The Call od Duty series of games, as the ancestor of today’s shooters, has a rather interesting history, in which there were both legendary games for PCs and consoles, and not bad games for phones and laptops. In these reviews, I will describe the game using examples of other games in order to more clearly show all the features of this series of games. And most importantly, I will try not to abandon these reviews and will continue to publish them, talking about innovations in new games.
In 2002, the 2015 Games team released the fairly successful Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which, thanks to Steven Spielberg’s plot, was able to distinguish itself from all other shooters of that time. But after the game was released, not wanting to create games in slavery by completing tasks as a second-rate studio, 22 developers left the studio and founded a new one called Infinity Ward.
Development of the new game began that same year and was focused on the goal of making a better game than the one they had just finished making. To achieve such big plans, you need to start with something simple, so the developers, to facilitate their goal, took as a basis the id tech 3 engine, which they already knew how to work with. It was also decided to show the plot from 3 different heroes in order to cover the larger scale of the actions of World War 2.
When the game was almost ready, Activision bought the studio along with the game, which made it possible for the game to become more popular. So this gave her the opportunity to get to E3 and get her first fans. The game appears on the market on October 29, 2003, and in Russia on March 12, 2004, under the publishing house 1C. On XBOX 360 and PS3, the game was released along with the consoles.
Id tech 3 has been seriously improved. New post-effects were added to it (motion blurred), shaders were added, now the water is processed by them, the lighting was improved and soft shadows were given. But it wouldn’t be possible to get all this just like that, so the engine moved to the new DirectX 9 API.0, previously used OpenGL.
As a result, the picture became better, the requirements for that time remained at the same level. So the game could be handled by a single core Pentium III with a frequency of 600 MHz or more, a video card with a memory of 32 MB or more., 128 MB. RAM, 1.5 GB. on disk. Therefore, even a computer with a 3-year warranty could easily handle the game.
In this case, the game starts only in 4:3 ratio, although the scene during the credits is made 16:9. But since this is id tech 3, it can easily be upgraded and set to the normal (current) screen aspect ratio.
The textures are divided into two parts: general textures, landscape and buildings, and object textures.
Nvidia Distance Fog – helped make the drawing distance uniform, with the function turned off on the sides of the screen, you could see what you might not see in the center.
Looking straight
The sound in the game is https://casinoskyvegas.co.uk good, if you consider the original. Each character speaks with his own accent, which changes in intonation depending on the incident, but if you want to put Russian text and voice acting, be prepared that none of the points above relates to localization in any way.
Their voices in one scene are either quieter or louder, extraneous sounds can interrupt their voices and other voices can overlap each other. At the same time, the text was translated in the same way: the names of the cities, in some places a fictitious translation, and in the handwritten text some letters cannot be read at all. I can’t recommend playing only with the original voice acting because there are few dialogues here, and you can always learn about everything from the loading screens.
The game features 4 campaigns with a total of 26 missions. We play as 3 heroes in turn: Martin – a private in the 506th Parachute Regiment in the USA; Evans – Sergeant of the 6th Airborne Division in Britain; Alexey Ivanovich Voronin at the beginning of the Red Army in the USSR.
Also in the game there was good AI that can hide, support, and at the same time can kill not only the main character, but also each other. At the same time, partners are divided into 2 types, plot ones cannot be killed, and secondary ones can already die, but at the same time, depending on the mission, they can and will appear.
The game begins with morning practice on August 10, 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, USA. Where Captain Foley and Sergeant Modi will teach us how to move, turn the camera, shoot, throw grenades and plant explosives.
After the training, a briefing begins where they explain the action plan for Operation Overlord, in which the United States and Britain take action. It tells the plan for the next 5 missions for the USA and 2 missions for Britain.
And so, the story of Private Martin begins with a night landing in the vicinity of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, June 5, 1944 at 23:30.
//And then I realized how good the translation is in the game, because how could one translate “St. Mere Eglise" as "Eglise Saint-Mer". It’s as simple as that?//
We have to meet with our squad, but alas, none of them survived. Therefore, we take the bag from the gray man hanging on the tree. Hitoma, with radio beacons and go to the nearest clearing to install beacons for landing the main units. And already in the place with them, go through the houses captured by the Germans to the trench leading to the city.
Sainte-Mère-Eglise, June 6, 1944 at 00:20. Entering the city together with Foley’s detachment, our goal is 3 anti-aircraft guns that prevent our planes from flying over. Having destroyed them, we stop at the crossroads near the church.
Sainte-Mère-Eglise, June 6, 1944 at 07:30. Having waited until morning, the Germans begin their offensive, but before that they fire at us with mortars, which become the main target. Having taken cover from the shelling, we take the Panzerfaust and destroy the first tank, shoot with a machine gun and then clear the northern path, on the way back we destroy the 2nd tank, and go on the offensive against the mortar men. Along the way we see a soldier throwing a grenade into the hatch of a tank and destroying it. Having reached the mortar men and killed them, we get into the car, where the. Foley sends for reinforcements along with Ser. Modi and row. Elder.
