Nazis – okay, we get it, Nazis are bad people! We got it back then when World War II was actually happening, and we know it now so many years later, and it doesn't take countless World War II first person shooters and real time strategy games to convince us otherwise. Wait a minute; you mean this new World War II shooter is the next installment in the popular Call of Duty franchise? Why didn't you say so? That changes everything!

THE STORY SO FAR
I think I preface every World War II related review with the same bit of info here – I'm not telling you! You "should" already know well enough about what happened in World War II so that when I tell you, "Call of Duty 3 takes place during the tumultuous time of World War II," you should instantly know what I'm talking about. If you don't, read a book, or have a movie weekend where you watch Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and whatever other World War II related movies you can think of.

Okay, now that that is out of the way, here is a little bit about the story that isn't covered in the history books. Much like the past installments in the series, there is no one single story being told beyond that of the war itself. Never will you solely be one group unit such as strictly the Americans or the Russians. Instead, your time in the game will be equally split between various squads of different countries of origins, including the Americans and Canadians just to name a few.

The story of the game will take you everywhere from famous battles amidst decaying towns to train yards and forests and factories. Though the characters are usually nothing more than fodder for the killing, occasionally you'll get a character who stands out a bit more than everyone else, so when they die, you at least feel something instead of just thinking, "Well, glad it wasn't me."

One thing the game does very well though is tell the story of these soldiers and the events that are happening around them. Thanks to the almost invisible loads times (rarely do you ever see a black screen that says loading, because instead they'll play in-game cutscenes to keep you distracted while the game actually loads) you'll get to sit back and rest and watch the story play out a little, told mostly at the beginning of a level and at the end, though depending on the level length you'll also sometimes get cutscenes that break up the battle in the middle. Unlike some heavy cutscene games like Metal Gear Solid or Xenosaga, the ones in Call of Duty 3 never wear out their welcome your first time through them. The only problem with the cutscenes is that, if you don't fully finish a level and quit, when you start your game back to pickup right where you left off, you must watch the cutscene that began that level, even if you've already gone past it by about thirty minutes already in the game.

SINGLE PLAYER: GAMEPLAY
Call of Duty 3 is like any other first person shooter, where you run forward, shoot any enemy that appears before you, and then move forward again and repeat until the game is over. Though the formula never really changes for a first person shooter, what makes or breaks a game is the immersion that simplistic shooting mechanic gameplay creates in the player. And for Call of Duty 3, the immersion is phenomenal, creating a sense of real panic in any player who rushes forward with guns blazing.

In Call of Duty 3, it seems almost as if there never is a moment of rest, whereas many FPS games will have some shooting and then some exploration and moments of ease while you advance to the next shooting gallery section. Call of Duty 3, however, never lets up on the action, as you'll be popping Nazis left and right, and then after only a few more steps there will be more enemies right in your face. Besides the Nazis "you" are fighting, there is also a ton of side action, such as other troops fighting their own battles, tanks rolling into play far away, fighter planes buzzing overhead, and much more. The action in Call of Duty 3 is so nerve gripping, you'll probably be playing this game in stops and fits, because I can't see anyone being able to breeze through this in only a few sittings, as the action is simply too much to take in large bunches.

As with most FPS games, the right trigger shoots, the left trigger zooms your weapon, and the left thumbstick and right thumbstick control the moving direction and looking direction. You've also got regular blowing up grenades as well as cover helping smoke grenades in your arsenal that are tied to the bumpers. As with the last game in the series, the smoke effect is gorgeous. You can also duck, go prone, melee attack, jump, etc.

The trend of regenerating health is a blessing in this game, because with all the bullets whizzing by you, it means that you are going to take a lot of damage. Determined by the redness of the tint on your screen, when the screen gets dark red you are about to die. Thankfully, if you can manage to find some cover and avoid getting hit for a bit of time, then you'll be healed up and taking the fight to the Nazis again.

New to the Call of Duty franchise (and for one of the first times in any FPS that I can remember) are the interactive mini-games that apply directly into the gameplay (you fail…you die). The mini-games are actually part of the gameplay, so they aren't optional. During these mini-game moments, you'll do everything from battling Nazis over weaponry (alternating left and right trigger presses) to setting a bomb (button presses and rolling thumbstick like twisting ignition in) to rowing a boat (more thumbstick rolling). Actually, a few of the mini-game moments are really cool, such as the Nazi battles, but they aren't utilized enough, whereas the bomb ones seem to happen over and over.

Tanks also make a return to the Call of Duty franchise and still the controls are some of the most flawless executions of a tank battle I've still ever experienced in a videogame; it is terribly easy to drive your tank, aim, and fire at the same time.

Though the single player game isn't too long on one run through (it is long enough, however), you simply must try the Veteran mode as it is one of the hardest game modes I've ever ran across. Sure, I'll never fully complete it, but it is fun to try (though you'll die more times than you'll be able to count).

MULTIPLAYER: GAMEPLAY
Though the multiplayer on Call of Duty 2 was pretty broken and completely unplayable when it was first released, thankfully Call of Duty 3 doesn't seem to have a problem. Lag can still be a problem if you've got a bad connection, but through my time with the game lag was pretty minimal and only a few times was unbearable.

Up to 24 people can play in a Player or Ranked match, with several different modes available for play. You've got War, Capture The Flag, Single Flag, Headquarters, and Battle & Team Battles. You'll probably experiment around a bit until you find what you are looking for, but since I tend to enjoy the more single player deathmatch options, Battle is usually the way I end up playing.

Instead of featuring everyone running around with the same character and skins, Call of Duty 3 supports different character classes, who all have different abilities and weapons they start off with. There is the Rifleman, Light Assault, Heavy Assault, Medic, Scout, Support, and Anti-Armor. Depending on how you like to play, there will be a character with you specifically in mind.

Action on the battlefield is fast and deadly, with people getting killed off left and right when you've got a full game of 24 people going on. The levels you battle in are great and have plenty of both wide open and enclosed areas, plus with the ability to use vehicles, you can jump in and pilot them around, running over people you see or simply moving from one destination on the map to the next to join in on the fight.

GRAPHICS
Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, how amazingly realistic and beautiful the graphics of Call of Duty 3 are. If there is a teeny tiny flaw, it would be the character models could use just a tad bit more polish in the animation department, as they often felt fake and over exaggerated, but that is the only small complaint. The smoke, grenades blowing up the ground and sending dirt into the air, the decayed and crumbled buildings, and the dense foliage and unquestionably the best grass I've ever seen in console videogame, Call of Duty 3 is easily one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360.

SOUND
Quality voicework, sweeping score, and mesmerizingly authentic sound effects make for one of the best sounding games you'll likely experience for some time. If you've got a nice surround sound system, by all means, hook that puppy up and crank this game as high as it will go, because it will blow your mind.

IN CONCLUSION
I know, I know, you're probably tired of gunning down Nazis. I thought I was too, but then Call of Duty 3 crossed my path, and it didn't matter that the same Nazis were looking me in the eye once again. By keeping the same intense gameplay that has made the past games so great, and spicing it up with interactive mini-game moments and improved multiplayer, Call of Duty 3 is a game that shouldn't be missed.

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