Call of Duty 2 was clearly the jewel of the Xbox 360 launch. It was a great game that ushered in the next generation of gaming in style. Call of Duty 3 doesn’t have quite the same impact, because it is a safe, by-the-numbers sequel that is basically identical to COD2. It looks a lot better, but it plays exactly the same and has a few too many glitches and other issues to place it on the same pedestal as the previous game.
Quick Hits
- Title: Call of Duty 3
- Platform: Xbox 360
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Treyarch
- ESRB: “M” for Mature
- Genre: First-Person-Shooter
- Pros: Better graphics than COD2; same great gameplay; solid multiplayer
- Cons: Feels a bit too familiar; lots of glitches; freezes a lot
The Normandy Breakout
Activision
Call of Duty 3 takes place in 1944 during the Normandy Breakout where the focus of allied forces was to drive the Germans out of France. You’ll play in campaigns featuring American, British, Canadian, and Polish forces. It is particularly nice and refreshing to play as Canadian and Polish soldiers, because I think a lot of people aren’t even aware of what they contributed to the war other than getting flattened at the beginning of the conflict (Poland). The individual stories for the different groups aren’t particularly interesting, but the overall conflict and all of the history that you are experiencing is the real star here and, just like COD2, it really shines.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Call of Duty 3 is basically identical to COD2. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It is good, obviously, because COD2 is a fantastic game. But it is bad because we have literally done all of this before, and it isn’t quite as thrilling as it was the first time you played through COD2. The one new addition to the gameplay is that you can now pick up live grenades and throw them back and the enemy. You get an achievement for tossing a certain number back, so you’ll find yourself running towards live grenades rather than away in this game, which leads to lots of unnecessary deaths, but it is pretty fun anyway.
I said this in my COD2 review, but it needs to be restated here. The feel of the gameplay in the Call of Duty games is absolutely amazing. You are participating in some huge and very epic firefights, with grenades flying all over the place, tons of enemies, tanks blowing huge chunks out of the surrounding cover, and the AI for soldiers on both sides is unparalleled. It immerses you into the battle better than any other game I can think of, and that is why they are so amazing to play through. Call of Duty 3 takes all of that and kicks it up, maybe, half a notch. It is good, and fun, but we did it all last year so it lacks the impact it did the last time around.
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