Normandy, road No. 13, June 6, 1944 at 08:15. We pass the checkpoint. Having passed the enemy checkpoint, through the fields, we enter the city, where a tank is blocking the road, and we drive into a dead end, where we break the car there. Having changed to another car, but already under the control of Elder, we get out of the city and arrive at the headquarters.
Brecourt estate, France, June 6, 1944 at 09:00. The main goal is to find 2 packages of documents. The first one is in an underground bunker, while along the way the partners destroyed 2 artillery pieces. Having taken the documents and leaving the bunker we see a cowardly doctor and behind him in a field under a tree a wounded soldier whom the doctor is afraid to save. For his cowardice, he is punished by a stray bullet in the head, and now he has to face. Modi goes to save the soldier, and we cover him. Modi saves the private and stays with him, while Martin and Elder have to go to the estate to pick up documents along the way, destroying several more artillery.
Afterwards there is a briefing at which they announce the success of Overlord operations and transfer us to a special squad.
Bavarian Alps, Germany, August 7, 1944 at 01:30. Our first task in the special squad is the rescue of two British captives. Price and Major Igram. They drop us off near the mansion. Having entered it, Foley gives us the task of finding documents and cutting off communications, while together with Modi he is looking for Ingram. The documents are located directly above the entrance, on the second floor. But to find the radio equipment you will have to go through the entire mansion to the room where the eagle is located, turn it and a secret door in the fireplace will open. We destroy the equipment, go out and we are met by Foley and Modi. Together with them we find only cap. Price is in an underground prison, and we learn that Major Igram was taken to a German camp. We leave the mansion and go there.
Dulag IIIA – Strassgof, Austria, September 18, 1944 at 03:20. We are dropped off near the camp and warned that after the first shot we will have to get out in 10 minutes. We approach the post, kill the guards and Foul demolishes the gate in a truck. We move towards Major Ingram, save him and return to the truck at the entrance, he thanks us for saving us and this ends the 1st Company for the USA.
2nd Company – Britain
The British campaign begins with a briefing detailing the British forces’ plan of action. And we play for Evans from 6 air.-landing. divisions, and then to the SAS.
Benouville, France July 6, 1944 at 00:07. The mission begins with a flight on an airplane, as a passenger. We wait while the pilots search for the forest and, as Price said, land softly.
//There is one good problem here. While we were landing, we had to create a lot of noise, but they did not replace us, although they were 50 meters away from us, and at the same time they told us to find a good position. In front of us is a pillbox and a path with a depression right along which you can go to it, but if you try to walk halfway along it, they will notice you, even if they stand with their backs. So the question is how they can detect a crawling soldier with their backs, who makes almost no sounds, but did not see the falling plane. HOW?//
Well, okay, having captured the pillbox, we move to the other side of the bridge to drive away the Germans, but the arriving tank ruins everything. Cap. Price gives the command to call Mils, who must repair the gun, so we call him to repair the anti-aircraft gun and we can destroy the tank. We finish off the remaining enemies and can rest a little.
Benouville, France July 6, 1944 at 12:30. Having replenished our equipment, we move to the other side of the bridge to repel the infantry advance. As soon as the tanks start moving, we retreat to the anti-aircraft gun and hold the defense until reinforcements arrive in 5 minutes.
The briefing begins where we are with the cap. Price is transferred to the SAS, and immediately given the first task to destroy the hydroelectric power station and air defense, which prevent it from being destroyed from the air.
Eder Dam, Germany, September 2, 1944 at 05:45. We are dropped off alone near the dam. The first thing we do is pass along the dam to the other side, simultaneously destroying 6 anti-aircraft guns. We go into the unscrewed door near the 6th anti-aircraft gun and climb down the dam to the electrical equipment. We plant explosives on them and leave the building to destroy 3 more anti-aircraft guns. Afterwards we make our way back to the top of the dam and get into the truck to the cap. Price and Ser. Watersu. The dams that take us out, breaking through the barrier into the tunnel.
Then we fight off our pursuers in the canyon, fortunately we have a grenade launcher. After the T-junction, after the wooden bridge, turn left and stop. They give us a sniper to cover Vaters while he blows up the bridge. Afterwards the chase continues until arriving at the airport. Where we shoot dive planes with anti-aircraft guns and sometimes kill people holed up on the roof of a neighboring building. And so we wait until our plane takes off. When he leaves, we get back into the truck, he takes us to them, and then we go on board
battleship Tirpitz.
