Call of Duty 3

It’s official, the Call of Duty franchise is now the console king of WWII shooters. An argument could have been made for the Medal of Honor series until the highly-anticipated Call of Duty 2 hit the 360 like a storm at launch. So now for the time being, the CoD titles are gamers’ main fix for the realism of historic World War II. Epic set pieces, frighteningly realistic sounds and visuals, and intense situations are what makes them work. Developer Treyarch is attempting to take these elements to the next level with Call of Duty 3 for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The Call of Duty team is using painstaking detail to add new material for the third installment. Core gameplay elements, like the control scheme, are to remain the same. The key improvements in CoD3 are things that add more realism to the overall feel of battle and can potentially add whole new aspects to the game. With a well-aimed grenade you can destroy an enemies’ cover and vice versa.This could change gameplay dramatically, because like in real war, you can’t hide behind a crate for a too long. Smoke is now highly detailed and reacts according to environment. Throw a smoke bomb under a tank and the smoke will rise up the sides instead of through the vehicle. These are the type of things that you probably didn’t notice were missing from CoD2, but you’ll be grateful for in CoD3.

The biggest addition to the series are the new “Battle Actions”. The term can apply to the new one-on-one tussles with enemy soldiers, or the new actions you make in order to get past a scenario. For instance, rowing a boat takes the use of both analog sticks to get a steady flow going. Instead of just pressing X to set a mine, you actually have to go through the motions. Battle Actions and the other changes are meant to add a new dynamic to the game and add even more realism to the WWII setting.

Call of Duty 3 is set during the Normandy Breakout of WWII, which takes place after the momentous D-Day. The Normandy Breakout lead the Allies into the dash across France and became one of the Axis’ greatest losses. All four of the Allied Armies played a big part in the breakout, and you will be playing as each throughout the game . In CoD3 you take the role of English, US, Polish, and the rarely seen in gaming Canadian soldiers. As you play each campaign you’ll notice some characters effecting and even appearing in other campaigns. The acts of the Canadian army may directly effect the US army, for instance, and you may see the soldier you just played as helping your new character. The CoD3 team is also attempting to make the games more dynamic by giving the player different means of taking out an enemy. Before, if you were told to snipe, you had to snipe. Now, you can instead choose to ambush your opponent if you feel it’s the better way.

Treyarch is really pushing multiplayer in this one with 24-player single and split-screen internet modes. In teams-based battles or on your lonesome, you be able to play all the classic modes and the additional War mode with new vehicles like jeeps and motorcycles. In team battles, some of these vehicles support multiple riders, so expect some fun moments to spawn from side-car drive-bys. The new War mode pits the Allies and Axis against each other as they try and hold certain positions in order to win the match. Everyone plays as a specific class like Riflemen or Medics who each have their own special abilities. These abilities improve throughout the match if you use them, so people who do their job are rewarded. The CoD3 team wants the battles to be as in-depth as PC shooter and top previous expectations of the franchise’s multiplayer.

Call of Duty 2 was the 360’s best-selling launch title, and developer Treyarch is trying to live up to expectations with the third sequel. With success like that, they could have chose to just add new missions and let the game be as it is. Instead, they are trying to add new elements to make this the most realistic WWII game ever made. With a deep single-player mode and ambitious online multiplayer, our trigger fingers are itching already. For now, feast on our videos and screens for the Wii version and the 360/PS3 version. We’ll review at launch.