Ironically one of the new “tweaks” to CoD3's single player story, that was supposed to enhance the mode, actually ends up being one of the game's major banes. Treyarch decided to make the story more cohesive; instead of having the game play out across disconnected missions by various allied forces (which has been the case with the previous CoD titles), CoD3 takes place across completely linked missions in which different objectives are performed by the different allies. So in the game you end up playing as Polish, British, Americans, and Canadians soldiers at different portions of the campaign all in an attempt to complete one main objective…

Oh right, the campaign. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the main campaign because it was so dull. The gist is that you control various allied soldiers following the Normandy invasion as they try to liberate France; I think. It sounds cool in a Saving-Private-Ryan-type of way, but in actuality it's more like a bunch of generic, nameless battles for 8 to 10 hours. Vehicular based missions, like tanks and jeeps, do a decent job mixing up gameplay throughout the campaign.

Although I'm making it sound drab, the truth is that even though the missions and objectives are fairly basic, CoD3 still has a grasp on the intenseness that has propelled all the previous titles to greatness. And these intense firefights are what make the CoD experience what it is at its most basic level. The problem is that even though it retains the frenzied brutality of war, it's either exactly the same, or in some cases a step back from, the previous games in the series, which to some is worse than if Treyarch tried something completely new/innovative but still failed. In all fairness, if you enjoyed CoD2 enough to still want more, you'll more than likely enjoy CoD3's single player. Similarly, if you're getting tired of the formula don't expect CoD3 to be a reinvention of the franchise.

One area where CoD3 HAS improved considerably over CoD2 is in the multiplayer portion of the game. Not only have they included a few new game modes (which we've seen before in other games), but also vehicles and player classes have been added to make it far more strategic and fun (and in some cases, realistic.) The end result is a more Battlefeild-esque Call of Duty. Despite the coolness of having vehicles to ride around in (tanks, motorcycles, and jeeps), the classes of players is where the real innovation comes in. Each type of player – riflemen, engineer, medic, etc. – has a special talent that can drastically affect the outcome of a skirmish, making proper team selection very important. Tack on the fact that the number of players has increased to a whopping 24, with support for four-players on one 360, and CoD3's multiplayer definitely improves on what was introduced with CoD2 last year.

Another area where the game has seen subtle, but still fulfilling, improvements is the visuals and audio of the game. Just as CoD2 had some of the best spatial audio effects of any game ever, CoD3 kicks it up another notch. Bullets? Yeah, they go whizzing by your head. Explosions? They're authentic enough to make you instinctually duck your head. Alas, you need a 5.1 setup to truly appreciate what Treyarch have done in this respect, but it's definitely worth mentioning since it truly is an aurally delight.

Same goes for the visuals. Last year's CoD2 was arguably the best looking launch title for the 360 and CoD3 really pushes the graphics further than its predecessor. A lot of the enhancements are tweaks and adjustments to the already stellar looking CoD2 rather than completely new technology, but there are so many of these little alterations that the overall affect is substantial. Grass looks great, looking down the sight of your rifle oozes with detail, and blur effects add that extra layer of graphical shine that most other shooters only wish to achieve. Polish is all the in the details and CoD3 has the details in spades.

So where does that leave us? CoD3 is a game that is slightly repetitive if not lackluster in its single player - the first level is insanely awesome though. The multiplayer is expanded in almost every way possible with major gameplay changes for the better. And finally, the graphics and audio are above par (and those of its predecessors.) On paper that may seem like a clear win for the title, but I hasten to warn you that your acceptance of the title may vary. After beating CoD2 twice, on normal and then veteran, I was really pumped for CoD3. Half way through the game, however, I started to get bored. Going from excited to bored, no matter which way you cut it, is a real drag. Fortunately the multiplayer is superior to CoD2's and at its core it's still an intense game. If you really like shooters you won't dislike CoD3. If, on the other hand, you're starting to grow tired of WWII games with the exception of Company of Heroes) you may want to spend your cash elsewhere.