Game Review: Call of Duty

[Veteran]

I'm bored at work, and being a dyed-in-the-wool cyberslacker, I decided to review a game that has recently blown my little mind: Call of Duty.

I know there have been _way_ too many World War 2 video games, but if Call of Duty was the last game in the genre, it would have been done justice. It's that good. Granted, it relies on a modern computer, I'd say 512mb RAM and 64mb video card on a 1.4Ghz or better system for the full effect, but of course mileage may vary. I'll use this opportunity to encourage everyone on this board to find out what kind of memory their comp uses and ask for it for Christmas, or if you were born with a silver mouse in your mouth, a new Dell (every bit as good as their reputation).

So what makes Call of Duty so great? Medal of Honor pretty much covered the bases, right? Wrong. Call of Duty is a thrill-ride that uses amazing graphics, sound and scripting to put you right in the action. Without missing a beat, Call of Duty (hereafter referred to as CoD) puts you in the role of an American sapper, a British commando and a Russian sniper (and I haven't even seen the whole game yet). You will use historically accurate weapons to battle the nefarious Nazi threat by killing several thousand German soldiers across many famous battlefields. Your weapons will range from basic infantry guns to 88mm flak cannons, captured enemy weapons, Panzerfausts and even melee. Vehicular content is large and in charge, letting you get down and dirty in tank combat, shooting from the back of a truck, and probably lots more.

So what makes it special? You've probably used all the weapons listed above in some other WW2 game and are on the verge of believing that CoD is just another WW2 knock-off, but it isn't. It has the 'wow' factor down to a science. When you hit the beaches at Stalingrad and watch every third man in line get a rifle because of supply shortages, and you're one of the guys who didn't get a rifle, the awesome scope of the game hits home. Running through an artillery barrage, you will have to find your own weapon and fight for the glory of the Motherland (hey, the Russians were a huge help in defeating the Nazis, so don't diss them). If you thought the first ten minutes of Shaving Ryan's... er... Saving Private Ryan were badass, imagine a video game that keeps that feeling alive for hours upon hours. I'm not kidding.

Now for the best part, the graphics. Take some of the beauty of Chrome, some of the sweet texturing and lightmapping of Unreal Tournament 2003 and maps big enough to keep a PlanetSide fan from feeling claustrophobic and you have one pretty sweet game. Add in amazing smoke effects, fire and blast effects and weather and you start really feeling like you're there. If you want to get the most out of your video card dollar, let this game loose on your PC. It's pure eye-candy.

The sound, too, is a work of art. Between compelling music that follows the actions to voice-talent that doesn't make your ears bleed like some games, the immersion factor is complete. From German propaganda broadcasts to squad chatter in Russian and English accents, the American-preoccupation in some WW2 games is softened into a coalition experience that really brings history alive.

Like many great games, you have to see it to believe it. I think there's a demo out there, I usually download from Fileplanet when demos are concerned. Do yourself a favor and grab this little gem. I can't offer a critcism of the multiplayer modes in this review, for reasons that are best not said, but if it's anything like the single-player story, you can expect some intense squad-based action. In fact, if any of you have knowledge of how this game plays, I would be very interested to hear about it.

Now the fun part... On a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is the best...

Critic Bias: 3. This means I'm not inclined to be a WW2 game fanboy, nor was I eagerly awaiting this title's release. A 10 would have meant I was severely biased toward the game, but a 3 means no particular bias on my part.

Graphics: 10. Few games use graphics as well as CoD. In fact, it requires DX9.0b to run properly. From excellent anti-aliasing to amazing color-depth, particle effects, smoke effects and water texturing, your graphics card will be sweating like Oprah chasing a catering truck.

Sound: 10. Excellent scripting and full support for multimedia surround speakers makes this a truly cinematic experience without the suck factor of Hollywood. Audigy owners will delight in the game's wonderful sound rendition.

Gameplay: 10. I'm not just handing out 10s for fun. I can't count the number of times I was blown away by the gut-wrenching realism, right down to the nitty-gritty. I'm jonesing to play even as I write this review. It's great how the game puts you in several different campaigns, keeping you guessing what you'll be doing next. It's really like playing a movie.

Replay factor: I don't know, I'm still playing it for the first time. If the multiplayer is even half as good as the single-player, I would give it top marks, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was industry-leading in its scope.

Overall: A+

If you buy one game this year, make it Call of Duty. If you buy a game for someone as a present, make it Call of Duty. Resist the urge to dismiss this as just another WW2 game. If you like combat games at all, this will delight you.

I apoligize for my lack of full knowledge about this game, I'm still playing it, but I know you guys are shooter fans and it doesn't get much better than this.