Gakoya, Norway October 27, 1944 at 19:00. Together with CP. Price and Ser. Vatersom goes to the battleship Tirpitz. As we approach the battleship, we exchange light signals (confirmation of mooring) and together with Price we board the ship. Having reached the weapons department, they declassify us, Price remains on guard, and we mine the ship’s boilers. Having made a circle, we meet Price already dead, and in order not to repeat his fate, we first break through to the captain’s bridge, destroy the radio equipment, and only after that we return to Waters in the boat and sail away.
This is where the British company ends and the last Soviet one begins.
The plot of the Soviet company is divided into 2 parts: the first battle for Stalingrad, the second Vistula-Oder operation. We play for Alexey Ivanovich Voronin.
Volga, Stalingrad September 18, 1942 at 11:00. We begin to cross the Volga. The political leader is reading Stalin’s speech, planes are blowing up neighboring ferries, and ‘traitors’ have already appeared in our circles. As soon as we get off the ferry they blow it up and then we stand in line for weapons, where the first is given a rifle, and the second only cartridges, but of course we only get cartridges. Climbing up to the gray. Borodin, at his command we move from one shelter to another. in the end he sends us back to the ruins of the building, where right in front of us the commissar kills the “traitor”. When we approach them, we are also declared a traitor, but Borodin saves us. Now you can calmly admire the art shelling of Stalingrad.
Red Square, Stalingrad September 18, 1942 at 13:00. We wait for the start of the offensive and run to the middle. Makarov, who proposes to fire at them from the building. We go up to the top, take a sniper, kill 4 officers, and go down. After another artillery shelling, Makarov gives the task to report on the capture of Red Square to Major Zubov.
Having passed through the ruins, the station, and once again the ruins we reach Zubov.
Stalingrad sewer system, November 9, 1942 At 13:00. Zubov promotes us to junior sergeant. And together with the team he sends us to find the scouts who were supposed to recapture Pavlov’s house. But since there were many snipers on the streets, we are sent through the sewers.
Having joined Pavlov’s detachment, we begin the assault on the building, and then a 5-minute defense until reinforcements arrive.
Warsaw, Poland, January 17, 1945 at 10:30. For good results we are transferred to the team of Major Grishin. The first task is to capture a tank factory, and then unite with the 4th Army.
Poland, near the Polish-German border, January 26, 1945. 13:45. Due to a shortage of tankers, we are temporarily transferred to the position of tank commander/spotter. So we, destroying everything in our path, reach the city, and then capture it. This ends the USSR company and we move on to the Union.
4th Company – Union
In the last company we take turns playing as 3 protagonists. The first one is Martin. Americans at a briefing talk about the successes of the USSR and the increasingly worsening situation in Germany. Their last hope is the V-1 and V-2 missiles, which were not entirely accurate.
Northeast of Bastogne, Belgium, 15 January 1945 at 15:20. Foley gives a speech that should inspire the fighters, and after the speech, we go to capture two bunkers to take the documents from there. After capturing the second bunker, two tanks will come at us, which we will be told to deal with using an anti-aircraft gun, but while it’s underway, they will already kill you, so we take panzerfausts and destroy the tanks. And at the end, Foley will take off his headdress, bow his head and say, “We succeeded.”.
Burgsteinfurt, Germany, February 2, 1945 at 16:00. We play for the cap. Evans and together with Ser. We destroy the Flakvierling cannons with Waters, and intercept the supply trucks and unite with the rest of the team. We follow further and find the V-2, but due to our small supply of explosives, we first need to fill them with fuel, and then blow them up. To do this, we go down to the western bunker and turn on the fuel supply, go up and explode the rockets. Afterwards we leave through the northern bunker.
On the way to the Reichstag, Berlin, April 30, 1945 at 11:00. We play as the last hero Alexey. At the beginning we approach the Reichstag, clearing the way for tanks, destroying anti-tank guns, which will then open the way for us. We wait for the tanks to arrive and go inside, until they arrive enemies will constantly appear in the windows, and the area is completely open. Having entered the Reichstag, we go up to the top and watch one of the soldiers waving a flag.
Next, we hear a message from a son to his mother, who reports victory over Germany. And he’s even proud that he shook hands with an American, and although none of them understood anything, everyone rejoiced at the victory.
The story in the game helped to do something that almost never happened in other games. Not just shoot in the corridor, but shoot in the corridor for some purpose. The main problem appears in the middle of the Soviet company. If at the beginning of the story there was a constant dialogue with the hero, then after that they hardly talk to us at all, and you can only understand what is happening from the loading screens. At the same time, at the beginning the loading screen seemed to retell past actions on behalf of the hero, but at the end it is the only narrator of the hero’s actions.
The weapons are represented by 17 types of weapons, two of which have two types: with and without sights.
American is represented by: semi-automatic rifle M1A1 Carbine and M1 Garand;
Thompson assault rifle and M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle; Springfield sniper and Colt pistol .45.