Call of Duty 3
by Activision Inc.
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: ACTIVISIONRelease Date: 2006-11-07
Platform: PlayStation2
Publisher: Activision Inc.
Product features:
- Call of Duty 3 brings the battle to life with advanced graphics, a new physics engine, a procedural environment and detailed ensemble animations
- All-new close-quarters battle mechanics allow players to fight hand-to-hand, improvise explosive devices, disarm traps and face a host of other battlefield situations
- Next-generation level design provides branching mission paths, letting you decide how to confront enemies - flank an opponent, hit him head-on, or choose special tactics like sniping and demolition
- Environmental physics allow players to destroy enemy hideouts, forcing foes out in the open -- just remember, your enemies can do the same to you
- Team-based Multiplayer with vehicles for team-based combat with up to 24 players battling it out online
- Call of Duty 3 Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games Official Strategy Guides)
- PlayStation: The Official Magazine (1-year)
- Play
- Tips & Tricks Magazine
Video Game Reviews of Call of Duty 3
Customer Review: Any differences between the PS2 and PS3 versions?
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't get people who dispose of their old console and all their old games when they get a new console. I have a PS3, but I still love my PS2. As awed as I've been by the PS3, if I had to choose between my PS2, along with the dozens of great PS2 games I own, and the PS3 with the eight great PS3 titles I've found so far, I'd have to take the PS2.
That said, given the exact same title on both consoles, of course the PS3 version is going to be better. However, I've noticed that some PS2/PS3 titles are vastly different from each other. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a good example. The PS2 version is very similar to the original Mercenaries, but set in Venezuela instead of North Korea, while the PS3 version comes across more like a modern remake of an old classic movie, replete with new direction, updated special effects, fresh cinematography, and contemporary actors. Mercenaries 2 is an entirely different game on the PS3 than it is on the PS2.
But the subject was Call of Duty 3. How do the PS2 and PS3 versions compare? It's a question I was unable to find the answer to online, so I bought both versions and will answer that question in this review.
I originally purchased Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One on the advice of a coworker, who raved about it. "But make sure it's Call of Duty 2, not Call of Duty 3," he said. "2 was excellent, but I thought 3 was stupid."
So I bought COD 2 and loved it, beating it on all three difficulty levels. I loved it so much that I just had to try COD 3, despite my coworker's warning. (I'm taking a pass on COD: World at War until the price drops.) But given my experience with the vastly different Mercenaries 2 versions, I wanted to experience COD 3 on both PS2 and PS3. As I already mentioned, I found nothing online that could define whatever differences there might be between the two. And here are the differences:
Other than the superior PS3 graphics, COD 3 is virtually identical on both systems. (I use the word "virtually" because I didn't take the time to see if every single syllable uttered and every falling leaf was the same on both.) The cut scenes, dialogue, missions, enemies, comrades, building, and terrain are the same in both. So if you're both a PS2 fanatic like me who also owns a PS3, and such an avid fan of World War II shooters that you want to play them all, you can still skip the PS2 version. It's not much different than connecting your PS3 console to an old, inferior TV monitor: same game with an ugly picture.
Having said that, COD 3 on the PS2 is, in my humble opinion, actually much better than COD 2. If you liked COD 2 on the PS2 and don't own a PS3, then definitely get COD 3 for your PS2. What I said about the ugly graphics was merely in contrast to the PS3 version. I don't know what my coworker was smoking (come to think of it, I do know), but COD 3 is an outstanding addition to the franchise, even on the PS2 system.
Another heads-up about the PS2 version: If you're a big Call of Duty fan and have a collector's mindset, you might be tempted to get the "Special Edition" of the PS2 version of COD 3 (even if you have COD 3 on the PS3) because of the bonus disc that's included with the Special Edition. (If you can still find a copy of the PS2's COD 3 in a retail store, it will no doubt be this Greatest Hits Special Edition with the bonus disc included.)
This bonus disc is a DVD, and there's nothing on the DVD that justifies getting this game on PS2 if you already own it on PS3. The bonus disc contains three very short clips:
The first is "Making of Call of Duty 3." It's under 5 minutes long, and there's just nothing spectacular, in 2009, about 2006 video game technology. The second clip is "Inside the Normandy Breakout: Interviews with Veterans of the Campaign." It lasts 5 minutes, and not only is it available as an unlockable on the PS3 version ... it's also available as an unlockable on disc 1 of the PS2 version! The third clip is about a minute long, and it's the "Playstation 3 Launch Trailer." This trailer is advertising COD 3 for the PS3, even though the PS3 version was released just 10 days after the release of the PS2 version. This bonus disc adds almost nothing to the package.
Besides the graphics, I've found two options on the PS3 version that make it superior to the PS2. The first is the difficulty levels: the PS2 version offers three levels, while the PS3 version offers four. The second is the ability to choose between four controller configurations on the PS3 version, while the PS2 version just gives you the default configuration.
Description of Call of Duty 3
PS2 Call of Duty 3 Special EditionAll Games
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