Call of Duty is the 2003 first-person shooter that splits its campaign across American, British and Soviet fronts, revisiting the Second World War through three distinct theatres. The Soviet thread runs from the Stalingrad crossing through Berlin to the flag over the Reichstag, while the British SAS thread covers dam raids, a Tirpitz boarding and a V2 strike.
The tank missions stand out, letting the driver blast holes in buildings on the push into Berlin, and the PPSh-41 earns praise for both look and sound. The K98k’s bolt-action aesthetic is admired even as its slow cycling frustrates.
The Stalingrad crossing and the order not to take a single step backwards land as grim, with the Red Square charge backed by epic music. Famous war quotes between levels frame each campaign with historical weight.
The hold-the-line defending missions are the low point, with practically useless squad AI leaving the fight horribly lopsided. Checkpoint-only saves sting when progress is lost, and medkits grow scarce just when they are needed most.
Enemies shrug off several bullets, grenades carry no indicator and sit in a separate weapon slot, and friend and foe alike wear green. Accidental friendly fire adds to the chaos when squadmates run in front of the barrel.
Getting the game running on modern systems demands serious tinkering, with only an old Proton version working and specific launch arguments needed to fix colours and resolution. Around six hours of campaign comes wrapped in that setup hassle.
Overall, campaign variety, tank sections and the Reichstag finale make Call of Duty a fun piece of shooter history. The defending missions and stingy saves date it, but the core shooting holds up.