Call of Duty 3 (Xbox 360, 2006)

Call of Duty 3 takes place in 1944 during the Normandy Breakout. After landing successfully on the beaches of France, the allied focus was on getting the Germans out of France and liberating Paris, which was under Nazi control at the time. As was the case in the last game, you're placed in the role of several different soldiers and you'll participate in campaigns for America, Britain, Canada, and Poland. Each country's campaign has a unique storyline that is supposed to get you emotionally involved with the characters, but the stories aren't very interesting; there's a soldier with a strong distaste for the French, an overbearing sergeant, and a young radio operator who has been labeled a coward. Though the stories aren't particularly engaging, fighting for four different armies works because it gives you a sense of not only how much effort it took to wrestle control of France from the Germans, but also that it wasn't just the United States that lost men and women in World War II.

Once again, the game opens with a brief training mission though it's a little shorter this time around. Here, you'll learn how to fire weapons and throw grenades, as well as how to move around. The controls are identical to Call of Duty 2, both in how they are laid out and in how they feel. You can fire your weapon with a quick pull of the right trigger, but this doesn't allow for much accuracy. For precision aiming, you'll want to pull the left trigger, which raises your gun to eye level and lets you use the weapon's sight. Here, you're vulnerable during the time it takes to raise your weapon and while you wait for the blurring effect that simulates your eyes focusing to clear up. It's a subtle effect, but it works really well and it's not overdone. You can also perform a melee attack by pressing the right analog stick. Clicking the left analog stick brings up your binoculars--an unfortunate button-mapping choice because it's far too easy to accidentally push the stick down when you're scrambling for your life. You can toss smoke grenades to create cover and frag grenades to clear large groups of Wehrmacht. Call of Duty 3 also lets you scoop up grenades thrown by the enemy and toss them back. To prevent your grenades from being returned to sender, you can "cook" a grenade by pressing and holding the right bumper, which lets the grenade get closer to detonating before you throw it. This is an important technique to master--not only because it's useful, but also because screwing it up results in a grenade exploding in your hands. Because there's no health bar in the game, you'll need to watch the screen when you're getting hit. As you get shot, the edges of the screen turn crimson and close in around you the more you get hit. Should you fall victim to a grenade or a bullet and not die, all you have to do is seek shelter to recover your health.

As near-perfect a game as I have ever played. I can find nothing wrong with it!! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC IN EVERY WAY!!!
Whhhooooooooooo Hooooooooo!!! Freakin absolutely amazing in every way!!! Oh man......this game makes me drool on myself. This is everything a video game should be. It's beautiful. When a game makes me stop playing and just look at the water in the creek and the rocks under the flowing water in amazement......that's a good game. The graphics are just impeccable and flawless. If you liked COD 1 and COD 2 you are in for such a treat. They improved it in all the right places. COD2 was wonderful and I wasn't sure how they could make it better......but they did. Now you can hop in vehicles to drive. In multiplayer you can hop in the passenger seat and let your buddy drive and you can shoot or control the gun turret in the back of the jeep. I've only got through the first mission so far and just a couple of games online but man I can't wait to get into it some more. A good army/war/military shooter is my favorite genre I guess and this game is the reason why. If you have and XBOX 360 and you don't buy this game my question would be why do you even own an XBOX 360? Imagine the BAR machine gun with a scope........imagine when a grenade is thrown at you responding fast enough to pick it up and throw it back.......imagine being shot on the battlefield and the medic in your squad runs over and heals you so you can continue to fight and saves your life......then imagine CALL OF DUTY 3. So many upgrades have been made to the game. There's a saying that "God is in the details." This game proves it. So much care has gone into every little detail of the game that you will have to just play it to experience it. Numerous, numerous improvements and upgrades have been added to the game from COD2. Even like when you're shot and about to die what the screen does seems very realistic to what it might really feel like. It turns black and white and the sound goes out and then kind of fades out. Very cool. I have not one single negative thing to say about this game. As I play it more I may update this and find something wrong but right now my friends this is as perfect a game as I think is possible. Don't be a dumb butt.!!! GEt the game!!!

