PS3 Review- "Call of Duty 3"

The Playstation 3 has been a long awaited console, but now that it is here, gamers have to figure out which games are good and which games are not-so good. Luckily, that can be easily done through the readings of a food review. Most gamers know that there is an abundance of World War II games available to play. Among those WWII games is the Call of Duty (CoD) series, and with each CoD game, the aspect of fighting in World War II gets even more intense. Well, now with "Call of Duty 3" (which has been released for both the next-consoles of XBOX 360 and Playstation 3), gamers can relive and participate in one of the most graphic and action-packed wars ever known.

Those familiar with "Call of Duty 2" (especially that of the XBOX 360 port) know that "Call of Duty 3" is going to be nothing short of spectacular. As for the story, fans can expect the same scenario, which is fighting & killing the Germans on all fronts. The set-up of the story will remain the same; you take the role of a few different soldiers and fight in a couple different campaigns (America, Britain, Canada, and Poland). The setting of "Call of Duty 3" is in 1944 and you will be trying to drive the German forces out of France, during the Normandy Breakout. Unlike "Call of Duty 2", "Call of Duty 3" has more developed characters and there seems to be more of a background story for each of the soldiers; which you will find more about while playing.

As for the the combat, everything you would expect in a World War II game is there. The enemy AI seems to be pretty advanced (usually anyway). Enemies will go under cover whenever they are being fired upon, as well as quickly alert all others to nearby grenades. Its true they did those things in "Call of Duty 2", but it seems they have a much quicker reaction time to changing environments; which will also depend on the difficulty setting. To stay alive, you will need to find cover quickly while moving from place to place. Your allies will move with you, so its easy to tell when you need cover because a few of them will drop dead due to incoming enemy fire. Unfortunately, this game has no lean function. Most gamers would agree that it would be nice to get up against a wall, lean out, and then quickly snipe an incoming enemy. However, the "duck & cover" method seems to work nicely, which allows players to simply crouch then pop up and fire.

Most gamers know that the "Call of Duty" series is not just your average run & gun first person shooter (FPS). It actually leans more to the tactical side of FPS; due to the fact that you must choose your shots, as well as think about what your going to do next. Obviously, you may choose to run around with a Thompson SMG shooting wildly at enemies, but you will find you will not survive very long with that tactic. Therefore, you have to examine the surroundings of the battle field and then decide what to do next.

The Playstation 3 Sixaxis controller also has a few uses while playing through the game. One of those uses is when an enemy soldier sneaks up and grabs you and you must struggle to break free of him, which is done by tilting the controller rapidly. The whole scene is very intense, but unfortunately it does not happen too often. Another great aspect of the controller is that of driving vehicles. You will hold the controller like a steering wheel and tilt it in order to turn left and right. It may not sound very thrilling, but once you have tried it, you'll see how fun it really is.

The graphics and sound of "Call of Duty 3" are, as anyone could have guessed, wonderful. The XBOX 360 port of the game seems to have a slightly better frame rate and less visual glitches than that of the PS3. But, the PS3 port still has superb quality details and exceptional level design, as you will no doubt notice while playing. Then again, it might be hard to stop and appreciate all the beautifully designed scenery when bullets are whizzing over your head. The cut-scenes are also a thing to "oowww" and "aawww" over, as they have been excellent designed and implemented into each and every campaign.

MULTIPLAYER
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Once you have finished up with the single player campaigns, which should take about 9-10 hours, you can move onto the real fun stuff; which is online play. As always, players may participate in the basic "Call of Duty" online matches, such as: team battle, battle, capture-the-flag, head-quarters, etc. There are also about 9 different multiplayer maps to choose from, ranging from large levels to smaller enclosed ones.

One big change is that of soldier classes. Instead of being an ordinary "grunt", players can choose to be a more specific type of soldier. For instance, you could choose to be a medic and revive fallen players on the spot, or you could be an anti-tank, whom specializes in taking out armored vehicles. There are 6 different classes in all, so there should be something for everyone. Another great aspect of online play is that of vehicles. Just like in campaign mode, there will be times when you can jump into a vehicle (with or without a gunner) and drive around. Obviously, different maps will have different vehicles to use, but expect to see tanks, jeeps, and motorcycles throughout online play.

The games online play is fun, exciting, and entertaining; so be sure to try it out as soon as possible!
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"Call of Duty 3" is definitely a must have title for Playstation 3 owners. If your not a fan of the "Call of Duty" series, this game may just change your mind. If you are a fan, then odds are you already own a copy or are on your way to go get one. Whatever the case may be, "Call of Duty 3" is a fantastic game that will give you plenty of fun & entertainment.