Call of Duty 3

"A multiplayer beast for Xbox 360"

Call of Duty 2 was factually the most popular launch title for the Xbox 360 and arguably the best title available during that time as well. The main draw in COD2 was it's epic scope, giving the grandiose feeling of an all-out war. You and countless CPU teammates and enemies took part in a frantic and captivating assault in each and every level of the game. While the single-player mode in COD2 was truly breathtaking, the drawback might have been the multiplayer options. While entertaining to many, they were somewhat slim at best. At maximum only 8 players could do battle online. On top of that there were various lag and disconnect issues for many players.

Fast forward one year and we have Call of Duty 3. This time, in many respects, the game's strengths are reversed and I think that makes for a better overall package this time around. In many ways this outing reminds me of Perfect Dark Zero, which to many was a good single-player but an outstanding xbox live game. COD3 brings a less extravagant single-player offering to the fold here. This one feel a lot more like the Medal of Honor offerings on PS2 in a way and returns the series more to a straightforward FPS. This is certainly not a BAD thing, but it isn't progression either. While the game feels less epic, the skirmishes scattered throughout the levels do get quite intense and the length of each mission could last upwards to an hour apiece. COD3 excels at everything that you'd expect of a game like this (like I said, a paint-by-numbers FPS) and would certainly rate out very high in comparison to any game like it. That said you will feel like you've "been there, done that" throughout this game many times, but there are reasons we have been there and done that, because doing that has been fun and it's still fun here too.

Multiplayer is where it is at this year though. Right now as of Christmas 2006, I cannot name a better multiplayer game on Xbox 360. To my knowledge no game on the system allows for up to 24 players and no shooter on the system has so many options to the player. You get your choice of several different solider classes to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are at least three different vehicles to use during play (pushing COD3 into the EA Battlefield-type realm). Players must stick to their own weapons for each class unless they find a weapon dropped by a fallen soldier (far more realistic and fun than "spawning weapons"). The modes may be a tad lacking (Deathmatch and Team Deathmatches of course, followed by your usual Capture the Flag and Single Flag Capture) but the mode that stands out by far is War.

If your familiar with the old PC counterstrike mod Day of Defeat, you'll know what I'm talking about with War. Basically there are five flags (smaller maps have 3) that are spread out along a map. Your team starts out with control of 2 (or 1 if on a smaller map) with a neutral flag in the middle, gaining control of the neutral flag will make the next flag (formerly in control of the opposition) neutral. The current flag you occupy becomes your "spawn base" so you can more efficiently press on to the next neutral flag. This takes the most teamwork and cooperation and is easily the most addictive mode in the multiplayer offerings. I can see this mode being played regularly up until COD4.

Their are some drawbacks with multiplayer. Ranked matches have recently been patched so they aren't as tough to get into, but it's nearly impossible to play any of these types of matches with friends or familiar foes or allies because of the TrueSkill ranking that tries to match equal players. For me, player matches are where it's at, and while you can't gain any achievements or ratings in those, I think you'll find there is a lot more fun (and players) in the unranked player matches. One drawback is that many of the games are lopsided, since the original host (and when the host changes) usually fail to set the game on auto-balance. While this can sometimes even be kind of fun (trying to save your last flag in War while waiting for more players to join the game or switch to your side) it's usually an annoyance. I hope more hosts use auto-balance and more players use auto-select when joining a game instead of picking which side they want. 12 vs 12 is a riot to play, 15 vs 9 (regardless of talent) usually results in a quick and easy blowout victory.

Still, small issues aside, the multiplayer is incredible and if you want a game that will keep you up til the wee hours of the morning just kicking it in multiplayer, then this is it. If your solely looking for single player game, then, well, in reality it's hard to recommend any FPS since they all tend to be short. Those looking for both won't be disappointed though. A solid 9/10 for me.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/06