Call of Duty 3 (Xbox 360)

In a nutshell:
After the last game became the best selling launch title for the Xbox 360, Activision aren’t wasting any time with the follow-up as you do you bit to help out with the Normandy breakout and the liberation of France.

The lowdown:
Despite the new digit in the title this isn’t so much a sequel to Call of Duty 2 on the 360 and PC as it is Call of Duty: Big Red One on the PS2, Xbox and GameCube. It’s by the same developer (Treyarch), there’s no PC version and it doesn’t feature three distinct armies, but instead a recreation of the Normandy breakout. That’s not to suggest it’s short on new ideas though with much larger levels than ever before and far more vehicles to control (particularly in the Battlefield like multiplayer mode). There’s also a new Resident Evil 4 style quick time event system for hand-to-hand combat where you have to hit specific buttons to sock it to the Nazi hordes.

Most exciting moment:
It may seem a bit shallow to go on about the game’s explosions but really, there’s never been anything as realistic as the fireworks in this game. The way the smoke moves is particularly amazing, even drifting in the wind or dispersing after a second nearby explosion.

Since you ask:
Although Activision has confirmed nothing yet they have hinted that original Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward are working on their own sequel, primarily for the PC. When it will come out and whether it will be translated to the next generation consoles is currently unknown.

The bottom line:
The best WII first person shooter looks to be getting even better.
HARRISON DENT