Call of Duty 3

Download Call of Duty 3 and dive into the heart of World War II! Experience intense battles, authentic weapons, and gripping storylines. Join the fight and prove your mettle on the battlefield now!
a game by Activision
Platforms: XBox 360, Wii, XBox, Playstation 3, Playstation 2
Mode Single-player, Multiplayer
Setting World War II, focusing on the Normandy Breakout and the Liberation of Paris
Gameplay First-person shooting mechanics, squad-based tactics, and vehicle combat
Playable Characters American, British, Canadian, and Polish soldiers
Graphics 3D graphics with realistic character models and environments
Editor Rating: 7.9/10, based on 5 reviews, 4 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.0/10 - 153 votes
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See also: Military Games, WW2 Games, Call of Duty Series
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3

When Call of Duty 2 made its appearance on the 360 last year, it definitely left a lasting impact and gave most of us a glimpse of what next-gen gaming could be. Now, it's a year later and developers have had ample time to better understand the 360 and start taking advantage of its resources. Knowing that the Call of Duty series has turned into one of the flag ships of Activision, you might expect a solid showing. But how fresh can a WWII game feel with three versions of Call of Duty and countless other quality WWII games available? Although some might be turned off by that from afar, once you start playing you'll quickly become engrossed in WWII action yet again.

This time around, instead of focusing on fighting through numerous different battles across the entire war, liberating Paris is your primary objective. Playing as American, British, Canadian, and Polish forces you'll see the war from a more finite point of view instead of jumping around from conflict to conflict. It's a nice change of pace and gives a more personal view of the war.

The gameplay however is where some may be left wanting more as it has returned almost entirely intact from Call of Duty 2. If you played CoD 2 however you would realize that this is a good thing. Gameplay upgrades in Call of Duty 3 were focused around minor additions such as being able to pick up a thrown grenade and chuck it back before it blows and other additional features such as a multiplayer modes now supporting up to 24 players.

Where Call of Duty 3 makes it's presence known is the graphical capabilities it brings. There are few genres that are as critical to graphical performance as first person shooters and often the success of the games rides on it. You will be brought into WWII like never before. The detail is remarkable from the foliage to the soldiers and the explosions are highly realistic with a spot on physics engine driving the show. When combined with the audio effects, the experience can get quite intense and currently offers a rather unique experience on WWII.

Although Call of Duty 3 brings back many gameplay similarities from CoD 2, you'll find few complaints and the graphical upgrade steals the show. With the addition of a full multiplayer capability you can once again experience WWII to the fullest.

Download Call of Duty 3

XBox 360

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Wii

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
XBox

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 3

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 2

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Thrusting players into the Western Front during World War II, Call of Duty 3 was the last entry in the epic FPS franchise before the series seriously hit the mainstream. Set in 1944 and featuring a long list of historic battles, the exciting shooter contains both a single-player story campaign and competitive multiplayer modes. While it's rarely talked about as much as its predecessor or the sequels that came after it, Call of Duty 3 is a treat for any fan of FPS or World War II.

Main Game Features

  • 14 intense campaign missions
  • Class-based multiplayer
  • 6 multiplayer modes and 9 maps

Campaign

Before the franchise jumped to the present day with games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Ghosts, the series was deeply entrenched in the harrowing events of World War II. The story campaign in Call of Duty 3 is entirely set on the Western Front and details several massive battles from the perspective of the American, British, Canadian, and Polish armies. With over a dozen unique missions, you'll blast through fields in France, battle Axis forces in Normandy, and much more. Unlike the linear predecessors such as Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 grants more freedom to the player, providing various paths to victory.

Due to the fragmented nature of the story, Call of Duty 3's narrative is not as effective or cohesive as other Call of Duty games, but the variety makes up for it. Playing as four different national armies, you're set out into battle with less guidance than before, leaving it up to you to determine the best route toward your next checkpoint. It might not be as complex or flashy as modern first-person shooters, but Call of Duty 3 has plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Multiplayer

In addition to the enjoyable campaign, Call of Duty 3 also contains impressive options for multiplayer sessions, with loads of different modes, maps, and character classes. Instead of giving the player a choice of starting weapon, Call of Duty 3 takes a page out of the Battlefield 1942 playbook, offering seven unique character classes. Each class has a unique weapon loadout and special abilities, fine-tuned to match your preferred style of play. You can also increase the power of these classes by performing well during matches, leading to lower cool-down times, increased ammo, and more. For the first time in the series' history, Call of Duty 3 offers a mixture of multiplayer modes, including deathmatch and objective-based gameplay. There are six modes in total, including Battle, War, Capture the Flag, Headquarters, and two variant modes. There's a greater emphasis on working with your squad and grouping up, as teamwork is more rewarding than playing as a lone wolf. You can compete with friends and foes on a nice selection of maps as well, including small-scale maps and large battlefields.

Conclusion

Overall, Call of Duty 3 might not be as polished as some of the other games in the franchise, but there's plenty of content to enjoy. The main campaign is a decent length and replaying missions feels fresh due to the open-ended level design. While the campaign is fun enough, the multiplayer is where the game really shines, with more maps and modes than any Call of Duty game prior.

7

If you love other Call of Duty games or just appreciate a solid World War II shooter, you should definitely try out Call of Duty 3. It's not the best that the series has to offer, but you'll still have a great time.

Pros

  • Great level design
  • Lots of multiplayer variety
  • Exciting modes and maps

Cons

  • Muddy graphics and colors
  • Teammate AI is poor
  • Feels similar to previous entries

Even better than a David Copperfield show in Vegas is the girlish giggling induced by tossing a smoke grenade into enemy territory in Call of Duty. Sure, Copperfield can make the Statue of Liberty disappear, but could he go head-to-head with a T-34 tank and live to tell about it, all thanks to a trusty bit of smoke? Yeah, probably--he is David Copperfield.

I've been thinking about innovation lately. The crisp feel of good game play feels great when you realize it isn't quite the same old thing. Naturally a game like Call of Duty 3 stands out in this regard, but perhaps not like you might think. Over the last few years we've seen a deluge of World War II video games, some of which have been truly amazing. Although Call of Duty 3 just jumps on the dog pile without adding anything new, it still represents some of the better game play that you'll find in today's market.

If you've never played Call of Duty 3 before, you should know that this game offers pretty much modern FPS game play. You'll find no cover mechanics, no health bar, an emphasis on crouching and careful aiming, and with some small exception, just basic run and gun game play. Additionally, the storylines and cut scenes from this game seem to establish a slightly stronger narrative than previous Call of Duty titles. The PS3 version in particular offers a few game play options based on the PS3 technology. Twitching the controller will let you make melee strikes, plant explosives, or even drive a jeep. They don't work really well, and they're tacked on, but it lets you do something that only the PS3 can do. I figure the Wii does something similar, but similarly unique for the Wii controller.

Although this game is a port, it still looks pretty nice. Some of the game textures are fantastic; especially when you get a chance to see the high res Polish tank crew and their nasty, oily jumpsuits. Still, there's room for improvement, so look for PS3 optimization in the next version.

All in all, Call of Duty 3 is pretty much the same Call of Duty game that you've played twice now, but if you enjoyed the trip the first two times, this one is going to live up to the reputation.

Snapshots and Media

XBox 360 Screenshots

Wii Screenshots

XBox Screenshots

Playstation 2 Screenshots

See Also

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