Call of Duty 3, better or worse than Call of Duty 2?
Gameplay - Call of Duty 3 feels great. The control’s work perfect but you may need to customise some features to your preferred gaming style (turn speed, sticky aim etc.) If you have never played a FPS before, don’t worry, this is a great game to start as it is easy to move about and there are different difficulties for beginners or experienced gamers. Its single player however feels almost broken; there is no real depth or story. The missions feel repetitive and are nothing compared to Call of Duty 2’s ‘wow’ moments. On the other hand, Call of Duty 3’s multiplayer is…amazing. That is the only way to describe this fast-paced, intensely insane experience. The menus are great and allow searching for many different features instantly. With up to 24 players, vehicles and a number of different classes, this multiplayer is what Xbox Live really needs to make it buzzing with enthusiastic gamers. There could be more weapon choices, though and this sometimes makes the game feel slightly unbalanced (the allies seem to win more than axis due to a better rifle and assault weapons) Recently a patch auto-update was released which fixed ranked matches which are now fully playable and also a few option updates.
Graphics - Call of Duty 3 looks astonishing. Its particle, lighting and shadowing effects are a treat to see, along with its photo realistic character models and vehicles. The first level is one of the many awe-inspiring missions where your jaw drops and your eyes peel as they lay upon the intense St Lo. With the power of next-gen, the game now can display hundreds of enemies on screen at once, along with amazing particle effects after explosions. The best parts are its smoke effects, explosions, dust and foliage, which are all top-notch, true next generation standard.
Sound - Although this game has superb graphics and immersive game play, Treyarch didn’t pull out on Call of Duty 3’s sound. In fact, it is much better than both of them, put together! From the gun sounds to the explosions to the voices of that screaming Nazi this game well and truly sounds amazing. There are many sound effects for the characters, in multiplayer and single player, which never get old and are always a giggle to hear. The gun sounds are the best I have ever heard in WWII games and films, yes…films! Treyarch got the graphics perfect and they followed it by the heart stopping emotional sound experience.
Overall - Call of Duty 3 may not have the best single player campaign available, but it certainly makes up for it in its multiplayer, sound and graphics. I would highly recommend this game if you love FPS’, WWII games or are just looking for plain fun. However, if you don’t have Xbox LIVE! Then sadly, this game just isn’t worth its price tag (UK: £50, USA $60), this is because single player may only last the average gamer around 8-10 hours on easy mode, but veteran could keep you for weeks. If you have Xbox LIVE! Then this game will last months, maybe even years. Just like Call of Duty 2, expect this game to be on the top spot of ‘Most Played Xbox LIVE! Game’ for quite some time. But…does it beat the near perfect Call of Duty 2? The answer, yes. Its sound, graphics and multiplayer is far more superior to its predecessor.