Call of Duty: United Offensive

"An excellent expansion to an already great game."

Well folks, it's finally here. The anticipated expansion to the 2003 Game of the Year. And, if I may say, it is a worthy follow-up. From the opening sequence to the final shot, the player is completely involved in the action. Since I have never had any clue how to segue, we move on to breaking the score down.

Single Player: 8/10

The single player campaign is absolutely amazing. From the Americans in the Battle of the Bulge, to the Brits and their commando tactics that pre-empted the Sicily campaign, to the Soviets in the Battle of Kursk, the single player missions are extremely well put together. One thing most players will notice is they are a lot harder than the original's missions were. This is not a bad thing, at least not in my opinion. The harder, the better, as long as it's not impossible. Even on the easiest setting, the missions are tough. The only reason this doesn't get a 10 is because it's too short.

Multiplayer: 10/10

The multiplayer in Call of Duty: United Offensive is nothing less than masterful. It incorporates all the features that made the original's multiplayer great, and adds some of its own. It has three new game modes, 11 new maps, and the addition of vehicles. Some may fear the vehicles may add an unbalanced element, but they developers pulled it off perfectly. There are plenty of anti-tank weapons scattered throughout the maps, and the tanks don't take many shots to take out. Another new feature is the implementation of ranks. As your rank grows, you get more special features. At the top of the ladder, you are granted the ability to call in artillery strikes. Not only does this kill all the enemies in an area, but your troops can be harmed as well, so be careful in using it.

Gameplay: 9/10

What can I say, it's standard FPS controls. WASD for movement, yadda yadda yadda. I only knock off a point for having dumb default controls. You'd do better changing the crouch, prone, and melee keys around. Maybe even make the fire mode key a BIT more accessible, rather than being across the keyboard.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are great. They may not be as good as, say, Doom 3, but what is? They've actually improved on the original's graphics, making the particle effects much better. Not a ten because it causes slowdown on a lot of systems, even on the lowest settings.

Overall: 9/10

Buy this game, especially if you're a fan of the first one. If you've never played the first one, for God's sake, go out and buy them both. You won't be sorry.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/21/04