Call of Duty 3 was Treyarch's first Call of Duty game and was rushed out a mere eight months after Infinity Ward's acclaimed Call of Duty 2, leading many critics and fans at the time to dismiss it as the disappointing and inferior follow-up.
Now, it is certainly worth pointing out that this was actually the first Call of Duty game I ever picked up. So this might just be the nostalgia talking, but I still think COD3 has some things going for it that make it one of the more underrated titles in the franchise.
For instance, it did show how much Treyarch wanted to put more emphasis on story than Infinity Ward typically does. COD3 features a lot more scripted story moments and side-characters with their own little personas and arcs. Sure it's all super cliched, but what the hell else did you think you were gonna get out of a COD storyline? Cornball WWII clichés just add to the charm in my opinion. We're dealing with writing where a dying sergeant tells his slightly disobedient private to burn in hell. Later on, another dying sergeant tells that same private "He was wrong about you... you're actually okay."
Glorious bullshit!
I will say that, being rushed out, the game has a certain unpolished look and feel to the whole thing. Glitches and clunky character animations up the wazoo. However, I'd argue the overall gunplay here feels even more fast paced and fluent than in the first two games. COD2 obviously improved on many things from the original game, but in COD3 mowing down rows and rows of Nazis never felt more satisfying (perhaps due to the heavier emphasis on ragdoll physics). Superior tank and vehicle sections as well.
I also like that while the first two games were all about featuring the real famous battles (Stalingrad, the Battle of the Bulge, D-Day), COD3 features some lesser known parts of the war like the Battle of Saint-Lô, the entire invasion of France, and the Canadian and Polish army's involvement in the war. Also a big bonus is the game's historical accuracy with all the different weaponry you're given with each new country you play in.
Now, it is certainly worth pointing out that this was actually the first Call of Duty game I ever picked up. So this might just be the nostalgia talking, but I still think COD3 has some things going for it that make it one of the more underrated titles in the franchise.
For instance, it did show how much Treyarch wanted to put more emphasis on story than Infinity Ward typically does. COD3 features a lot more scripted story moments and side-characters with their own little personas and arcs. Sure it's all super cliched, but what the hell else did you think you were gonna get out of a COD storyline? Cornball WWII clichés just add to the charm in my opinion. We're dealing with writing where a dying sergeant tells his slightly disobedient private to burn in hell. Later on, another dying sergeant tells that same private "He was wrong about you... you're actually okay."
Glorious bullshit!
I will say that, being rushed out, the game has a certain unpolished look and feel to the whole thing. Glitches and clunky character animations up the wazoo. However, I'd argue the overall gunplay here feels even more fast paced and fluent than in the first two games. COD2 obviously improved on many things from the original game, but in COD3 mowing down rows and rows of Nazis never felt more satisfying (perhaps due to the heavier emphasis on ragdoll physics). Superior tank and vehicle sections as well.
I also like that while the first two games were all about featuring the real famous battles (Stalingrad, the Battle of the Bulge, D-Day), COD3 features some lesser known parts of the war like the Battle of Saint-Lô, the entire invasion of France, and the Canadian and Polish army's involvement in the war. Also a big bonus is the game's historical accuracy with all the different weaponry you're given with each new country you play in.