When the game industry was not spoiled...
Call of Duty: United Offensive is the game in the series, that truly showed us how a proper First Person Shooter game should look. I am not saying that Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2 or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare are bad games, but for me United Offensive is the best game of the series.
United Offensive takes place during World War II in the continent of Europe, where millions of people were killed, entire countries were reduced to rubble and their infrastructures were completely destroyed.
To start with, you have the ability to play as 3 different soldiers that belong to 3 different countries: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States of America.
You start your single player journey in the Battle of the Bulge that took place in The Ardennes in 1944 and 1945. You play as Corporal Scott Riley who is a part of 101st Airborne Division. The American campaign overlooks one major battle of the war: Battle of the Bulge. The campaign is divided into 4 missions. You meet 2 old characters that helped you in Call of Duty: Captain Foley and Sergeant Moody.
Next, you take the role of Sergeant James Edward Doyle who belongs to Royal Air Force in 1941. You are a gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress plane, but not for a long time. During a bombing run over German occupied Europe your plane gets shot down by Germans. You are found by Dutch resistance and a officer from Special Air Service - Major Gerald Tiberious Ingram. After successful demolition of a German bridge you escape to Great Britan. After some time you become a part of Special Air Service and you go to Sicily in 1943, where you take part in Operation Husky. Yet again, you are successful in doing your task.
Your final campaign starts in Battle of Kursk in 1943. You take the role of Soviet soldier Private Yuri Petrenko that is sent into the front. Your situation looks difficult in the battle, but you and your friends manage to repel the Germans. After defeating the enemy in Kursk, you take part in the fourth battle of Kharkov. Eventually, after a long fight you succeed in defeating your enemies. Your journey ends with Soviet reinforcements arriving at Kharkov.
There is a huge variety of weapons in the game. There are also some new weapons (silenced STEN, SVT-40, Gewehr-43 and others). United Offensive sees a addition of some heavy weapons (Panzerschreck, Bazooka, Flammenwerfer 35). All new guns have their use. For example, Panzerschreck and Bazooka can destroy a armored vehicle. Most of these weapons can be used in multiplayer as well.
The soundtrack is great. The symphonic orchestra does a great job as their music blends in with the game perfectly.
The graphics have not changed a lot since Call of Duty. That is not a problem since some games have a great gameplay and it compensates the lack of graphics fully.
Moving on, the multiplayer of United Offensive is really great. There are some big maps, where you can drive tanks/jeeps. You can actually plan attack/defense tactics. Artillery strike can help you a lot, since you can wipe out your enemy and commence your plans. Rank system is introduced in United Offensive. Every ten kills your rank increases and you get some bonuses (artillery, more grenades...) too.
Every game has its flaws and Call of Duty: United Offensive is not a exception. No, i am not talking about bugs or other game glitches. There are not much bugs in the game, but some technical issues arise. For example, I can not play United Offensive since there is some incompatibility with Windows XP Service Pack 3. I passed Call of Duty: United Offensive using Windows XP Service Pack 2. Do not know about other operating systems, but that is the problem that I encounter.
Overall, the game is good. I recommend this game to every player who likes First Person Shooter games. Also, those who praise Modern Warfare 2/Black Ops should try to play United Offensive and see what Call of Duty series used to be when it was not spoiled by the fame and success.