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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: FPS Developer: Treyarch Publisher: Activision |
When “Call of Duty 2” was launched on the Xbox 360 last year, its main selling point was the large number of environments that
gamers would be able to experience while fighting in theatres that span the globe. This time around the focus of the game has been
tightened quite a bit and centers on the Normandy Outbreak. The chapters follow the campaign chronologically through fourteen single
player missions that span over the 88 days leading up to the liberation of Paris. Players will take on the roles of soldiers of the
American, British, Canadian and Polish armies. This is the first time that Canada and Poland are represented in a World War II game.
For those who play “Call of Duty 3,” they will feel as though they are playing “Call of Duty 2.” The core mechanics of the game is
completely identical to its previous release. The over shield damage system returns allowing soldiers to recovers from damage by
resting behind cover for a while. To spice things up a little bit, there has been an addition to the combat mechanics. The most
commonly used technique is the ability to throw grenades back at the enemy by picking them up with the X button and quickly tossing it
with the trigger. Running towards an unexploded grenade in order to return it to the enemy is a lot of fun, but often times ends in a
bloody mess for the player.
There are new action events that have been placed in the spot of many of the mundane tasks of placing charges or aiming a mortar.
Players will now have to complete a series of button combo that appears on the screen as the task is completed. The most successful
use of this is during the hand to hand combat sequences that put players in the face of the enemy to struggle for their life. It proves to
be more exciting than simply pressing the X button, but not difficult to add any real tension. The action events appear very seldom, and
they don’t really add or take away from the overall experience.
Visually the game is much better than previous versions of the games in the franchise. The developer took a game that was already
amazing to look at and they added even greater detail to this game. One element that stands out this time around are the trees and
bushes that sway in the wind, and when players need to get down, they will see individual blades of grass as they crawl. The forest
levels are amazingly dense that provide cover and an obscured view of the battlefield. Destroyed buildings are filled with rubble and
scattered remnants of what once filled the rooms. Players will notice that it is the small details that make the graphics of this game
head and shoulders above the rest of the games in this genre.
Another area that improvements have been made in the graphics department is with the semi-destructible environments.
Unfortunately, because of hardware constraints, it isn’t possible to allow for a fully destructible worlds, but the developers managed to
make objects that can be blown to bits when it is important. Certain objects, like shutters, wooden crates, and banisters will all explode
in the air when they are hit by any gun fire or a grenade that makes it anywhere near the objects. Picture frames smash to the floor from
the walls, exploding barrels bounce around and barrels filled with wine will spring leaks when hit.
This time around 24 players are able to access all of the standard modes of multiplayer including Deathmatch, Team Battle, Capture
the Flag, Headquarters and War mode that designates a random zone that each team must capture and protect for as long as
possible. There are bikes, tanks and trucks that players are able to use along with seven character classes that make team play a little
more difficult but a lot more fun. A mixture of classes is necessary in order to win the match and requires players to think through what
has to be done, instead of simply jumping into the game. Players will have a lot of fun calling in air strikes and using an RPG to change
the momentum of a battle.
Players are able to change their classes after every death, and while overall online statistics are recorded, there is no way to gain
experience of level up in the game. Luckily, at the end of each match players will remain grouped together until the next match is
created, so no one will be bumped out to the lobby between matches. The online environments look almost as great as the single
player environments and the maps seem to be well balanced and work well. The frame rate in the game is excellent and the
architecture of the levels is, like the environments, just about as detailed as in the campaign. The online multiplayer mode is a strong
addition to the game, and many players will enjoy meeting up with friends online and taking to the battlefield.
