Next Call of Duty answered, previewed
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Jul 3rd 2006 at 10:25PM }
If the mention of World War II still compels you to go about shooting things (typically Nazis) from a first-person perspective, you'd best check out 1Up's weeklong feature that promises to detail every pixel, polygon and private that constitutes the upcoming Call of Duty 3. Taking over from Infinity Ward, developer Treyarch is keen on capitalizing on next-gen technology and the creative freedoms it provides -- with any luck, that means we'll actually be able to open doors in this one. Oh well, we suppose loads of on-screen enemies and trampled blades of grass are just as useful.The screenshots and video provided are enough to convince us of the game's technical gravitas, but we're obviously much more interested in the Wii version and how it looks to take advantage of the unique control system. A small blurb in the first part of the preview suggests how, while at the same time suggesting that the other two versions of the game are the main focus here. "The Wii version, in development outside Treyarch, shows some potential to bring the player into the game during the Battle Actions in a way the PS3 and 360 won't be able to. Actually wrestling with a German for his gun or actually disarming that explosive are things only the Wii will let you do this gen."
Battle actions are Call of Duty's answer to Shenmue's Quick Timer Events. At certain points during the game, you're required to press certain buttons in order to escape a cinematic struggle or situation. Failure is likely to result in far more unpleasantness than getting smacked in the head by some Japanese kid's soccerball. These sound particularly intriguing if done correctly for the Wii and should make up for some of its inevitable graphical shortcomings. Even then, we have to wonder how long it'll take before we grow tired of crawling through trenches and taking out tanks. Is World War II the new Hoth?
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Franky Digital @ Jul 3rd 2006 11:04PM
Can't wait. I really dig the idea that they are trying to add a more legitamate narrative, rather then just making it a bullet point on the back of the box. And ranking multiplayer has worked great for tons of games - like SOCOM - so seeing promotions would be a wonderful addition.
vidGuy @ Jul 4th 2006 1:51AM
Glad to see developers giving props to the Wii. And with the Wii version getting special game mechanics, I'm really excited to try it out.
AmanoJaku @ Jul 4th 2006 6:31AM
So if the Wii is the only one witht the gun wrestling & stuff, is that a video of the game running on wii hardware? it will be interesting to see what the diff versions will look like.
SuicideNinja @ Jul 4th 2006 11:47AM
"Actually wrestling with a German for his gun or actually disarming that explosive are things only the Wii will let you do this gen.""
And thus why no matter which other console you buy, you have to have a Wii too!
Loban @ Jul 5th 2006 10:46AM
"And thus why no matter which other console you buy, you have to have a Wii too!"
And thus the Wii will sell the most this coming generation. No matter which console people want the most, they will also buy a Wii for gameplay you can't get anywhere else.
Marc @ Jul 5th 2006 12:36PM
Actually Loban, you couldn't be more right.
Both Microsoft and Sony want Nintendo as an ally in the fight against each other. So if this news got to more fanboys (or if they actually reasoned that Nintendo as an ally is a good thing) every person from all three sides of the gaming world would buy a Wii.
EW! @ Jul 8th 2006 4:33AM
ARE YOU SERIOUS?????
seriously, is world war 2 that interesting?
DAMN!
move on!
why are they making so many games about world war 2?
sure it was fun while it lasted but now its just being stretched out beyond belief.
no one can POSSIBLY think that world war 2 is still "fun"
come on now.