Call of Duty 3
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Who here likes killing Germans? I mean in video games, you sick bastards. I've been a fan of World War 2 based first person shooters since the original Medal of Honour game came out on PlayStation 1. That was a Christmas present I got way, way back in the day, and .. well, the cycle of fun continues, as I got COD3 for Wii for Christmas this year! Yay for me!

I was most excited by COD3 for Wii when I saw a trailer - the trailer not only showed the in game footage, but also the control method. I couldn't get over the fact you used motions with the Wiimote and nunchuck to do various tasks. The shot of whoever-it-was cranking the nunchuck in a circular motion to change the elevation of an artillery piece is what really sold me on wanting the game badly. Yes, I realize its all "gimmicks", but what you call a gimmick, I call a cool form of immersion in the game. The other console versions still have the same features, but what's the fun in pressing buttons A, B or X instead of actually moving the controller around?

The reality of the game is.. well, mixed so far. There's no multiplayer whatsoever, which certainly is a black mark against it, and a guarantee of minimized replay value. The graphics are still pretty impressive, but only if you're comparing them to what you've seen on a GC or Xbox. They're not in the same league as the PS3 or XB360 versions you've no doubt seen by now. You might have also noticed the difference in price between the Wii and the PS3 or XB360, and also perhaps realized that graphics don't make a game any more fun to play, but that's enough sermonising for now.

The basic controls work pretty well - movement with the nunchuck, aiming with the Wiimote. Moving the nunchuck in different directions also swaps weapons, makes you jump, etc. It works well enough once you're used to it, and there's a training bit at the beginning before the game proper starts. The problem I've hit? The melee bit is too hard. I tried to get past it about a dozen times before giving up and playing something else - the screen gives you no feedback on whether you're moving the controllers correctly or not. Believe me, I'm most certainly not giving up on the game entirely after such a brief bit of progress, as it still looks like fun, but I also hope that the other interactive parts of the game aren't so hit and miss. A friend of mine in the US gave me some advice on this melee business - "shake them like you're trying to dislocate your shoulders". Hmmm.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: I did eventually get past that part, and make quite a bit of progress into the game. It's not bad, per se, but it's certainly not that good either. If you're a Call of Duty fan, you should probably get it for 360 instead. Or even better, skip it entirely and get the decidedly excellent Call of Duty 4. What, no 360? Well, get this if it's cheap then.

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