR' (28), where they player has descendedinto the dark-heart of battle.

Sonically, the player is aptly surroundedby a dark ambient mixture of strings, low frequency bass, harmonics andtextures that are ghost-like shrieks and moans -certainly something thatwas never heard over the 1940's airwaves. Mount and blade warband tips. This was an inventive and bravemove to have the music reflect the 'world at war' WITHIN thesoldier/player, over the large-scale, outter war in which he is takingpart.CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR, while it may not be the most 'authentic'or 'romantic' musical experience for a World War II shooter, it certainly is aneffective one. Within the context of the gameplay, we are allowed to feelthe 'duty to country,' loyalty to fellow soldiers (or comrades as itwere), the threat of an unseen, determined enemy or the psychologicalbreakdown of a soldier in swimming in the midst of war's great horrors.Not surprisingly, this is wear SEAN MURRAY's score operates best. Inits native context, the score could easily earn an 8/10. As astand-alone listening experience, the music suffers. Without thefrenetic or atmospheric gameplay, the music is simply harder to connect tothan music written for some of the competing franchises or even its ownforerunners in the genre.

Still, it must be said, that the music ofWORLD AT WAR is an evolutionary step that was almost a must for thesurvival of the WWII shooter. Adding thiscontemporary edge via the example of MODERN WARFARE and by SEAN MURRAY's eclectic score, WORLD AT WAR has shown that thissub-genre of game still has much life left in it.Rating:6/10.