Call of Duty 3 (Wii, 2006)

Are you a first-person-shooter addict? Are you disappointed in the availability of quality FPS titles on the Wii? Well, pick up a copy of COD3 (Call of Duty 3) for a Wii-bit of fun, mate. Its better, in subtle ways, than its nearest competitor MoH Vanguard. COD gets the Wii remote and nunchuk system, allowing you to not only toss grenades, but to return-to-sender incoming nasties - if you are quick enough. Allowing you to drive jeeps, tanks, site mortars and howitzers-guns. Allowing you to fight hand-to-hand with the Gerries. Allowing you to "spot" tanks and artillary for air strikes. It isn't all run and gun... Your choice of weaponry spans across some 50+ guns, all stylishly represented with various levels of kick in the Wii-mote. The scoped sniper rifle plays prominently in the big finish, as does the bazooka. Unlike MOHV, there is more teamwork involved with the computer-operated soldiers. One of my favorite scenes is working with the Sarge to rescue a fallen soldier near the battle-line. Listening to your unit is critical, especially in tight quarters and when driving one of the vehicles -- a nice immersive feature. Another team-related feature, that you may not notice, unless you watch and listen, is that you are actually playing several different soldiers - unlike MOHV where you are one American soldier. COD3 places you with U.S., British, Polish, Canadian (Canuks) and French-resistance for a full-perspective of the battles. Unlike MOHV, COD has a tighter storyline with all of its battles and skirmishes leading up to the big finish at Chambois. COD3 for the Wii does not support any multiplayer features --unlike other-platform versions like XBOX-- either on-line or in side-by-side, such as death-match...which MOHV does. (Although, I found the death-match featurettes in MOHV to be trite.) The training for COD is virtually nonexistant, although the controls are not as complex as MOHV. (Returning-to-sender Gerry grenades is a skill that could benefit from some training, however.) The big-boss final scene in COD3 is actually realistic and doable, while the final scene is MOHV is simply exhausting -- finishing a game like this is rewarding. COD3 only saves at checkpoints; it does not allow you to save and quit anywhere you choose. While this is pretty typical of the Wii games, it is a real pain if Life calls or you just can't seem to target that last machinegeher (machine-gunner). One last feature that COD has is the interviews with actual WWII veterans who fought in the battles featured in the game -- this bonus may not appeal to the hard-core gamer, but I really enjoyed this part. Bottomline: if you enjoy the intuitive Wii-mote, are looking for a solid FPS title and would just as soon play in your living room instead of on the internet versus "professional gamers" ...Call of Duty 3 is for you.

Pros
+ Innovative controls put you in the game & get you involved.
+ Trademark 'Call of Duty' small part of a big war action.
+ Realistic weapons & improved sniping & better tank driving than the previous installment.
+ Intense gameplay througout the whole game.

Cons
- Doesn't stand up graphically to other next-gen versions.
- No multiplayer whatsoever despite the Wii's ability for online play.
- Lots of glitches that make the game almost unplayable on harder difficulties like the CPU always knowing where you are & useless teammates.
- Shortage of checkpoints.

Comments
There aren't many improvements to the series but there are quite a few more glitches. These glitches are usually obvious & frustrating to deal with. You will also get tired of playing levels over on harder difficulties because checkpoints are so rare during big battles. Driving still needs some work & the series needs to break away from the traditional 1st person shooter by allowing you to take cover or sprint. Sprinting is available in multiplayer but never in the campaign. But getting shot trying to peak around corners gets old, especially when the enemy can hit you with blind fire. This is still a solid game though & plenty of intense Nazi-fighting fun. The Wii is proving that a new way to play can be fun & intense despite not being able to measure up graphically to other next-gen systems.

Verdict
Fun WWII game. Not a must have but if you are a fan don't pass it up.

This is a great game that can be had pretty cheap ($15-25) here on eBay. Have been a COD fan since the first one on PC. This version for the Wii is very addicting and overall a great game, however I think I enjoyed the first COD on PC better. Perhaps it's the lack of online multiplayer play with this version, I don't know. Some of the weapnory is limited - no M1 carbine (my favorite!), no Colt .45. I did NOT like the parts where you're driving a jeep - I found it difficult to steer with the wii-mote/nunchuck. There are a few bugs here and there - I would sometimes get stuck in places unable to move and would have to start over or kill myself with a grenade. On one level the game would not let me have a weapon for the first minute or so of play. Besides these quirks, it's an awesome game; just had to get through the infernal jeep-driving stages. The combat dialog the Canadians have is pretty lame, I wanted to smack my fellow countrymen everytime they said "I gotta reload!" Why are you telling ME this? Do you want ME to reload your weapon for you? I'm a little busy punishing the Wehrmacht over here.

Bottom line - if you're a fan of 1st person shooters and/or WWII history, at the prices you can find here on eBay it's silly NOT to buy this game. Parents (hey, I'm one!) - don't let the little childrens play this game, it's bloody. It's violent. It's not kid friendly. Mature audiences, enjoy!

Because you will soon find yourself so enthralled in this game that you will believe you were there. Though the graphics aren't what they could be this game still pulls you in using the motion control.

This game has "battle actions" executed by the motion sensitive controller. You row a boat, drive a car, hide behind the debris and fighting a Nazi for his gun. Many of these "battle actions" work to perfection and others are frustrating and "broken"

The game is the same WWII as the others CoD's and it is still not getting old. Other then the changes in the use of the motion control this game is no different then what you will find with the other versions of CoD3 on the PS3, and XBOX 360. The "Battle Actions" help and hurt this game altogether but not enough to take it all the way down.

If you look to show off your system for its ability for the FPS then this game is for you. A solid game with great control and added actions to put you closer to the battle then you ever imagined.

I give it a B-

The game is great, for the older crowd. Another great first-person war game. Fun to play as a single campagin or in multiplayer as well. Great graphics very realistic and interavtive, you become very involved. The sound and music quality is fantastic too. However, the parental controls come in handy, language from the get go is pretty bad. This control enables you to block certain things such as language and graphics that you dont want to be seen or heard. Great game to be replayed many times.