There seems to be a lot
of World War II games coming out, and while some of them aren’t worth your time,
Call of Duty definitely is. Brought to us by Activision, Call of Duty is based on
the American, British, and Russian armies as they fight German forces in Europe.
The game has a good
length for its genre. To keep it from feeling too long, they split it up into
campaigns that follow different soldiers from different countries. This allows
you to see more battlefields, use more weapons, and experience a variety of
events. While the first two campaigns are mediocre and offer nothing too new,
the final campaign is amazing. It follows a Russian soldier as him and his
comrades try to take back
Red Square.
The entire campaign is breathtaking and quite emotional.
Before each mission you
are treated to a short briefing as it loads. Each campaign’s briefing is done
differently depending on the country which is nice. These reading breaks usually
offer more background on what you’re about to do, so reading them is beneficial.
Also, there are a few video briefings featuring footage from World War II that
are very interesting.
The nice thing about Call
of Duty is the variety to the missions. You never feel like you’re doing the
same thing over and over, and each mission is just the right length to where it
doesn’t feel too long. Also, the missions flow really well together, so nothing
ever seems out of place.
The controls are great.
As with any other First Person action game on the PC you can set up the keys any
way you wish, although the default settings are very well mapped out.
The graphics are some of
the best I’ve seen in a First Person Shooter (FPS). Realistic models, lighting,
and textures make up each level. The wonderful sound and graphics, along with
the great script and AI, really make you feel as if you are there. Your AI
teammates will go back for wounded allies, dive to the ground to avoid mortars,
provide cover fire, and work together to open up a tank and drop a grenade into
it. Aside from very little gore, Call of Duty is the most realistic World War II
experience out there.
The soundtrack and sound
effects are wonderful. The constant gun fire and explosions make you feel as if
you’re actually fighting in a war, and during emotional or epic moments the
appropriate music will start up.
I sometimes had a problem
with the weapons; a lot of times they seemed very inaccurate. Otherwise, the
amount of damage they dealt was very realistic, depending on where they were
shot. There’s even a level where you control a tank, and shooting buildings with
the cannon puts holes in them. Grenades are useful as well, spraying shrapnel
that do great damage within a certain radius of the blast.
Call of Duty offers
traditional Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag game modes, but it
brings two new ones to the table as well. Behind Enemy Lines and Search and
Destroy are the new game modes that offer a unique way to play. In Search and
Destroy one team protects an object that the other team needs to plant
explosives on and destroy. Behind Enemy Lines takes a handful of Allied soldiers
and puts them right in the middle of tones of Axis players. If an Axis player is
able to kill an Allied soldier, he then spawns as an Allied soldier and the
Allied soldier comes back as an Axis soldier. It’s a lot of fun since the Allies
are greatly outnumbered. Call of Duty also has a feature called the Kill Cam. If
you are killed in a multiplayer game, you will be able to watch the last few
seconds of your life through your killer’s perspective.
I didn’t think Call of
Duty’s multiplayer was that great. The game’s engine seems to be built really
well for the single player experience, but it just doesn’t feel right as a
deathmatch game. Team Deathmatch and Behind Enemy Lines are really fun, but I
would still rather play Medal of Honor or Battlefield 1942. It feels a little
slow, and the weapons are extremely inaccurate unless you’re using a sniper
rifle like everyone else.
Overall, Call of Duty is
a game not to be missed. The single player missions are amazing, and if you
don’t think so right away keep playing – the Russian campaign is like nothing
you’ve ever played. Activision has even made it easy to mod, so we can expect
multiplayer mods to lengthen the replay value in the future. If you have a PC
capable of running Call of Duty, don’t miss out.
Gameplay: 9.3
The level of realism make
the gun fights in this game pretty theatrical. The scripted moments only added
to the realism as comrades help fallen friends or check ahead for danger only to
get sniped. My only gripe is that weapons seemed pretty inaccurate, and the
aiming animation made it harder to see than without it.
Graphics: 9.8
This will vary
depending on your PC setup, but on what I have (which isn’t much) it looks
wonderful. Easily one of the best looking games of its genre, character model
animations, and textures are very real – you can even see facial expressions on
fellow soldiers. The environments are so well mapped and the level design is
creative while still looking like the actual locations.
Sound: 9.0
I’m not sure what
sniper rifles, machine guns, flak cannons, etc actually sound like, but I’m sure
Call of Duty got them sounding pretty close to what they really sound like. Not
only the sound effects and voice acting, but the music is also done very well.
Difficulty: Medium
There are four different
difficulty settings that you can choose. The harder the difficulty, the more
damage you receive and the less health packs are offered. Even on the easier two
difficulties it’s easy to get yourself in a pickle, but overall it has its hard
moments and its easy ones.
Concept: 6.0
War games are
coming out left and right these days, so they had to do something special to
make Call of Duty stand out. Well, they did by offering epic battles and three
different countries to play as.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Aside from the accuracy
gripes, Call of Duty is an entertaining multiplayer game. The new game types are
really fun, especially Behind Enemy Lines. The Kill Cam also offers something no
other game has.
Overall: 9.4
Call of Duty
offers an experience you can’t find anywhere else. During some of the battles
it’s hard not to get emotional since some of the writing and voice acting is so
well done. Plus with good graphics and sound, it all comes together as an epic
battle not to be missed…and on time for the Holidays.
