In short, it's in my face and on my mind. World At War follows the overwhelming reception of Call of Duty 4 and benefits from a massive marketing campaign from its publisher, Activision. One could argue for Medal of Honor's pair of entries, but those came as the franchise was dwindling (not to mention, before and during Joystiq's infancy). While not the first game to portray the Pacific-side of WWII, World At War is the most prominent. I've been avoiding World At War because the featured enemy is the Japanese Empire.
Not because it's another World War II shooter. Not because its developer, Treyarch, has yet to inspire me. I've been avoiding Call of Duty: World At War.