Call of Duty 3 (15)
Verdict: Authentic but linear war.
For 360, also Xbox, PS2, Wii.
Rating: 3½/5
Historical shooters have always been strangely perverted in their attempt to create fun out of a truly horrific reality. Titles like Medal of Honour tend to paint a dubiously anaesthetised, blood free image of war that is little more than a cardboard shooting gallery. Thankfully the Call of Duty series treats history with a little more respect.
Traditionally CoD has been split up into separate chapters charting the experiences of different soldiers in different armies - from snow covered trenches to urban settings. This time round you play as different soldiers but they are all fighting for the same objective in France - preparing the way for D-day.
What this brings in narrative coherence to the game, it loses in variety, as each level is made up of similarly dull green palettes as you fight through the damp countryside of France.
What it lacks in variety though it makes up for with compelling and contrasting scenes of beauty in those rare moments between gun fights as smoke grenades fade into the chill moonlit night and luminescent moths flutter like cinders from a burning jeep.
Despite this though CoD suffers from weak AI and incredibly linear level design and although they detract from the reality of the war, the messy and chaotic online experience does well to rectify it. If it wasn’t for connection issues, the balanced soldier classes and 24 player matches could be reason alone to buy the game.
Call of Duty’s greatest strength lies in making you feel vulnerable - like every bullet counts and every corner turned could be your last. Bombs rain down, planes burn overhead and distant screams signal the arrival of ominous Panzer tanks.
Going through all this for ‘fun’ feels a little uncomfortable at times but CoD’s historical accuracy and compelling gameplay ensures that at least we don’t forget what our grandparents went through for our freedom.