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Call of Duty United Offensive Expansion
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Game Name:
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Call of Duty United Offensive Expansion |
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Console:
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Jaguar |
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Reviewed:
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Unknown |
What- Call of Duty, GOTY 2003, and United Offensive, the expansion.
When- Christmas 2003, takes place in World War 2.
Who- 101st US Airborne, 6th British Airborne, SAS, and the Russian Conscript Infantry.
Where- All over Europe.
Why- The most intense WW2 shooter ever, with nice graphics and history.
What (is it?)- Call of Duty is a first person shooter, set in World War 2. Rather than put you in command of a squad such as Brothers in Arms and Hidden and Dangerous, or as a 'one-man army' like Medal of Honor, you are a lowly private, who is issued orders.
When (does it take place?)- World War 2- the most brutal and destructive war of the 20th Century. Over 60 million people were killed, including huge numbers of civilians. Several cities were reduced to rubble during the process, and when it was over, Russia and America entered the Cold War- to put it bluntly, it really fcuked up the world.
Who (is involved?)- Fighting Germany in Europe were 3 major countries- England, who was the last country to hold out against the blitzkriegs, America, who has agreed to help the brits in against Germany and Japan, and the Russians, who were allies with Germany, but then suffered a massive assualt in 41. During the game, you go through 4 'campaigns'- the fourth is a combination of the first 3.
The first places you with the 101st Airborne Infantry Division. The style of attack the yanks use is very blunt, more of brute strenght than strategy. After attacking a town and holding it on the morning of D-Day, you are then assigned a special mission to rescue some British officers. The plan to attack the PoW camp is typical of the yanks...
As the British, you are a Gunnery Sergeant with the 6th Airborne Infantry Division- you must assist in the capture of a vital bridge, at the exact same time as the 101st and 82nd goes to work. Afterwards, you are transfered to the famed Special Air Service, where you are involved in the destruction of a dam, and the Turpitz battleship. These missions are more about planning and subtlety than brute force.
Finally, the Russians. The opening mission is a copy of Enemy at the Gates, and truly shows of the game engines power- hundreds of Russian conscripts running up the bank and being machine gunned. You first start with a single stripper clip of Moison-Nagant ammo, and nothing else. After this, you have to move into Stalingrad, and retake the city... and yes, you do get guns this time. Later, while driving the Germans back to Germany, you are selected to command a T-34/85 tank, one of the best tanks of the war...
United Offensive has 3 more campaigns, 1 for each side. The 101st is deep in the Battle of the Bulge, trying to hold off the German armour. The British section has you first as a gunner in a B-17A in the RAF... until your shot down, rescued and recruited by the SOE and join the SAS. Finally, you must hold Kursk and Kharkov from the Germans, first on foot, then in a T-34 again. Although much shorter than the original campaign, it is much more intense.
Where (do you fight?)- There is conflict all over Europe, and you go to several places- Normandy, Austria, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Warsaw, the Norweign fjords, and eventually Berlin.
Each unit that your character is part of operates in their own areas- the 101st fights mainly in West Europe, in France. In UO, the move in Belgium to hold of the Germans. The Russians spend a lot of time within their own border- Stalingrad in CoD, Kursk and Kharkov in UO. During the original, you move towards the heart of Germany- from Russia into Poland, then finally into Berlin itself.
The Brits, on the other hand, bounce around a lot, since you are part of the SAS, participating in several missions- first with the 6th in France, like the US 101st, but then you move into the German hinterland for another Dambusters strike, then to a Norweigan fjord to hit the Turpitz. Finally, you go to north Germany to take out a mobile V2 squadron. In UO, you also go to Holland on a bomb run with the RAF, than to Sicily with the SAS to assist the invasion there.
Why (should I buy it?)- A couple of big ones-
Immersion- Only a few games can draw you in as much as this one. With a good sound setup, you can actually feel yourself in the middle of a battle. You'll be awed by the Tiger that just blew up your CP, you'll panic as a hidden MG-42 opens up on your flank, and you'll feel satisfied about nailing that sniper. The visuals are also impressive- shells falling every where, tracer fire both in the sky and at ground level, and the "Saving Private Ryan" style shellshock, which causes the player to lose their hearing for a short amount of time, and slows everything right down. It all works very nicely.
