Call of Duty 2 was a somewhat surprise hit during the Xbox 360 launch when everyone expected Perfect Dark Zero to dominate the launch sales. But a strong campaign and addictive multiplayer was what made Call of Duty 2 such a success. But after its launch, Infinity Ward wanted to spend an extra year on what would be Call of Duty 4 which is the reason Treyarch developed the third installment in the Call of Duty franchise. Unfortunately, there isn't anything that makes Call of Duty 3 a very original game. The single player campaign keeps the Call of Duty tradition of letting you see the war from different perspectives. In this case, through the eyes of an American, British, Canadian, and Polish soldier. The campaign focuses on the Normandy Breakout, which is basically the events that place after D-Day with the allies trying to take back France. The missions remain traditional with you completing various objectives on linear missions. Call of Duty 3 does manage to let you see different types of combat, ranging from more traditional urban warfare as the Americans, to the smaller scale commando missions as the British, to the firefights in France's rural farmland, to the epic tank battles as the Polish. Call of Duty 3 runs off a great game engine that provides excellent graphics with a framerate that is as smooth as butter. Ragdoll physics also make an appearance as you see barrels and bodies fly through the air! The sound of Call of Duty 3 is excellent; making it seem like war is in your backyard. The explosions are fierce, and the various weapons roar. But the biggest change in Call of Duty 3, for-better-or-for-worse would be the multiplayer! The player limit has been tripled from 8 to 32 players, the maps are larger, vehicles (motorcycles, jeeps, and tanks) are now fair game, and a new class-based system has been added. You now get to choose between various classes such as rifleman, light assault, heavy assault, scout (sniper), support, and anti-tank. The classes are well balanced and they all play out well on the battlefield. The vehicles control relatively well, if not a bit arcady-feeling. And when you combine the multiplayer with a solid single-player campaign, you have a sturdy gaming package that is Call of Duty 3!
