Call of Duty (N-Gage)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Steve Palley
• Reviewed on: 11/19/2004
• Released on: 11/23/2004
• Originally published on GameSpot: Call of Duty (N-Gage) Review

Past games based on Activision's Call of Duty license have been designed to evoke the personalized horror of World War II. In that global maelstrom, many simple people were wrested from their homes and thrown into one terrifying abattoir after another; if they were to defer death, they had no choice but to count on their comrades to see them through. Like its forebearers, the N-Gage version of Call of Duty concerns itself with the minutiae of warfare, focusing the platform's limited horsepower on creating atmosphere and insuring authenticity. Unfortunately, this first-person shooter's erratic performance and occasionally buggy gameplay spoil some of the effect.

Call of Duty casts you in three successive roles across the single-player campaign's 11 missions. Your first step is into the shoes of an American grunt trying to wrest Normandy from the defending Germans; next up, you play as a British commando wreaking havoc behind Nazi lines; and finally, you're cast as a Soviet soldier striving against the Wehrmacht on the particularly brutal eastern front. You contribute to the Third Reich's fall in a variety of roles through the three chapters, conducting espionage and sabotage missions, clearing certain targets of gray-clad German soldiers, and even shooting down Stukas behind the controls of a flak cannon.

Each of Call of Duty's single-player levels is quite large, and your missions generally require you to complete multiple objectives that guide you through a sizable portion of the available terrain. At the same time, however, it's quite clear that you're supposed to adhere to a particular path between objectives. The game keeps things pretty linear and scripted, often enforcing your compliance with "minefields" that will kill you instantly if you venture off the right path, or barriers that simply disappear once you've picked something up. Your heads-up display features a compass arrow that guides you toward the next checkpoint at all times, and if you get really disoriented, you can call up an excellent overhead map that updates dynamically as you move.

You are usually accompanied by at least one artificial intelligence-controlled squadmate who covers you and performs certain scripted events. With a few exceptions, your partners (who appear to be invulnerable to enemy fire) aren't particularly useful in combat. They don't fire very quickly, and they can impede your progress in narrow quarters. On the other hand, they draw enemy fire away from you, which gives you more time to draw a bead on the bad guys. You may not be fighting "alone," but it doesn't necessarily feel like you're fighting with a fellow soldier either.

Call of Duty's greatest asset is its depiction of infantry combat, which is both highly emotive and fairly well-designed. First of all, the game features a cornucopia of authentic American, British, German, and Russian weaponry. Although not all of these weapons are tactically useful (your primary weapon will probably be a submachine gun of some kind), they are all appreciably distinct in look, feel, and sound. For instance, the standard-issue British assault rifle's top-loading banana clip cuts down on your visibility; it has a slower rate of fire than its American and German counterparts and it makes a lower report when fired. The countries even have different grenades. This range of hardware adds some variety to the otherwise mundane task of shooting Nazis.

In addition, Call of Duty's combat situations are well-scripted, and its combat mechanics are generally solid. The game does a good job of shaking up your killing methodology. You may round a corner and run into a group of three soldiers who are best dealt with by tossing a quick grenade, for example--or you can gain a sniper rifle to take out distant, unsuspecting foes with head shots. In many cases, enemies are hidden in shadows or in tiny windows, forcing you to memorize level layouts and to use cover. Also, the game's customizable controls greatly simplify the tasks of aiming and protecting yourself. You are provided with a limited amount of auto-aim to cut down on unnecessary control nudging, and your gun cursor flashes green whenever you can successfully hit an enemy. Your soldier also has three combat positions--standing, crouching, and crawling--which offer you a range of speed versus exposure options while traveling.

Continue reading

Compare prices for Call of Duty

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available