 |
 |
|
| Working together with your squad to hold off enemies is a visceral experience. |
The Soviet campaign starts off uniquely: you don't even have a gun! |
The RTS, is more of a Scotch Whiskey, more of a bite and peaty but satisfying none-the-less.
The FPS, when made in its fullest potential, is an Electric Zombie with Tequila chaser.
Call of Duty is one such game.
This is my first FPS review and all can say is what a “doosy”!! I have played a lot of the FPS titles throughout the years and I have to say that Call of Duty is quiet simply one of the best.
The game is set in WWII Europe, a theatre a bit beaten to death, a la Medal of Honour, but Call of Duty has taken the experience to new and dazzling heights.
The game itself is in fact 3 independent mini-campaigns that will see you take service as 3 “grunts” in the American Airborne, British Paras and Soviet Infantry. You play the foot soldier, one of the faceless millions who fought and died in this tremendous struggle. You play in key battles and the good ol classic SF action that are really the cornerstone of the FPS genre. What Call of Duty does is break out of the tunnel crawls and actually builds large engagements that feel more like a large multi-play experience. For those that have played Medal of Honour, think the Omaha Landing scenario, bigger and many times over.
Call of Duty has grit. It has the dirty, hectic and brutal feel of combat. You fight more often than not as part of a squad of 10-15 other soldiers. You will follow their lead and do what you are told. This really shifts the focus of the game right down into the trenches.
The game has stripped down the gameplay to a streamlined system. Weapons are restricted to the number you can carry, to two main, but still allows you to pick up weapons off the ground. You are free to pick up many of these types of other weapons during the game, allowing for variety, but you won’t be running around with 5 or 6 weapons hanging off your belt in an unrealistic manner.
 |
 |
|
| The Soviet missions contain huge battles with literally dozens of troops. |
Environments in the game bleed of variety and creativity. |
This simplifies your choices on how to engage the enemy but this is a good thing as the action gets so intense at times that you simply wouldn’t be able to try and fit the best weapon to the fight.
Action: did I say intense? I mean freakin crazy!! One mission that has you defending Pegasus Bridge as a British Para played at Veteran Level (no health packs) was a milestone in my gaming experience. The enemy attacks the bridge from all sides and the action is simply visceral. I was down to a pistol and one grenade at one point. This is but one example, Call of Duty has many of these types of missions. The sheer number of friendly and enemy characters in some of these fights is truly amazing (I counted approx 40 in one Soviet fight).
The game play has built on the good parts of a lot of games. It has the leaning around corners of Rainbow 6, the ability to go prone of Delta Force, the ability to look down the sights of the weapon for more accurate fire…of…of…ah well you get the idea. The gameplay is solid with huge levels that allow the player some freedom of movement but not too much, resulting in the “Dude where’s my war?” that can take away from the game.
Weapons behave realistically. Don’t try the long shots with a sub machine gun and you can’t do a house fight with sniper rifle. Recoil will throw your aim and muzzle flash will make you lose the target. I simply couldn’t find anything wrong with the gameplay and that is something I am simply not emotionally prepared for as a game reviewer. We are truly dark sons of Satan…we need to critisize to help bring some warm into the hollow holes in our chest where a human hear once rested….we are empty…we love to hate!
 |
 |
|
| Defending this bridge against the enemy is intense. |
Some objectives will require you to destory enemy stationary guns. |
The AI in Call of Duty is some of the best I have ever seen in an FPS. At times it was easy to forget that I wasn’t playing a co-op multi-play game. Friendly troops will provide covering fire and move realistically. One small niggle is the indestructibility of friendly troops, in order to ensure you have the group feel, the designers actively replace your lost troops. This ensures intensity of firefights but does have a bit fo a “fake” feel at times.
Enemy AI, is scripted but again frightening. At the Veteran level, there are a helluva lot of bad guys, all smart and deadly. The flank, lead with grenades and generally move and fight like real people. You can still do the “blow off the elbow” with the sniper rifle but don’t expect your victims buddies to stand around like buffalo waiting around to be the next throw rug. They will move and try and kill you in a most nasty manner.
Scenarios for the most part are huge. Most (not all) are combat orientated slugfest which will float your boat if you are an action junkie. There are a few of the traditional “hallway-crawls” we see in other games but even these are very well done and I didn’t find myself yawning to much.
The graphics are stunning, particularly in scale. During the opening of the Stalingrad scenario, pulled from the movie Enemy at the Gates, I honestly had to just stop playing and look at the massive and stunning vista of a ravaged city. It was another amazing moment. The game graphics are very well done and again I can’t find fault…I may need counseling.
The sound will immerse you into the experience as well. Everything from the rumble of oncoming tanks to the scream of your comrades add to the experience. The weapons are meaty and solid. The music epic and well timed. Every sound adds to the experience….this is getting bad….
 |
 |
|
| It's a bit weird that your teammates are invincible... |
...but they're pretty smart, and they will usually use realistic tactics. |
CALL OF DUTY VERDICT
I simply can’t go on..this is too painful. Look, I know this is a short review but there isn’t much to say. If you like FPS games or even had a passing interest in the genre..go buy this game. I have no doubt it will be FPS Game of the Year in several magazines and will stand as one of the greats…bastards! Now this review is over..get that camera out of my face!! I need a drink and a bad game…
TOP GAME MOMENT
: Defending a bridge as a british paratroopers against a seemingly never ending onslaught of enemy troops.
