Call of Duty

"War is intense...very intense"

Call of Duty takes a look at three perspectives of World War 2: the Americans, the British, and the Russians. It doesn't offer differing opinions of the war from each side, but different missions. I think video game developers look at war as a great concept for video games. War is fun and heroic. It's not up to the entire army to win it, but one man. Call of Duty does stand apart from the rest of the war games on the market, especially in its intensity. This is probably the most amount of fun you'll have re-enacting a war-time scenario without dressing up and doing the real thing.

Story – 8/10

The game progresses through missions, so the story progresses through mission briefings. Most of the dialogue consists of the commander recounting the situation. There's nothing flashy, no characterization, no plot points, no beginning, middle, and end – but if there were those things it wouldn't make any sense. War has no real structure beyond the strategies generals make. Even battles turn out to be a mess.

Call of Duty doesn't have a story, but story-like moments. Consider the beginning when a parachute jump goes awry. Your character lands in the wrong spot by accident, and another soldier falls into a tree and dies by hanging. You end up with a different platoon than the one you were supposed to be with, and you're not the only one who messed up. As impressive as that sequence is, it's the first Russian mission that has the game's most memorable scene. The beach landing section is easily the best in the entire gaming world. The Russians actually shoot any soldiers who run away. It feels like you're right there and that at any moment you could die (but you get to restart).

Developer Infinity Ward doesn't take a stance on the war or any wars. During load screens there are quotes from famous war veterans and writers like George Patton and Ernest Hemingway, but these quotes range from anti-war to morale-boosting statements. The only real theme Call of Duty attempts is to show the “brothers-in-arms” mentality of the Allies, but it doesn't work. Only during the American campaign does one country aid another, while the Russians see only the Germans. I guess it's because the three countries shared a common enemy that they were “brothers-in-arms.” But that's not enough.

Gameplay – 9/10

The gameplay is very impressive. Mostly it's fun, sometimes it's fantastic, and sometimes it frustrates. The most impressive moment is the beach level, where you feel helpless amongst a hail of bullets. It begins, after a harrowing ride on a boat where other boats are sinking all around you, with you running onto the battlefield without a gun. If you've seen the movie “Enemy at the Gates,” you know the drill. Follow an ally with a gun and take it when he dies. It's a moment you have to play in order to know just how grand it is. It makes me wonder why Infinity Ward didn't create any other battles as impressive.

Like the majority of modern first-person shooters, you can only hold a few weapons at once. If you don't like this, blame Bungie, because Halo started it. But I like it. It adds strategy with the simple run-and-gun gameplay. Most gamers will probably switch between a long range weapon and a machine gun and most won't touch the pistol.

For the most part you will enjoy your time with the game. The controls are tight and the combat is intense. For the most part a group of soldiers accompany you, to make you feel like a normal soldier. You're not, though, because you have a better shot than everyone else. You're much smarter than everybody. You tackle missions solo that would be impossible in real life. Enemy turrets will focus their fire from one guy on to you once you peek your head out from cover. The commander will order you to man the turrets, always. You're the one who has to plants the bombs. Worst of all, fellow soldiers seem to care less about you than mission objectives and enemies. During a few moments I wondered if it would be too much to ask if my comrades could cover me while I shoot down the tanks. Or maybe I could be the one to protect someone who shoots down the tanks or sets the explosives. But that's what video games are like. They're not meant to be one hundred percent realistic or they just wouldn't be any fun.

Graphics – 9/10

Everything from character animation to textures and the nitty gritty look of war looks great. The locales are appropriately war torn. Soldiers move and die realistically. Whereas most war games have a rather clean look to them, Call of Duty makes the places look war-torn and dirty. I wonder why developers don't make their war games mature-rated. For a battle-ridden place, war seems rather bloodless in most games. Why is it that only the games based on fantasy aren't afraid of a mature rating?

Sound – 8/10

Call of Duty has good voice acting and appropriate gun blast noises. The sound helps add to the intensity of many of the games missions. I just wonder about the music. It sounds like something out of the Matrix movies. I worried that Neo would jump out of a building, dodge my bullets, and force me to fight him hand-to-hand. I would lose, in case you were wondering.

Longevity – 4/10

The game runs at a very short 6-7 hour length. The biggest problem is that at the end, I wanted the game to end. The last few missions grow tiring and feel rushed, as though the developers couldn't wait to end it. Top that on with a few of the games frustrating moments and it's doubtful that you will want to give it another shot on a higher difficulty. It's just a shooter through and through and there's no real reason to play it multiple times.

Despite this, the game's worth playing through at least once, especially if you love war games. It feels like you're playing a war game and not a first-person shooter with a war-like environment. Now, will there be a game that shows all sides of the war, not just the side that won or the Americans? If there is to be a true historic war simulation game, it should show all sides without any biases – no matter how evil the Germans are now perceived.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/04, Updated 04/28/08

Game Release: Call of Duty: Game of the Year Edition (US, 04/06/04)