Call of Duty PC Review
Activision, 2003
Review by Raffman, October 5th, 2004
War is an intense experience; there really is nothing quite like it. Paintball and video
games try and imitate it, yet they never come close to the real thing. "Medal of Honor",
while it was a decent game, ultimately fell short. Call of Duty is one of those rare
experiences that actually delivers in every facet of the word. From the game's beautiful
graphics, to the intense sound effects and voiceovers, all the way to the award-winning
gameplay justify even more why Call of Duty was a unanimous selection for Game of the Year
by nearly every gaming pulication. While it's been nearly 12 months since the game's
release, this game still has staying power as they are still pumping out new expansion packs
and addons to further your enjoyment. So why am I reviewing this game so late? Well it's a
perfect addition to any college student's library, seeing that you could probably find this
game online or at you local video game store for pretty cheap; probably close to $20 or $30
at most. Without a doubt this game is a must-have if you enjoy first-person shooters, and
even more so if you like WWII games.
The Second World War is one of the most important, and tragic wars in our planet's history.
Movies like "Saving Private Ryan" and video games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor try
and recreate the experience so that this generation can see and feel what it was like to
have bullets and shrapnel wizzing past your head; although some do a better job than others.
Hence, presentation is central to the experience. Call of Duty's menu system overall gets
the job done. It's very easy to use and very seamless with no navigational problems
whatsoever. The music also is central to the presentation as it helps pull the gamer into
the experience, and in Call of Duty the musical score is excellent. It's themed perfectly,
with many different scores to keep the variety at a max. Well what about the graphics?
While this game has almost been out for a year already, Call of Duty's graphics engine is
still one of the best on the market. Even though newer games like Doom 3 look considerably
better, Call of Duty can still hold its own and will still make you drool. For those of you
who just bought a new computer off the shelf today, I guarantee you probably won't be able
to maximize the graphical capabilities that Call of Duty is capable of. On my system, Call
of Duty hums like a Girl Scout after she sold the most fuckin cookies. There are a few
moments where a slowdown is noticeable, but that's because I literally have every option
turned on to the max. If you haven't read my Doom 3 review, I've got a 1.2 Athlon, with 646
mb of ram, and a brand-new ATI 9800 Pro which cost me $350. What I lose in my average
processor speed my video card covers easily. With Call of Duty, if your video card has 64mb
of memory you should really enjoy this game's graphical powers; trust me on this. However,
the graphics are a sidenote compared to Call of Duty's sound.
While most of you probably don't put too much weight into a game's sound before purchasing,
I encourage you to hear me out. This game's sound effects are so awesome, so delicious,
that you'll be jumping out of your fucking chair as soon as you finish the training
tutorial. You'll be ducking, swearing, and laughing in glee as soon as you start playing,
and you'll be putting your sound system through an electronic orgasm. And yes, that is
possible. Just be weary of your roomates and the people on your floor: realistic gunfire
followed by swearing and people yelling might attract unwanted people into your dorm or
fraternity room. You've been warned. Call of Duty has the most realistic, most intense
sound effects and voiceovers I've ever heard in a FPS, let alone any game. This game is
worth the sound experience alone in my book; what have you got to lose except for maybe your
social life for a few days?
While purchasing this game might cause you to lose your real friends, you'll meet some new
ones in your platoon. Call of Duty's gameplay is proverbial icing on the cake, and really
helps this game shine as bright as it does. Call of Duty's slogan is, "No one fought
alone." That slogan is the exact style of gameplay that Call of Duty will pull you into: You
are part of a team and you better learn to cooperate or you won't get too far. If you're
captain is yelling at you to flank the enemy on the left side, you had better hurry your ass
over and take care of it or it may cost some of the men in your squad their lives. Or
worse, all of them - including yours. It's a very cool scheme that Activision has created,
and it shows why this game won countless Game of the Year awards as well. On top of that,
there are missions throughout the game where you'll be completely on your own, or commanding
a tank, or even stealing old german cars. The programmers and game designers did a
fantastic job in creating lots of variety throughout Call of Duty; there's not qualms
here.
So there you have it. If you want something more than a game, then pick up Call of Duty.
It will grab you through your plasma screen, pull you in, and scream in your face until
you're crying. It will make your heart race, your body sweat, and your face smile with
delight. For all the Medal of Honor fanboys who have never played Call of Duty, you have no
fucking clue what you are missing. For $20 or $30 this game is a must-have for every
college student who enjoys video games. Call of Duty will blow you away and leave you
driving back to Best Buy to pick up the first expansion back. After you go through it once
you'll want to do it all over again, trust me. Get this game fool!
Presentation - 8.3
Graphics - 8.9
Sound - 9.8
Gameplay - 9.2
Overall - 9.05 (Average)
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