Nazis, shmazis - bring 'em on
Written: Feb 03 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very real feel in visual and in gameplay, well done in many ways
Cons: loose plot
The Bottom Line: Well done in most every aspect
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| dmarusz's Full Review: |
I think with all of the fighting in the middle east people are starting to become more interested in what goes on in a war. Many companies are taking advantage of that interest, and now we've seen a rash of new, popular games sprouting up over the last year or so. Call of Duty is one of those games. With the recent success of Battlefield 1942, I think many people will be looking for a higher standard in this genre. Can Call of Duty make this standard?
The answer to the preceding question is a yes. Call of Duty is a high quality game that is done very well. There are a lot of pluses and the "goods" very much outweigh the "bads."
The first thing that struck me about the game was the graphics. In most action games, the graphics pale in comparison to their adventure and role-playing game brothers. I don't feel this way toward the Call of Duty. The graphics, although still prismatic, look more natural. The scenes are well done with the characters looking very believable. Even, the motion of the army men, trucks and military equipment seem to move and work like real life.
The graphics and physics add a good feel that extenuates well developed gameplay. In Call of Duty, you go on many various missions with clearly laid out scenarios. The goals are well defined and you never get lost in a mission. Sometimes, in games, I sit around and scratch my head asking, "What am I supposed to be doing again?" Here, this never happens. You always have a list of objectives you can refer to and you have a compass which will put you in the direction of your next goal.
The scenarios are wide in range, as well. You play a Russian, an American and a British soldier in various parts throughout the game. So, your points of view and challenges are different. For example, if you are a Russian, bullets and guns are scarce. Part of your burden is getting these things as well as not getting killed. In the British, you do a lot of long range sniping. (Since this is my bag, I especially liked these missions.) Your burden here is to be more stealthy and evasive.
With the wide range of scenarios, there is also a latitude of how you complete your mission. You don't always have to do things one way. Although some tactics may work better than others, you can be the soldier you want to be. You get to carry two types of rifles, a gun and grenades. In addition, you can pick up guns from dead soldiers (on both sides) and swap them out for your own. So, if you like to do a lot of long range shooting, you can do more of that. If you like the all-out machine gun approach, you can do more of that.
Now, in saying that you have latitude, it should not to imply that you are a rogue or free agent. The game is about armies and you are a soldier in one. So, you do have to use team work. This is nice, because you aren't playing alone or getting shot by someone you can't see. Someone figuratively has your back, and this changes from the normal gaming situations. The team work then forces a loose based strategy of which gives you the best of both worlds.
There are some bad points. The first of which is that this is a war game. These types of games are not my particular favorites. So, I found myself enjoying playing the game but not feeling like I can't wait to get back to the game. I would imagine that if you are antiwar that you would like this less. It can be graphic, and since it has a very real atmosphere, I can see some not wanting to cross that line.
The load times for this game are long. They are not unbearable, but with an older computer, this may not work so well. Luckily, they usually have something for you to read in the mean time. So, you don't notice as much. And don't worry, when it is done loading, you don't get whisked away into the game. You have to click to start or continue. I don't know how many games that I've done where I've read half way down the page when I get shot off into the game never to see the last page/screen of information again.
The last weakness is that it is not heavy on plot. There is really the set up of a series of missions pushed through a World War II framework. Since this is WWII, you are fairly aware of what is generally happening. However, unless you recently read a novel or taken a class on the subject recently, you won't really know what is happening next and why. At the end, you don't really feel like you've finished a story as much as completed a series of quests. So, study your history before playing.
The sound was good. I enjoyed the music scores. The effects were accurate and telling especially of certain things such as if an enemy is stepping on steel in the next room or your guys are around the corner (speaking English), not Germans. Although, this did not keep me from shooting many of my own men. Unfortunately, the colors are not very distinct and the graphics are not quite exact enough for you to see your enemy clearly even at somewhat shorter ranges.
I know that I said before that this is not my type of game. However, there is no denying all of the right things that are done to this game. I would have to say that it stands up incredibly well to any game, and stands above most all in its action, war games class. If you like these games, you should definitely go out and get this one.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dmarusz
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Member: Dave Maruszewski
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 56
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Long live the comic book and PC game! At least for me.
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