Call Of Duty 3 (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Greg Bruno on 12.22.2006
Gerry's! To The Northeast!
Call Of Duty 3 (Xbox 360)
Activision/Treyarch
The year is 1944 and the world is at war for the second time. Treyarch and Activision bring us right into the action with the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise. This time around, you’ll be able to drive vehicles, go face to face with the enemies, choose your class, and choose which route to attack the enemy. But haven’t we played this game before? How many WWII shooters do we need to play through before we’re all actual history buffs? Keep reading to see if Call of Duty 3 is more of the same, or a breathe of fresh gunpowder.
Next-Gen dead cow. Breathtaking.
Graphics
Call of Duty games are generally very good looking, and this installment is no exception. This is a beautiful game. The smoke looks astounding, even better than COD2's extremely realistic smoke effects. The ground beneath you will explode with grenades as chunks of earth fly past your head. Characters facial expressions are very well done, especially in the close combat portions of the game. Reloading animations are very well done and look very realistic. Luckily, this game has very little blood, much like the other installments. COD games are not based on gore, but on the actual hardships these soldiers endured. With such great graphics, you’ll feel like one of the soldiers fighting the Germans. It’s a hard thing to do with some games, but you certainly feel attached to your character. The environments are extremely detailed. Buildings show the effects of battles, broken down vehicles provide you with cover, and dead cows fill the war torn fields. Textures look great and aren’t repetitive, thankfully eliminating the feeling of playing the same level over and over (I’m looking at you Halo 2!). The lighting effects in COD3 are great. Light reflects off soldier’s helmets and equipment very realistically. Each gun looks different and reloads differently as well. The reload animations are very well done. Bottom line here, graphically, COD3 is fantastic looking. Do yourself a favor, check out the grass. I’m convinced this game has the best looking grass ever.
See those tanks? You'll get to drive one.
Gameplay
If you’ve played COD2, you’ll have no trouble playing COD3. The controls are essentially exactly the same. One of the more prominent features in COD3 is the ability to decide which route you want to take when tackling an objective. For example, one mission requires you to flank the German infantry. You can go about this one of two ways. The player can choose to take the high road and come up behind them or take the riverbed to get right into their trenches. This adds a lot to the game play mechanics, as you feel as if you have more control in missions besides following a pre-determined path. In COD3 you’ll be getting into the face of the enemy, literally. The new hand-to-hand combat system is exciting to play. Turning a corner could result in a knife fight with a Nazi, in which you must press the buttons shown on screen to fend him off. It gets intense at some times, especially when you’re least expecting it. Another new feature in this third installment is more use of vehicles in both single player combat and multiplayer. Players can drive jeeps with turrets, tanks, and the occasional two seated motorcycle. Another interesting twist on gameplay in multiplayer is the ability to decide which class you’ll be during the battle. You can, for example, choose to be a scout. This will allow you to carry the sniper rifle to pick enemies off from a distance. Stealth not your thing? Not a problem. Choose the heavy assault class you you’ll be pumping lead into your opponents. This is a big step up from last years “just choose a new gun after you die” deal. It makes you feel like you’re part of an actual military unit, as it takes a steady balance of each class type to succeed. Multiplayer also has a sort of leveling up twist in COD3. After a certain number of wins, you’ll rank up. This will be designated by a symbol next to your name. Leveling up will also increase the amount of ammunition you carry during online play. For example, someone with a rank of Private isn’t able to carry as much ammo as a Sergeant. It makes ranking up actually worth more than a number next to your name (Again, Halo 2 . . . For shame!).
The grass looks great in this game. No, seriously! It does!
Sound
Ever been to war? Me neither. But I’m pretty sure this is pretty damn close to what it’d actually sound like. Call of Duty 3 puts you right into the action, and not just with visuals, but with sound as well. I was lucky enough to get to play this with surround sound and it was amazing. Mortar rounds blast behind you as bullets whiz past your head, narrowly missing your helmet. The guns sound authentic as rounds blast through the air. Bullets impact with a thud or a crack, depending on what they bury themselves into. Your teammates will yell in victory or scream in pain. The Nazi’s will harass you. All in all, it’s awesome sounding. Do anything you can to check this game out in complete surround sound, it’s definitely worth it.
Incoming mortar! Take cover!
Lasting Appeal
The single player will take a decent amount of time to get through. FPS’s don’t generally take too long to complete, and this is no exception. If the easier difficulty settings make it too quick of a run through, I suggest putting it on harder. It will give the play more of a challenge. Other than the challenge of playing on hard and the single player achievements, you’ll probably not play through it again. Multiplayer is where the action is. As I stated earlier, you’ll want to rank up to carry more ammo. The only way to do this is to win. Luckily, the multiplayer has plenty of game types to keep you coming back. The newest addition is “War”, which is a battle of 12 on 12 to capture the most territory. Things get pretty intense and it will seem very different when compared to COD2's 4 on 4. There’s also “capture the flag” and “death match” for those of you unwilling to get into the craziness of “War”.
You never know what's around the next corner, but it's probably a German with a gun.
Fun Factor
Most of the excitement comes from multiplayer. That’s not to say that the campaign mode doesn’t offer intense battles, because it does. You’ll keep this one for the online modes for sure. The various game types and 12 on 12 matches get insanely fun. If you’re into playing online, this is for you. If multiplayer is your thing, check it out as well, you just might find it “another WWII game”. The most fun parts of single player are definitely the hand to hand combat fights with the Nazi soldiers. They are pretty spread out, but this is to keep it fresh. If you had to do it every time you turned a corner, you’d get sick of it.
The 411
Call of Duty 3 expands on the things that made Call of Duty 2 so great. The visuals are astounding and the sound is even better. The only problem is that it really didn’t bring too many new ideas to the table. Definitely rent this if you’re unsure or not really into first person shooters. For those of you that love WWII games, this is for you.
Graphics
9.0
Looking great as always. The Call Of Duty franchise has always look beautiful and this one does as well.
Gameplay
8.5
Played Call of Duty 2? Oh good, because it plays just like that with a few minor upgrades.
Sound
10.0
Outstanding sound effects, voice work, and musical score.
Lasting Appeal
8.5
Single player won't offer you too much. Online multiplayer is where the action is non stop.
Fun Factor
8.5
The multiplayer offers the most fun this time around. The 12 on 12 matches are a blast.
