News

• Reviewed on: Xbox 360 (viewed in high-definition at a resolution of 720p on an HP PL4200N 42-inch plasma television)
• Also available for: PlayStation2, PlayStation3, Xbox, Wii
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• The Good: Canada's World War II troops are finally given their due in the gaming realm; features memorable characters in a classic war narrative; absolutely incredible production values; enhanced multi-player modes on Xbox Live
• The Bad: Destructible environments have been over-hyped; game play hasn't evolved much since Call of Duty 2
• The Verdict: It's the most moving and authentic depiction of the Second World War yet spawned by the world of games
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It's with only the smallest amount of embarrassment that I report Call of Duty 3 brought tears to my eyes.

For the first time in this critically acclaimed franchise's history, tribute has been paid to Canada's part in the Second World War, and it struck a chord with me.

Players get to relive several important battles waged by our grandfathers in the effort to take back France from the Germans in the summer of 1944. Despite the odd stereotype (the word 'eh' is a little overused), the Canadians in the game are generally an amiable bunch. Led by a hard-nosed but likable Quebecois Lieutenant who uses clever bullying tactics to get the most out of his men, the Canucks (as they're known by their allies) destroy a factory, ascend an enemy hill, and swarm through gutted French villages.

However, it wasn't the Canadian missions that gave my tear ducts a workout, but rather one in which I donned the helmet of a Polish soldier fighting to defend a lonely hill from a never ending swarm of German troops and tanks.

My comrades were swiftly perishing around me as we fell back to rally point after rally point. Eventually there was no where left to run, so we stood our ground and fought for several desperate minutes. I began to run very low on ammo, and the Germans seemed to only be swelling in number. When melancholy violins began creeping into the background music I knew we were in real trouble.

Then, just as I was sure I was about to be overwhelmed, I saw green flares flicker across the twilight sky above my trench. A fellow Pole yelled, "It's the Canadians The Canadians are coming" Brass instruments triumphantly returned to the score, and the tide of the battle immediately shifted back to our favour as Canadian support arrived.

That's when the ol' peepers started to moisten up a bit. But I don't think any Canadian gamer can be blamed for feeling a surge of patriotism under such circumstances—especially not when the action is delivered with the kind of intensity and realism possessed by a game like Call of Duty 3.

All that's missing is the smell of gunpowder

The production values are nothing short of awe inspiring.

Battle sequences often feature dozens of troops on screen at the same time, planes flying overhead dropping bombs, and explosions sending dirt, debris and dead soldiers soaring through the air. It's the only game I've played in which the grandness of everything going on made me feel as though my character was just a small part of a much larger war; that it wasn't my responsibility to turn the course of the battle so much as to simply survive it. This feeling, I'm sure, must be shared by most soldiers in the real world, and, to a degree, it acts as the ultimate endorsement for the game's authenticity.

However, good as the graphics are they're almost overshadowed by the audio. The music, as already mentioned, plays an extremely important role in governing the player's emotions through each fight, but the audio effects are what will make you feel like you're there on the battlefield. You'll hear the patter of small clumps of earth falling to the ground after a grenade detonation, the dull sound of bullets thudding into wooden joints, and, of course, the menacingly powerful rumbling of German Panzers—which, if you have the right sound system, will shake the floorboards.

Speaking of the right sound system, that would be one capable of outputting game audio in 5.1 surround, thereby allowing you to track the direction of incoming fire and discern the location of fellow soldiers based on noise alone. Anything less and you'll be missing out on a significant part of what Call of Duty 3 has to offer.

Beware the red barrel

The only area in which Call of Duty 3 shows little progress over its predecessors is actual game play. But that's not such a bad thing; as World War II shooters go, the Call of Duty games rank among the best with their rock solid mechanics and tight controls.

Still, a couple of minor changes have been made that make a small impact on how the game is played. First off, it has destructible environments. At least that's what Activision claimed in its pre-release hype campaign. As it turns out, the only objects we can destroy are trucks, crates, and barrels (though only the red ones—everyone knows that gray barrels don't explode in video games).

A more interesting change to game play is the addition of contextual mini-games for actions such as aiming a mortar and planting charges. These events require the player to work the controls on their game pads in much the same way their avatars' hands interact with a particular device onscreen. For example, you'll be forced to rotate a thumbstick as your avatar's hand turns a mortar crank or twists a fuse into a charge. It makes these otherwise mundane tasks a bit more interesting.

But as it turns out the biggest changes have to do with multi-player. Online modes now support as many as 24 players (up from Call of Duty 2's eight), and provide trucks, motorcycles, and tanks for us to pilot. I suspect these alterations will make Call of Duty 3 even more popular with Microsoft's Live subscribers than its predecessor.

As much a tribute as a game

Perhaps it was just the combination of stepping into the shoes of Canadian troops with playing the game over the Remembrance Day weekend, but Call of Duty 3 made me feel as though I was doing something more than just playing a video game; it made me feel as though I was honouring our country's soldiers. Now how many games—World War II-themed or otherwise—can claim that?