“Call of Duty 3” is a great game overall, and it is by far one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360 and the multiplayer mode is a
welcome addition. What brings the game down a couple of levels is that it is nearly identical to the previous game in the series, from
the game play to the competition in the genre. Compared to other shooter genre titles, creativity goes to games like “Gears of War” and
“F.E.A.R.,” but this is a strong World War II game that is worth checking out when history is on the line. This game is as good as it gets
on the Xbox 360.
gamers would be able to experience while fighting in theatres that span the globe. This time around the focus of the game has been
tightened quite a bit and centers on the Normandy Outbreak. The chapters follow the campaign chronologically through fourteen single
player missions that span over the 88 days leading up to the liberation of Paris. Players will take on the roles of soldiers of the
American, British, Canadian and Polish armies. This is the first time that Canada and Poland are represented in a World War II game.
For those who play “Call of Duty 3,” they will feel as though they are playing “Call of Duty 2.” The core mechanics of the game is
completely identical to its previous release. The over shield damage system returns allowing soldiers to recovers from damage by
resting behind cover for a while. To spice things up a little bit, there has been an addition to the combat mechanics. The most
commonly used technique is the ability to throw grenades back at the enemy by picking them up with the X button and quickly tossing it
with the trigger. Running towards an unexploded grenade in order to return it to the enemy is a lot of fun, but often times ends in a
bloody mess for the player.
There are new action events that have been placed in the spot of many of the mundane tasks of placing charges or aiming a mortar.
Players will now have to complete a series of button combo that appears on the screen as the task is completed. The most successful
use of this is during the hand to hand combat sequences that put players in the face of the enemy to struggle for their life. It proves to
be more exciting than simply pressing the X button, but not difficult to add any real tension. The action events appear very seldom, and
they don’t really add or take away from the overall experience.
Visually the game is much better than previous versions of the games in the franchise. The developer took a game that was already
amazing to look at and they added even greater detail to this game. One element that stands out this time around are the trees and
bushes that sway in the wind, and when players need to get down, they will see individual blades of grass as they crawl. The forest
levels are amazingly dense that provide cover and an obscured view of the battlefield. Destroyed buildings are filled with rubble and
scattered remnants of what once filled the rooms. Players will notice that it is the small details that make the graphics of this game
head and shoulders above the rest of the games in this genre.
Another area that improvements have been made in the graphics department is with the semi-destructible environments.
Unfortunately, because of hardware constraints, it isn’t possible to allow for a fully destructible worlds, but the developers managed to
make objects that can be blown to bits when it is important. Certain objects, like shutters, wooden crates, and banisters will all explode
in the air when they are hit by any gun fire or a grenade that makes it anywhere near the objects. Picture frames smash to the floor from
the walls, exploding barrels bounce around and barrels filled with wine will spring leaks when hit.
This time around 24 players are able to access all of the standard modes of multiplayer including Deathmatch, Team Battle, Capture
the Flag, Headquarters and War mode that designates a random zone that each team must capture and protect for as long as
possible. There are bikes, tanks and trucks that players are able to use along with seven character classes that make team play a little
more difficult but a lot more fun. A mixture of classes is necessary in order to win the match and requires players to think through what
has to be done, instead of simply jumping into the game. Players will have a lot of fun calling in air strikes and using an RPG to change
the momentum of a battle.
Players are able to change their classes after every death, and while overall online statistics are recorded, there is no way to gain
experience of level up in the game. Luckily, at the end of each match players will remain grouped together until the next match is
created, so no one will be bumped out to the lobby between matches. The online environments look almost as great as the single
player environments and the maps seem to be well balanced and work well. The frame rate in the game is excellent and the
architecture of the levels is, like the environments, just about as detailed as in the campaign. The online multiplayer mode is a strong
addition to the game, and many players will enjoy meeting up with friends online and taking to the battlefield.
“Call of Duty 3” is a great game overall, and it is by far one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360 and the multiplayer mode is a
welcome addition. What brings the game down a couple of levels is that it is nearly identical to the previous game in the series, from
the game play to the competition in the genre. Compared to other shooter genre titles, creativity goes to games like “Gears of War” and
“F.E.A.R.,” but this is a strong World War II game that is worth checking out when history is on the line. This game is as good as it gets
on the Xbox 360.
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