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The first Call of Duty proves to be a very enjoyable action-packed experience and Call of Duty 2 delivers the same type of exciting action along with some refinements and new features. The next game is one of the odd men out. One of the Call of Duty titles you rarely hear about. Developed by Treyarch and published by Activision, Call of Duty 3 was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii in November, 2006. For this review, I played the Xbox 360 version on a Series X. I have beaten this before years ago and remember almost nothing about it so I was eager to jump back in.
Call of Duty 3 is another entry that lets players experience World War II battles from the perspectives of different soldiers; American, British, Canadian, and Polish. However, unlike the previous games, the events of Call of Duty 3 are all based on the the Battle of Normandy. In typical Call of Duty fashion, the game aims for a cinematic quality with cut scenes to convey what your ultimate goal is for each mission.
Right off the bat, I want to say I think Call of Duty 3 plays it a little too safe. Most of what’s here in terms of gameplay is nothing new and that includes the set pieces. You’ve got the typical run and gun action, you’ve got your tank missions, regenerating health returns, and no matter what soldier your playing as, it all kind of feels the same. You’re thrown into battlefields and must blow away hordes of German soldiers.
I’m not saying Call of Duty 3 is a bad game. It’s just a very been there, done that kind of experience. So I think the enjoyment you get out of it will come down to how much you enjoyed the previous titles. But I think at this point, the series take on the European theater of World War II has become a little stale. There’s not a lot here that makes this entry stand out. In my opinion, one of the best things about Call of Duty 3 is that you can throw back enemy grenades and if you play this directly after Call of Duty 2, it’s like the greatest thing ever.
So the real question is what is new in Call of Duty 3? Well I can only speak for the single player experience because I did not get to try the multiplayer. Besides being able to throw back grenades, this is a more “interactive” entry. Whenever you have to interact with something or plant explosives, you must complete a minigame which I’m guessing is supposed to make these interactions more immersive. But I can’t really say it makes the experience better. Every so often, you’ll have to engage a German soldier in melee combat which involves quick time events and button mashing. And this definitely doesn’t make the experience better.
The game is set entirely in France and you’ll move through decimated towns, destroyed buildings, trenches, and farmland. You’ll typically have to complete numerous objectives during missions and there’s a lot of running and shooting in between. You’ll have to destroy things, flank enemy positions, clear out buildings, and defend areas. What is cool is the missions that let you choose your path. At certain points, you’ll be given the choice of different objectives to complete and considering this is primarily a linear game, it’s nice to have these types of options once in a while even if the path you choose doesn’t drastically change how things play out.
Call of Duty 3 is another entry that keeps you and the action contained. This is good because the action never lets up and it helps keep the pacing consistent. However, the linearity does not allow for too much thinking and the gameplay can become repetitive. With this type of linear action, I think the gunplay has to be satisfying otherwise the action would become very boring. Luckily, Call of Duty 3 delivers on the flashy action the series is known for and I do think the gunplay feels slightly “meatier” than that of the previous games. The audiovisual feedback of weapons is good and blood and smoke puffs appear when enemies are hit. Some of the death animations do look a little simple and stiff which is disappointing but certain types of kills will result in bodies that look like they ragdoll which is kind of cool.
The action in Call of Duty 3 can be very intense but at this point, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Call of Duty game. Bullets will zip around the environments during firefights, soldiers will be constantly shouting, you may be surrounded by explosions, and there’s always plenty of enemies to shoot. Just like its predecessors, Call of Duty 3 is still very much a shooting gallery. Push forward, shoot the enemies that appear, rinse and repeat. Enemies can drop you quickly if you’re standing out in the open so cover is crucial for survival. You’ll have to move from cover to cover as you slowly push forward and drop the Germans gunning for you and your squad. You can conceal your movement with smoke grenades and use weapon emplacements to mow down any Germans advancing on your position.
It doesn’t matter what soldier you’re playing as, your goal is to always do what you’re told. It’s always made clear what you need to do and where you need to go. Straying too far off course or away from your squad will often get you killed. As for the AI, I think both friendlies and enemies do a good enough job to immerse the player into the experience. That’s not to say they never do anything stupid and questionable and friendlies can still get in your way which can become annoying, especially in tight spaces, but, overall, the AI in general does prove to be at least adequate. They run around and take cover, lob grenades, and friendlies can take the enemy attention off of you. And the Germans don’t lob grenades nearly as often as they did in Call of Duty 2.
As expected, Call of Duty 3 does feature set pieces which helps keep the action from becoming stale. Let’s face it, as fun as the gunplay can be, there’s very little variety to the run and gun action. The numerous set pieces and scripted situations are not only supposed to add some variety but also be exciting. For the most part, these types of scenarios in Call of Duty 3 make for nice breaks from the run and gun stuff. You’ll get to drive a tank and blow up enemy tanks, mark targets for artillery strikes, use mortars to destroy a blockade and motorpool, and use a vehicle to escape an exploding fuel plant.
I don’t think Call of Duty 3 was a bad looking game for it’s time. I did witness some pop-in here and there and some of the textures can appear blurry, especially when viewed up close but the visual effects, lighting, and the war-torn France that’s on display here help add to the atmosphere of the game. Smoke and dust can fill the air from bullets hitting the ground and different surfaces, muzzle flashes will illuminate dark areas, reload animations look good, and the destroyed landscapes are often very detailed. The action is backed by some solid orchestral tunes that help heighten the tension and make certain encounters feel more dramatic. Weapons sound satisfying and have a nice punch to them and explosions are often booming. I can’t say I encountered many technical issues and the frame rate remained mostly stable. I did see it stutter here and there but for the most part, the game ran smooth. And I want to restate that I did play this on a Series X.
Call of Duty 3 is one of those games that I know I played before but forgot almost everything about it. And the only reason I remember playing it is because I remembered those stupid melee minigames. After playing through it again, I can’t say anything else about it came back to me. It was like a new experience. I did enjoy my time with it but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel very familiar and I wasn’t getting a little bored by the end of it. It seems to be one of the outcasts in the franchise and I think it’s because it doesn’t really take any steps forward. It also doesn’t help that this is the one before the big one. The next game is Call of Duty 4 and as we all know, that exploded in popularity and is even considered one of the greatest games of all time. It should also be noted that Call of Duty 3 is exclusive to consoles. So there it is. A main title in the franchise and console-exclusive entry that rests between the acclaimed Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 4. And it doesn’t do enough to stand out.
I would recommend Call of Duty 3 if you can find a cheap copy. It’s not a bad game, it’s just more of the same. It delivers the same fun Call of Duty action we’ve grown accustomed to and that’s it. As a result, it’s a solid and entertaining shooter but also an average Call of Duty title. If you’re tired of the formula at this point, I don’t think Call of Duty 3 will do enough to keep you engaged. But if you’re looking for fun World War II shooting action, Call of Duty style, Call of Duty 3 is definitely worth checking out.