Call of Duty may at first seem like just another World War II FPS; but for the people who have tried this game, they find it to be a phenomenal game all around. There are many different unique and invigorating maps and environments that you are made to you race through on your way to Berlin. In the single-player missions, you start off in basic training boot camp, running the obstacle course and learning some of your weapons and techniques that will save your life on the battlefield. You are Private Martin, a pathfinder, who is one of a small group of troops that are assigned to clear and create a safe drop zone for the rest of the Allied 101st Airborne Division.

After seven missions of intense fighting as Private Martin, you become a British 6th Airborne Division soldier named Sergeant Evans. The first mission you undertake is the heroic capturing of the Pegasus Bridge. You land near the bridge via a glider around midnight with about 15 comrades, and hold the bridge against whatever comes your way. After you push back the Germans that first night, your first mission ends. The next morning, however, you learn that what you saw last night was child's play.

If you survive through the American and British campaigns of capturing towns, destroying flak cannons, destroying dams and sabotaging battleships, you make it to the Russian campaign. You are now Alexei, a peasant who has been recruited for the battle of Stalingrad. If you have watched the movie Enemy at the Gates, you will recall the memorable beginning of the movie where the confused young men from the train board the transport boat with the red canvas. As the mission starts, that is exactly where you are. Your leader is reading out Stalin's orders through a megaphone, and the boat is stuffed with scared-looking men.

"Not one step backwards! These words from Stalin himself is to be our new motto..." behind the man reading a transport ship explodes from artillery fire. You look off to the right just in time to see three Stuka dive-bombers firing at your vessel. Do not forget this is a game, not a movie. DUCK OR DIE! Once you make it to the dock, you just make it out of the boat before it sinks to the bottom with most of your comrades still in it. You are pushed into the line where you receive your weapon. "The man with the rifle shoots! The man without the rifle follows, and picks up his gun when he falls!" And guess who doesn't get the gun?

Online Gameplay

The gameplay is truly remarkable and cinematic, and will have you craving for more after you finish the campaign. Luckily there is amazing online play as well. There are quite a few different game types to play, such as team death match, search and destroy, and behind enemy lines. This is not like Battlefield 1942 where you can run out with guns blazing, it is more like Counter-Strike, where team coordination and using defensive cover is required.

Graphics

The graphics are ultra-realistic. Every soldier has a different face and expressions when doing different things. The buildings have different textures and wooden stairways have knots and lines in them. When you play a mission with water, that is all you need to see to know the game's great graphics. It ripples and ebbs, and spray flies up when the water is disturbed.

Sound

Sound is a key factor in Call of Duty. All weapons have realistic sounds, and when yelling out a command to your teammates, be careful because an enemy might hear it. The same goes for footsteps. If you know there is a Nazi right around the corner, do not run at the corner because he will hear you coming and be ready for you when you turn. During a large firefight, all you can hear is rapid machine gun fire, sniper shots, bullets whizzing past, panzerfausts flying by, barrels changing out, and grenades clattering off walls. Undoubtedly a remarkable aspect of the game.

Overall

An addictive World War II FPS worthy of the Medal of Honor. Definitely a must-buy for all FPS or War Game lovers. The fun factor is up there with the best of them, and the rest of the game is above the rest of them. I can literally not think of any downfalls the game has. If you have a good operating system with 1.4G of free hard drive space, a good sound card and a fairly recent graphics card, and the initiative to wipe out a few Nazis, buy this game. Soldier, this is your Call of Duty. And when duty calls, be ready!