Call of Duty 3

The Good
Graphics are sub-GoW (what isn't?) but very, very good for a 2nd gen game. SP gameplay is fun and uncomplicated, if a little predictable. Music and sound effects and are both outstanding. Multiplayer wise, this is the best online experience currently available on the Xbox 360. No other game can touch it; I was a tester for MP at Treyarch and after the game was done, the whole team bought retail copies so we could play it at home. Keep in mind we have been playing the game daily since May 2006! Multiplayer is frantic, team-oriented and very enjoyable, with new and improved vehicle action. Also, every single MP map is of high-quality and displays a very impressive level of detail, rivaling some SP maps from other games. The game is a must-have just for the MP and the intense SP seals the deal.

The Bad
Some progression breaks are a problem for SP but since checkpoints are spread evenly, it's always possible to reload the most recent one. I also heard that people are having problems with the collision detection - they get stuck in geometry. Didn't happen with me - yet. Lastly, some of the writing can be very cheesy / exaggerated, making the game less realistic than intended. On the MP side, some Axis weapons are weaker than the Allies's counterpart - I'm sure they will eventually fix it with a patch. The connectivity issues reported in forums will also be fixed very soon - I got word that the patch should be ready before the end of the year. Even with the slight weapon balance problem - we did our best but it was hard to focus on that weeks from shipping - skilled players can easily destroy the opposite team.

The Bottom Line
One of the very best WWII FPS ever made. Trounces everything else currently on the market, multiplayer-wise - COD2 and GoW included.