Call of Duty

"The first time I almost really wet myself in a game...."

There are games that make you happy, sad, bored, scared, laugh, whistle, anxious... and the list goes on. Call of Duty made me almost wet myself.

And the worst part was that was just the first mission.

I'm going to make it very clear: Call of Duty is a GREAT game. It's the epitome of World War II games, hands down. Think of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault + Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and then put that to the third exponent, and you're going to describe Call of Duty.

Sound/Music (10/10) - I never expected immersion of both sounds and visuals until I played Medal of Honor. I never expected anything to BEAT this until Call of Duty. Even on a low volume, you're going to hear the intense rumble of the machine guns in your ears, the cries of Germans and your own Allies in the middle of the firefight, the bombs destroying buildings around you, the roaring of the engines of bombers up ahead.... The sounds in the game are just too good. Have a subwoofer for your computer and it gets even better.

Music is more sporadic, but when you hear it, it's just in the right places at the right times in the right mood. One of the missions have you in a car ride through enemy lines, the music underneath adding to the suspense of an incoming firefight of you, two other guys, and a barrage of Nazis around you. And even the end, in the final Russia mission, as your storm the Reichstag, you hear the music of glory and victory even as you climb to the top wiping out your enemy in his own home.

Graphics (9/10) - Crisp, clear, colorful, and impressive. Now for the details. COD looks almost like MOHAA and RTCW combined. The characters are more detailed, the scenery more crisp. The color has almost a softness to it, and it's almsot pleasant watching the things happen in the game. Explosions are also impressive, though they could have been a LITTLe better. But the blasts are great. Even the modeling of vehicles (specifically planes and ships you see in the game) are great and detailed very well.

I have heard complaints of people thinking that the people look ''cartoonish.'' First off, cartoonish is the wrong word for it. The people don't look like what they will in Half Life 2, but they're a step up from MOHAA and RTWC. Much of this also has to do with the softness of the graphics, as described before.

Gameplay (10/10) - When I said this is like RTWC and MOHAA combined, I wasn't kidding. The movement feels like RTWC, while the other mechanics, like movement, feel more like MOHAA. It's not too fast, not too slow, but just right. Plus you're probably not going to be standing up all the way as an easy target, so you'll be crouching and going prone (on your belly) much of the time.

The game is very much based on cover and fire. This isn't a gung-ho G.I. Joe kill them all kind of game. You stick your head out, you'll be finished in a couple seconds, even on the regular mode. Put it on hardened or veteran, and you'll ALWAYS be looking for cover.

And they actually did the respawn of characters RIGHT for this game. Usually considered a hex, the creators actually do this correctly, spewing out guys in open areas, especially in terms of defending fortifications. Miles of open field, you and your guys heavily protecting the area, and surrounded by enemies, waiting or hoping for backup.

Which leads to the AI. Your guys actually help you. Not just a bunch of easier targets in this game, you'll be teamed up with guys that will work to kill the other guys. Course, you have to fill your load, but especially in the first couple levels when you're wetting your feet, you'll have some really nice backup with you. And when your guys fall, oftentimes others will come by either being dropped from the planes in Normandy or joining from behind in Stalingrad. There are some small spots that the AI seems a little zany, but for the most part you're never going know who's going to come out alive with every time you play. Usually a couple invulnerable guys (couple meaning usually 1 or 2!!!) to lead you, but never an entire platoon.

Couple other important things include the fact that you carry only 2 guns, a sidearm (pistol), and a max of 10 grenades. Much more realistic, and somehow still a lot of fun. Usually can find more ammo for your allied gun from other fallen allies, but you can also trade that Thompson for an MP40 or an FG42. Which comes to another point: a huge array of weapons. THere's a lot of weaponry in the game, and a lot of experimenting that goes along with it.

The other important feature is the ADS (Aiming Down the Sight) system. Yeah, sure, normally you'd fire that machine gun from the waste. But sometimes you need a lot more accuracy. The ADS puts that gun up to your face to aim, with the tradeoff of you moving slower.

Realism may have increased, but it has been done in a way that also raises fun in so many ways.

Fun Facton (10/10) and Conclusion - Infinity Ward has done everything right in this game, even in making this game fun. I had a hard time letting go of missions when I played this through. I'd leave the computer, only to come on in another ten minutes to play an hour more.

The game itself isn't long. It can be finished in probably 10 to 12 hours, especially with the quick learning curve, and this is probably its largest downside. Multiplayer is also fun, but this isn't a game that is purely based on huge fights, more apparent to the MOHAA side of the game.

In the end, what we have is an incredibly strong and fun game. Youll wet your pants the first level and several after that. Andthen you're going to want to go back and try it all over again.

Sound/Music: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Final Verdict: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/04