The Call of
Duty franchise has never been known for idle time. Rather if you are looking for
the best in first-person shooter war action, then you need look no further than
that illustrious franchise.
Now the
franchise is moving forward, firmly, into the next-gen console era. The opening
sequence and level occurs just after D-Day, while Paris is waiting for the
allied forces to march through and liberate the City of Lights. And yes, when
you launch the first mission, you get the prerequisite tutorial prompts that
help with the transition from launch to the thick of the battle.
But what
CoD3 does it does very well and that is not give the player time to breathe as
they are dropped into the midst of the battle. First up is Saint Lo, one of the
bloodiest and most desperate confrontations of the war post D-Day. Your task, as
Nichols, is to traverse the town. To do that you will engage in the kind of
duck, cover and shoot action that the franchise is known for. You will move from
point-to-point, following the compass that marks your objective. But this is not
a totally linear experience. You do have to get from point A to point B, but
there are usually a couple of ways to do that.
But merely
moving along, fighting the Germans and reaching your objective is not all that
easy. You will engage in hand-to-hand combat, using the left and right triggers
of the 360 controller to wrestle over the stock of the rifle, then counter with
the press of the X button and finally deliver the fatal blow with the B button.
You will ride on the back of a tank, using your binoculars to spot targets for
the tank to blow into the afterlife. And then you will have to use your brains
when you are trapped down on the second floor of a building by a German Panzer
tank. You will need help, you will need to mark the target … hmm, maybe a smoke
grenade will do the trick.
If your mind
is not racing, if your knuckles are not turning white as you grip the
controller, then frankly you need to up the difficulty level.
While, in
many ways, CoD3 builds on the same formula as its predecessors, that is not a
bad thing. The gameplay and game mechanics will seem familiar but the intensity
level is anted up with the third installment, a game that was built from the
ground up for the next generation systems. The game has a great physics system,
and the visceral experience is still top drawer.
Treyarch,
which has taken over the reins for the full-on franchise (Treyarch did the
console Call of Duty: Big Red One title) has implemented a new physics engine
for this iteration, that will enable players to take out enemy “soft cover.”
Essentially, you can target environmental elements being used and peck away at
it until the enemy has no choice but to abandon the cover and appear in the
open. However, as you can do it to the enemy, the enemy can do it to you. There
is also a sense of more action taking place on the screen at the same time. The
battles seem bigger and that pops the intensity level up a notch.
As you move
through the mission map, you round a corner and find a German soldier trying to
use the barrel of your own rifle to choke the life from you. You battle back,
using the controls to wrest the barrel back. On-screen hotkey pop-ups let you
know when to execute another move that will allow you to win the struggle and
kill your foe.
The game
does have squad control, drama between NPCs that further the intrigue of the
game, and a solid multiplayer element. The multiplayer has some of the same
elements – in terms of games – as before with large maps and tense action. The
difference though is that there are soldier types available and players can
commandeer vehicles during the scenario. Nothing says quick kill quite like
hoping into a tank and blowing a hole through advancing enemy units. Vehicle
control is simple and intuitive – much like the rest of the game.
Graphically
the game is still a tasty bit of eye candy. The effects are all wonderfully
created to render out a game that is immersive simply by jumping into a zone.
The explosions and smoke all look amazing and realistic. The sound also does a
very good job of supporting the graphics. The game still is at the forefront of
World War II action shooters in every regard.
While the
game requires that a player accomplish specific goals during the course of a
mission map, how you accomplish those goals is basically up to the player. You
have objectives, easily accessed, but you are given a fair amount of latitude to
determine how you will actually carry out those goals. This is a nice touch.
Big Red One
notwithstanding, CoD3 represents a step forward for the franchise. PC-quality
gaming has arrived on a next-gen console system with a great deal of flair and
pizzazz. The control makes this a joy to control and having been a PC fan of the
series, this transition sat rather well.
CoD3 does
what is expected, in many ways. It delivers the CoD experience with the
next-generation console touch. There are some welcomed additions, and the game
is a visceral treat. The improvements are minor; the campaign is tough and
entertaining while being based on actual events of the war.
Treyarch has
taken the CoD banner up firmly and advanced the franchise.
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Gameplay:
8.8
The mechanics are
what veteran CoD players expect and are familiar with. The game has added some
new physics to the mix that give the game a more immersive feeling and there is
a lot happening on the screen at the same time the player is navigating the
single-player mode.
Graphics:
8.8
Great particle
effects, dynamic lighting and animations all add up to a game that looks very
good.
Sound:
8.5
The cacophony of
war rattles the speakers with an aural intensity that is very appropriate.
Difficulty: Medium
There are several
options for players to select their challenge.
Concept:
8.7
PC-quality gaming
delivered on a console. While some may not give the developers credit for this,
Treyarch deserves a lot for creating a game that advances the franchise and
doing it on the console system.
Multiplayer: 8.5
Some new touches
to the same basic online multiplayer package. It is fun and vehicles add a new
dimension to the action.
Overall:
8.8
The game
mechanics and general feel of the game are not overly different from what gamers
are used to, but that this is brought to such vivid life on a console is a
tribute to the diligence of the developers. The game still looks great and
sounds terrific, and the game advances the historical time frames of the
franchise.