Firepower- Throughout the game, you'll use a variety of American, British, Russian and German weaponry. Each is well done, although with some 'artistic license'- you can have 3 rounds left in a Kar-98, but can still load a full 5 round stripper clip. On the other hand, you cannot reload a Garand with rounds still loaded, and the SMLE rifle uses 2 5 round clips- if there are still rounds loaded, less than 5, it'll only accept 1 clip.
The weapons you get depend on the side your playing- the 101st gets the M1 Thompson, M1 Garand, M1 Carbine (I think we get the idea), M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, M1907 Springfield, and the M1911 Colt .45. The Brits have the SMLE No.4, Sten MkI, and Bren LMG, along with the Colt. The Russians have the Mosion-Nagant M1891, with a sniper version, and the PPSh-41. The Germans, who you engage everywhere and therefore can also grab any of their weapons, use the Kar-98, also available with a scope, the MP-40, STG-44 (or MP-43/44), FG-42, and the Luger 9mm pistol, as well as the Panzerfaust-60 grenade launcher, which is your only tank-buster in Call of Duty. Each side also has a grenade- the Mk-II frag for the yanks, the older Mk-I Mills bomb for the Brits, the Steilhandgranate "Potato masher" for the Germans, and the big RGD-33 for the Ruskies.
United Offensive features more weapons for each side, with 2 new types emerging- the deployable light machine gun, and the reloadable AT rocket launcher. The US now have the M9 Bazooka rocket launcher and the M1917 .30cal LMG, whiel the Brits have the Sten MkII silenced and the Webley .38 revolver. The Russians also have the SVT-40 battle rifle, the DP-28 LMG, and the TT-33 pistol. The Germans also have new weapons- the Gewehr 43 rifle, the MG-34 LMG, the Panzerschrek rocket launcher, and a flamethrower. The 2 rocket launchers have the advantage of being reloadable, although they do less damage than the Armoured Fist. The LMGs, with the exception of the British Brno Enfield, have to be deployed to fire, and can also be found mounted like the MG-42.
Another addition to UO is vehicles- in the original, you were able to drive a T-34/85 tank, wiping the floor with the enemy Panzer Divisions, which consisted of Panzer-IVHs and Panzer-VI Tigers. New vehicles were added with United Offensive- The yanks now have the M4A2 Sherman, and the 1/4-ton Jeep with a .50cal on the back. The Russians still have their medium tank, but now have a Gaz jeep, and the massive SU-152 artillery tank- the number, like with the T-34/76 and 85, stands for the gun caliber.... The Germans also get a Horch jeep, and the new Elefant tank destroyer. The Brits dont get any vehicles, aside from the B-17A bomber in the campaign. Most of these vehicles are available in mulitplay, which makes use of the Panzerfaust and satchel charges very important.
Scale- Put simply, the areas in Call of Duty are massive. The nighttime drop with the Americans, the Sicilian assualt with the SAS, and the battles in Stalingrad and Kharkov are immense, with the player able to see things happening over a kilometre away, while up close, hundreds of soldiers are involved with the enemy. It looks simply amazing, and yet mid-range computers will be able to have most of the settings on high, with no drop in performance.
Multiplayer- The original has all the standard modes- deathmatch, capture the flag, and an interesting one called Behind Enemy Lines, where the allies are trapped behind German lines, outnumbered and outgunned. They must attempt to pull out, back to friendly lines, but the Germans arent just gonna let them walk out...
UO adds some more maps, and the new weapons are brought in, including the armour. Flank the enemy in Foy with your Shermans, avoiding Panzerfausts, or go 'Rolling Thunder' in Kharkov in your massive Su-152. The way the maps are setup means that tanks and infantry are evenly matched- tanks can only be taken down by AT shells and explosive, and have a large cannon and coaxil MG, while infantrymen can quickly move through buildings, avoiding MG fire, and firing a bazooka shell pointblank into their rear.
All up, Call of Duty is, in my opinion, one of the best games ever made. United Offensive is a very nice addition, but not essential. For single player, it isnt needed. For multiplayer, on the other hand, it can be worth the cost.
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