First off I would like to say.All of the other reviews pointing out if you like CoD:2 then you will like this game.Im calling this a false statement.Not because of opinion,but because of fact.This game has a much different feel to it.Wether it be single player or multiplayer.The single player is what this game would be good for,if it was actually good.The graphics are awesome,and are much better then CoD:2,but by no means is the game play that way.Some guns like the Kar98k which in CoD:2 with a skilled player could destroy the enemy with a single shot.Now the gun is weak and worthless.The story to the game isnt all to great.I know it does stick to some historically accurate stuff,but theres other parts to it that just dont appeal.The game is hard enough on easy and for me getting the beating the game on the hardest setting achievment would be an overkill.The game has no replay value to try and go back through to get the achievments you didnt get in thr first place.The only level I found fun in this game is the begining.Its very intense,but after that it just seems the game should end and have a little message on the screen letting you know playing any further just isnt worth it.Now onto the multiplayer! Saying its anything like CoD:2's fantastic multiplayer is just an insult.The guns seem very unbalanced.Not because im bad at the game but you will see if you buy they game after reading this review.The heavy machine gun class can go into a prone position from standing straight up in about a second flat.giving you no chance to do anything against them.The heavy machine gun is also way to accurate over a distance.THe kar98k should be more accurate than a m1garand.because its single shot.The m1 has recoil therefore making it hard to center a full clip into a target arcoss the map as accurate as it does.Vehicles in the game pointless....Ranked matches cannot be played with friends so that kinda leaves out having any fun online and getting achievments along with friends.seeing the online achievments are ranked only.In all CoD:3 isnt a bad thing if you havent played CoD:2.An unbalanced multiplayer,and mediocre singleplayer just leave this game off my play list.If I would have played a demo of this game before getting the chance to buy it..I would have bought 60 bucks in dog food,and i dont even have a dog.I just feel it would be a better way to waste my money.I give this game a 6.5 - 10

Pros
+ Gorgeous, slick visuals with nice detail.
+ 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
- No co-op.
- No real improvements over 'Call of Duty 2' except for some new multiplayer stuff like being able to sprint.
- Lots of glitches that make the game almost unplayable on harder difficulties like the CPU always knowing where you are & useless teammates.
- Useless mini-games that attempt to break up boredem within the game like close quarters combat (visually cool though) & bomb planting.
- 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.

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

Amazing graphics, great gameplay, and almost unlimited ways to kill your enemy. The effects are incredible and the controls easy. These and the ability to destroy just about anything you come across make this an excellent game. However, there are two problems that should be changed. First, the explosions are over the top. If a grenade were thrown into a small, wooden building, it would definately have an effect, but it wouldn't send pieces of it flying in all directions as it does in this game. Also, the characters could use some work. A Scotish soldier with a strong accent pairing up with a young member of the French resistance doesn't seem very likely. Nor does the maniacal Sargeant whose last words are to tell the strange man with the trench gun to go to h ' ' '. If Call of Duty were too borrow a bit from Brothers in Arms, I would give it a 5 stars without a question. A great game, but I'd still say to get Call of Duty 2 first.



• The Power of Next-Gen – Built from the ground-up for next-gen consoles, Call of Duty 3 brings the battle to life with advanced graphics, a new physics engine, a procedural environment and detailed ensemble animations that deliver the most cinematic war experience ever.

• Battle Actions – An all-new close-quarters battle mechanic allows players to fight hand-to-hand, improvise explosive devices, disarm traps and execute a host of other battlefield situations that require cunning and rapid reflexes to survive.

• Branching Mission Paths – Next-generation level design provides multiple attack routes that let players decide how to confront the enemy – flank an opponent, or hit him head-on. Each unique mission path requires special tactics, from sniping and demolition to all-out head-on clashes.

• Nowhere to Hide – Environmental physics allow players to destroy enemy soft cover hideouts, forcing foes out in the open. But be wary, opponents can eliminate your protective coveras well.

• Team-based Multiplayer with Vehicles – Combined arms and team-based combat provides unprecedented depth and variety by allowing up to 24-players to battle it out online with the option of single or split-screen Internet play. Gamers have the choice to play as infantry or commandeer multiple-occupancy vehicles, including tanks, jeeps, and motorcycles with side-cars, leading to unique mobile combat roles for all-out, multiplayer mayhem. Call of Duty 3 also offers soldier classes, each with class specific abilities, and a ranking system for truly diversified squadcombat.