Call of Duty 3 Review (X360)

Unfortunately, the experience isn’t as smooth as it should be thanks to some glitches. You’ll get stuck in holes in the floor or on walls. Guns will clip right through walls so you won’t be able to pick them up. Even worse, your teammates will get stuck as well, which means that if a necessary member is stuck four blocks behind you, the next cutscene or other event won’t trigger and you’re stuck. The biggest problem is that the game freezes a lot. I really don’t think it is my Xbox 360, because everything else works flawlessly. But in the 8 or so hours it took me to play through Call of Duty 3, the game froze 6 times. Looking around the internet, it seems a lot of people are having this problem with the game. Hopefully, a patch can fix this issue in the future. Not everyone is experiencing the freezing issue, but it seems that enough are that it should be addressed.

The great multiplayer experience of COD2 has been expanded for Call of Duty 3 and the result is a bigger, better, and even more fun game. Up to 24 players can participate in a match, including 4 players per Xbox 360, which makes the online component much faster and more frantic than before. It also makes the multiplayer rmatches feel like realistic battles from the single-player, which gives the game a pretty cool feel. There are seven different classes to choose from, six different game types, and nine maps to play on. There is a lot to see and do in the multiplayer component, and it is surprisingly well put together.

One area that has been greatly improved this year is the graphics. There is way more detail on everything, and special effects for smoke and explosions and everything else is just amazing looking. The framerate is mostly stable, and only really drops when a new area is being loaded on the fly.

The sound has always been on of the high points of the series, and this game is no different. During big battles, you can hear explosions and bullets whizzing past you from every direction, and the screams and battle cries from all of the soldiers really immerse you into the game.

Overall, Call of Duty 3 is a safe, by-the-numbers sequel that is technically better than COD2, but it all sort of feels old hat at this point. You are experiencing the same exact stuff as you did last year, just in a new level with a better looking coat of paint. It is still a very fun, very good game, but it won’t thrill you like it did before. Also, the glitches and constant freezes that many people, but not everyone, are experiencing really put a damper on your enjoyment of the title. It also doesn’t really help that there are a ton of other great games for the Xbox 360 out this season, which means that yet another WWII shooter can’t really stand out. Call of Duty 3 is an excellent game, but it isn’t different enough from what we have played before to make it an automatic purchase. It’ll be a good rental now, or a solid purchase in a few months after a price drop.