User Rating: 6.8 | Call of Duty PC
By Felipe | Review Date:
Call of Duty is a game of extremes. At times it shows flashes of absolute brilliance, yet at others it becomes tedious, repetitive, and all too predictable. Unfortunately these negative aspects become the norm during game play and spoil what was in many ways an amazing effort by Infinity Ward. Visually, Call of Duty is a mixed bag. The game utilizes an old engine, and it cannot avoid looking somewhat dated, especially when compared to modern action games like America’s Army. I was impressed by the detail that was put into the faces of the soldiers. When I would look into their eyes during lulls in the combat action they actually seemed to project real human emotions like excitement…and fear. The game features some animations that I have never seen before in an action game, like soldiers who actually seek out cover and attempt to use it effectively. However, some of these movements seem stiff and unnatural. I liked the way the various weapons were animated, but I didn’t like how when running they did not move around at all, something that Medal of Honor: Allied Assault featured very well. The outdoor environments were impressive, but I was often quite under whelmed by the lack of little details during the games indoor portions. The British missions in the dam and on the battleship Tirpitz come to mind here. They were dull and uninteresting, and lacked many of the simple details that Medal of Honor had and used to make its indoor environments look more authentic. The uniforms of the soldiers do not look very detailed, and for historical purists like myself, I could not help but notice that the German eagle insignia is on the wrong side of their combat dress. The German Army in Stalingrad also did not have any proper winter clothing, a reality which is not reflected in this game. Overall, I could not help but think that Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was so much more fulfilling visually. On the flip side, I found the audio effects to be quite impressive. I especially noticed during the Pegasus Bridge mission that it sounded like I was really involved in a deadly firefight. I really liked the “Saving Private Ryan” style hearing damage effect when explosions go off too close to you. The voice acting was quite good, although I thought there was a bit too much stereotyping when it came to the British forces. They say “Bloody” in practically every sentence and I thought that was a bit over the top, but that is a minor complaint. The Germans also didn’t speak as much as they did in Medal of Honor, but that too is minor. As a whole I was very impressed with the audio component of Call of Duty. The A.I. is good overall. I liked the fact that you actually have to stand behind cover in this game, and that you can actually miss targets that are far away unless you take the time to properly aim with the weapons iron sights. However, the fact that your A.I. teammates are completely dependant on you to do nearly everything for you is quite annoying. During the Pegasus Bridge mission, while I was franticly holding off German infantry with a captured machine gun, I was constantly being harassed by my fellow soldiers to destroy the approaching enemy tanks as well. I was unable to understand why the private who was standing right beside the anti tank weapons was apparently incapable of knocking out the tanks on his own. This baby-sitting aspect of the game was unfortunately very frustrating, and things like this happen in nearly every single mission. While the game boasts about how the war was not won by a single man, it does a remarkably poor job of representing this reality. All that your allies do is basically stand around and take a few pot shots at the enemy, leaving you to do all of the hard work. While this may done to make the game more difficult, it certainly doesn’t make it any less tedious. The first few levels of Call of Duty are involving and interesting, but after about the first British mission, the style of game play quickly becomes stale. All of the missions begin to feel the same, and the Germans start to feel like pop up targets. I really had to force myself through the games later levels, and this was very disappointing considering the excellent start that it has. Unfortunately the game had a feeling of “been there, done that” for me, because it simply felt like a less polished version of Medal of Honor. Chances are you will like the demo if you try it, as it is one of the better levels of the game, but be warned that this demo is not totally representative of the final product that you will be buying in time for the holiday season.

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