Overview: Call of Duty World at War on the Wii won me over. Although pretty stuck in my mouse and keyboard ways, the simplicity and directness of the Wii game combined with its fully fledged nature made it an experience hard to put down.

Conclusion: I would consider myself quite a Call of Duty veteran; that's not to say I'm all that good, but I have played almost all of the series from the originals on the PC, all the way through to Modern Warfare and World at War on the 360.

Overview: Going back to World War 2 in Call of Duty: World at War showed me that there are still impressive stories to experience despite the perceived fatigue of war-time shooters. Whilst the new campaign set in the Pacific theatre ended up being a staid and boring rehash of previous games, the Russian story blew away my expectations. It was a gripping and emotional journey from the massacre of Stalingrad to the destruction of the Nazi's in Germany. The hatred and violence of the Russians was captured perfectly and the dramatic depiction of a war-torn Berlin led to an incredibly memorable experience.

Conclusion: After the first few moments of World at War I had the feeling I'd been smacked in the face by its approach to violence. World War 2 games have traditionally been coy about putting graphic gore and limb-severing into their game as a sign of respect. But the recent Brothers in Arms game and now Call of Duty have gone for a much more realistic portrayal of the effects of war. For a long time I've always held the belief that games should try and by authentic as possible in this regard. Only when violence is glamorised does it become disrespectful and the uncomfortable feelings I experienced were more to do with the situation rather than the spurts of blood.