After a shaky start on Wii at launch, the Call of Duty series is coming back in full force. During the two-year break, developer Treyarch has found a way to bring the popular Call of Duty 4 engine to Wii, building one of the most incredible looking Wii games thus far. Call of Duty: World at War brings all the single-player action featured in the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions along with and 8-player online multiplayer and the Wii-exclusive Squadmate mode.

The single-player campaign mode is comprised of two different campaigns starring the U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers led by characters voiced by Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman respectively. The two extremely cinematic campaigns take place throughout the European and Pacific theaters. World at War carries a solid M (mature) rating and rarely lets players forget the hell that is war. Featuring everything from flamethrowers, torture scenes, and many obscenities, this game is not toned down for the Wii in the same ways previous games were. However, there is still an option in the game that will allow the player to restrict content so that the game plays more like a Teen-rated game.

While any kind of split-screen modes were almost impossible due to technical limitations, Treyarch came up with a great workaround to this issue. Instead of a split-screen co-op mode, there is the Wii-exclusive Squadmate mode. Similar to Super Mario Galaxy's co-operative mode, Squadmate mode allows a second player to jump in with just a Wii remote whenever they want and help out the first player on his campaign. When the second player joins the game, which is as easy as hitting the A button, another reticule appears on screen allowing the second player to join the fray and help stop the Axis of Evil.

Arguably the best part of the game is the promised online components. Featuring 8-players, a variety of game types, online leaderboards, and the popular perks system, Call of Duty: World at War is on its way to being one of the most robust online offerings on the Wii. The game uses WiiConnect24 and will always be online. It will even feature a Message of the Day when you enter the game much like Call of Duty 4 did on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Call of Duty: World at War also introduces a new first person shooter technology for Wii: Combat Look. Combat Look helps keep the line of sight focused on the battlefield. For example, when you walk up a hill, the camera will automatically re-center as you ascend. The game will also feature a specific gesture control scheme for the Wii Zapper that should further enhance play. The controls in general will also be fully customizable.

Call of Duty: World at War will be available this fall for the Nintendo Wii.