‘Duty’ shocks and awes you, World War II-style

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, November 22, 2003

I didn’t think it was possible for a video game to deliver goose bumps. “Call of Duty,” a new World War II action game from Activision, has proved me wrong.

You play as American, British and Russian soldiers in actual battles, including Operation Overlord and the final Allied push into the heart of crumbling Berlin. The total effect transcends video games like few others – it’s more of a digitally rendered historical re-enactment, starring you.

For hours, I forgot I was sitting in my home office, clicking a mouse, tapping a keyboard. Instead, I was transported to 1944.

I trudged through the cratered pastures of Normandy with fellow American officers, knocking out Nazi anti-aircraft guns during Operation Overlord.

I joined a squad of elite British troops behind enemy lines, destroying defensive positions at Eder Dam so Royal Air Force planes could carry out a bombing run.

I barely survived as an unarmed Russian conscript, huddled with the chilled masses in a ramshackle boat, slogging westward across the Volga River to what looked like certain doom in the ruins of Nazi-held Stalingrad.

These were but a few of the unforgettable, cinematic moments in a game with one gripping sequence after another.

It’s a fresh addition to the tired first-person shooter genre and is packed with sparkling, crisp graphics (including some of the wettest-looking water this side of North Sea.) Despite its beauty, performance was excellent on my two-year-old home computer.

The visuals were impressive, but what really had me ducking for cover were the sound effects: the clackety-clack of machine guns, the reverberating echoes of sniper rifles, the thunderous crash of artillery.

If bombs exploding nearby don’t kill you outright, they’ll induce shell-shock, a blurred, muted moment of horror where you can barely crawl, let alone walk.

Like all memorable experiences, I wanted more. Unfortunately, I finished “Call of Duty” on the normal difficulty setting after about eight hours, a bit short for a video game.

What it lacks in length it more than makes up for in intensity, however.

After going it solo, there’s the never-ending fun offered through the game’s free multiplayer levels.

You can test your battle readiness against dozens of other Internet warriors, but be prepared for some frustration. This game is unforgivingly hard when played against other people online.

While some multiplayer matches offer health packs to patch your wounds, in my experience most didn’t. Often, one shot is all it takes to die.

“Call of Duty” is a tightly focused game that truly delivers the tumult of war on your PC. It’s certainly as close to war as I’d ever want to be.

“Call of Duty,” released by Activision, costs $49.95. It requires a Pentium III 600MHz or Athlon 600MHz processor or higher for systems with Windows 98 and ME, or a Pentium III 700MHz or Athlon 700MHz processor or higher for systems with Windows 2000/XP.

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