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CALL OF DUTY 3 (X360)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Treyarch. Released: November 2006. Genre: FPS. Other versions: XBOX; PC; PS3; PS2; WII. Posted 6th April 2022. By Tom Clare © 2022 |
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Unbeknownst to gamers at the time, Call of Duty 3 would represent the end of an era for a series that had reached a major crossroads. The last instalment before the mega-popular Modern Warfare would change the gaming battlefield forever, CoD3 delivered another competent but painfully derivative slice of WW2 shooting. It continued to labour under the same greyish-brown landscapes, suspect national stereotypes, hoorah allies and high-pitched Nazis that had become entirely ubiquitous among FPSs of the time. It was still desperate to be Medal of Honor, shortly before Medal of Honor desperately wanted to be Call of Duty.
There is a little more to it than that, of course. Not so much from a game design perspective, as Treyarch’s first-person shoot ‘em up follows the kind of endless skirmishes, suicide missions and all-or-nothing hold-the-line defences you’d expect from a game succeeding Call of Duty 2. Of greater significance were telltale signs of promise for what lay ahead. It isn’t especially distinctive thematically, but CoD3 runs very nicely for an early seventh-generation first-person shooter.
There is a little more to it than that, of course. Not so much from a game design perspective, as Treyarch’s first-person shoot ‘em up follows the kind of endless skirmishes, suicide missions and all-or-nothing hold-the-line defences you’d expect from a game succeeding Call of Duty 2. Of greater significance were telltale signs of promise for what lay ahead. It isn’t especially distinctive thematically, but CoD3 runs very nicely for an early seventh-generation first-person shooter.
Call of Duty 3 features a familiar setting, but the Xbox 360 offers improved controls and atmospherics
Set during the closing stages of World War 2 in Europe, it features campaigns from the perspective of British, Polish, American and Canadian soldiers. This implies a level of variety that isn’t really apparent. Okay, it’s unlikely you were playing it for the story, but a less run-of-the-mill narrative might have allowed for more creative gameplay scenarios.
Nevertheless, there are many instances where Call of Duty 3 offers greater atmospheric clout than its predecessors. Planes and artillery fire pepper the skies and the outdoor sequences are impressive and immersive for their scale and attention to detail. Aiming enjoys a significant upgrade on past console iterations, with seventh-generation analogue controls delivering much sharper and more precise aiming. This is aided by the rapid, snap lock-on iron-sights that would become synonymous with the series going forward. Quick aiming from cover lends the game an exciting pace. It isn’t perfect and the sometimes-awkward, defensive enemy AI means a lot of time is spent either trying to flush foes from cover or waiting for them to pop their heads out to offer a shot. By and large, though, it feels like there are fewer ‘good’ shots missing their targets, with crisper collision detection.
Nevertheless, there are many instances where Call of Duty 3 offers greater atmospheric clout than its predecessors. Planes and artillery fire pepper the skies and the outdoor sequences are impressive and immersive for their scale and attention to detail. Aiming enjoys a significant upgrade on past console iterations, with seventh-generation analogue controls delivering much sharper and more precise aiming. This is aided by the rapid, snap lock-on iron-sights that would become synonymous with the series going forward. Quick aiming from cover lends the game an exciting pace. It isn’t perfect and the sometimes-awkward, defensive enemy AI means a lot of time is spent either trying to flush foes from cover or waiting for them to pop their heads out to offer a shot. By and large, though, it feels like there are fewer ‘good’ shots missing their targets, with crisper collision detection.
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Wandering through the ruins of towns, sniping soldiers and surviving ambushes is engaging fun, thanks to the game’s fast, smooth frame-rate. The movement controls are more agile and allow for greater precision than previously and whilst the landscapes can be a bit nondescript, CoD3’s character models and atmospheric effects are a big step forward. There are a couple of sections that see the player driving armoured vehicles and tanks and whilst these are nothing especially memorable, they again highlight how the Xbox 360’s greater aptitude for handling open surroundings benefits this kind of game.
Less impressive are issues that carry over from the previous generation of shooters. Front and centre are the annoying friendly AI, who have an infuriating habit of blocking doors, bumbling around in the line of fire or barging you clean out of cover. At least they pull their weight during firefights. Enemies are spat at you in remarkable numbers, a more-is-better approach that lends certain sequences a sense of grandiosity, though one that also makes some levels feel a little one-paced. The presentation of the mission briefing videos should also have been better.
Less impressive are issues that carry over from the previous generation of shooters. Front and centre are the annoying friendly AI, who have an infuriating habit of blocking doors, bumbling around in the line of fire or barging you clean out of cover. At least they pull their weight during firefights. Enemies are spat at you in remarkable numbers, a more-is-better approach that lends certain sequences a sense of grandiosity, though one that also makes some levels feel a little one-paced. The presentation of the mission briefing videos should also have been better.
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It’s better than its immediate WW2 contemporaries, most notably Medal of Honor: European Assault, though it’s worth noting that this was not a high-bar it might have been a few years earlier: EA’s series was in perpetual decline throughout the 2000s. The World War 2 FPS sub-genre was grossly oversaturated by this stage and Call of Duty 3, whilst exhibiting a strong engine and some decent gameplay, did little to break the mould. Good enough that you’ll play through its campaign, unmemorable enough that you probably won’t think of it again afterwards.
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VERDICT
"Despite exhibiting a strong engine and some decent gameplay, it did little to break the mould... another competent but painfully derivative slice of WW2 shooting." OVERALL: 6/10 |