I’ve played a few variations of the Call of Duty series, starting with CoD 1 for the PC and a few of it’s sequels on the console systems and was interested in seeing how the game held up on the Nintendo Wii. The controls were also something I wanted to check out as I’ve heard mixed reactions and have played Far Cry and Red Steel for the Wii and came away from both of those fairly under-whelmed in this department. Of those two games, I would have to say Red Steel performed a bit better, but I had heard with some tweaking, you could get the Call of Duty controls spot on. The graphics I knew wouldn’t be competing on the level of the XBOX 360 or the PS3, but as long as the game was fun and kept me playing a variety of situations, I knew the graphics would take a backseat to the possible gameplay. Set in 1944 World War II during the Normandy Breakout, Call of Duty 3 offers a full game of single player military action, but don’t come into it hoping for multiplayer as there isn’t any. No split screen, no online, nothing in the department of playing with your friends so hunker down and get ready to take aim solo in these missions, soldier.

Graphics
Overall, the graphics in Call of Duty 3 do a very fine job of conveying a sense of being in a war zone. There are fantastic explosions, fire effects, and smoke billowing from blown out buildings and carcasses of bullet riddled tanks and other vehicles that really help add to the atmosphere. I have to admit I went into the game expecting worse graphics than what is presented so it was refreshing to see how well the game was pulled off on the Wii system when compared to other platforms. The intermissions seem to use a mix of in-game graphics mixed with realistic maps of the areas and descriptions to help set the mood of the situation you are facing before you start the next level. I even noticed some smaller, but equally impressive effects that add to the experience as a whole like the motion blur effect that occurs when firing the mounted weapons or the attention to detail in not only the events going on right in front of your face, but also the things going on in the background.

I saw nothing in the game that detracted from the fun you have when playing so long as you are going in with realistic expectations and not looking for graphics along the lines of what a PS3 can produce. Better than GameCube and PS2, perhaps on the level of an XBOX 1.

Sound
The sounds fit perfectly into making you feel like you are in the middle of a battle zone including the whizzing of bullets that just missed your head to explosions that occur when a plane crashes into a building. You can sometimes even use audio positioning by listening to where shots are coming from to place where the enemies are. There is little that is more frightening than being a foot soldier and hearing a tank rumbling down the street outside as you are trying to keep low inside a burned out building.

Music is also worked in quite nicely offering your typical orchestrated military fanfare which adds to the tension and helps build up the more exciting parts. You will also notice other minor sound effects that occur when you are struck by bullets or grenades that explode near you; things like the sound the tank turrets make as they take aim, or the distinct sound each weapon makes.

Everything about the sound and music is on par with what is needed to help immerse the player in the environments that are being conveyed in the game.

Gameplay
Playing Call of Duty 3 is quite easy given the control scheme the game uses, especially if you have played other first person shooters in any fashion. You start off in base camp with a tutorial meant to help familiarize you with the controls. After you get handhold on the controls, the display, and how to work the rifles and grenades, the game whisks you off into a slew of missions offering a nice variety of situations with more than simple run and gun type shooting. Sometimes you will be on the ground fighting shoulder to shoulder with your fellow soldiers, other times you will be helping a tank spot targets, basic up close fighting with your rifles, using mounted guns to take out multiple enemies, and holding positions until reinforcements arrive. Most of the game does rely on the tried and true formula for the Call of Duty series which can be compared to a haunted house of sorts as you make your way from area to area taking out the enemy in one spot before moving as a group to the next. There are checkpoints along the way to ensure you don’t have to start a mission all the way over in case you die during battle. The AI in the game is more than substantial as you’ll notice bad guys taking cover and flanking you at times, constantly making you think and rethink your position. When the missions first start, you are often tossed into a nightmare situation for any soldier, thrust straight into a battle full of gunfire, grenades, tanks, explosions, smoke, fire, and death possibly right around every corner.

The variety of gameplay compiled with the multiple scenarios you come across make for a fun time playing a soldier during World War II.

Controls
For CoD3, you will be using the Wii Remote to aim, look around, switch weapons, and other actions while the Nunchuk allows you to move your character around in the 3d areas. Played from a first person perspective, it can take a moment to become acquainted with the controls, but it’s nothing that takes too long. You can also fine tune the controls in the options, which is highly recommended, as in the beginning, the controls felt a bit “loosy-goosy” for my tastes and needed to be tightened up. You can also use the Nunchuk to lob grenades and switch weapons if you wish along with a few other abilities available in the options you can customize to your preference. The controls in the game handle well and feel more intuitive and natural than any other FPS I have played for the Wii to date and served the game justice.

Last Word
I enjoyed my time as a soldier fighting the Germans in World War II era battles while playing Call of Duty 3. It provides a great way to see a first person shooter that maximizes the unique Wii controls. The graphics and sound were more than ample for the experience and in the end, I would recommend the game as a weekend rental just to see what it’s all about. The lack of multiplayer limits the game from having any kind of long lasting allure and is sorely missed, especially when balanced against its other console counterparts. If you’re looking to see how a FPS works on the Wii, or enjoy military or WWII shooters in any fashion, definitely check out Call of Duty 3.

Video game rental provided by NumbThumb.com.