2003 video game
2003 video game
Call of Duty is a 2003 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by 👍 Activision. It is the first installment in the Call of Duty franchise,[3] released on October 29, 2003, for Microsoft Windows. 👍 The game simulates infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II using a modified version of the id Tech 👍 3 engine. Much of its theme and gameplay is similar to the Medal of Honor series; however, Call of Duty 👍 showcases multiple viewpoints staged in the American, British, and Soviet theaters of World War II.
The game introduced a new take 👍 on AI-controlled allies who support the player during missions and react to situational changes during gameplay. This led to a 👍 greater emphasis on squad-based play as opposed to the "lone wolf" approach often portrayed in earlier first-person shooter games. Much 👍 of Infinity Ward's development team consisted of members who helped develop Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The game received critical 👍 acclaim and won several Game of the Year awards from reviewers.
In September 2004, an expansion pack called Call of Duty: 👍 United Offensive, which was produced by Activision and developed by Gray Matter Studios and Pi Studios, was released. At the 👍 same time the N-Gage Version got an Arena Pack with 3 new Levels.[4] An enhanced port of Call of Duty 👍 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, titled Call of Duty: Classic, developed by Aspyr, was released worldwide in November 👍 2009 with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, being available via redemption codes included with the "Hardened" 👍 and "Prestige" editions of the game.[5]
Gameplay [ edit ]
In-game screenshot of Call of Duty on PC
As a first-person shooter, Call 👍 of Duty places the player in control of an infantry soldier who makes use of various authentic World War II 👍 firearms in combat. Each mission features a series of objectives that are marked on the heads-up display's compass; the player 👍 must complete all objectives to advance to the next mission. The player can save and load at any time, rather 👍 than the checkpoint system utilized in later Call of Duty games.
The player has two primary weapon slots, a handgun slot, 👍 and can carry up to ten grenades. Weapons may be exchanged with those found on the battlefield dropped by dead 👍 soldiers. Unlike later Call of Duty games, the first allows the player to toggle between different firing modes (single shot 👍 or automatic fire). Call of Duty was one of the early first-person shooters to feature iron sights in game play; 👍 by pressing the corresponding key the player aims down the gun's actual sights for increased accuracy. In addition to weapons 👍 carried by the player, mounted machine guns and other fixed weapon emplacements are controllable by the player.
The game uses a 👍 standard health points system, with a limited amount of health reflected by a health bar. Medkits scattered throughout the levels 👍 or dropped by some foes are used to restore health when the player is injured.
Call of Duty also featured "shellshock" 👍 (not to be confused with the psychological condition of the same name): when there is an explosion near the player, 👍 he momentarily experiences simulated tinnitus, appropriate sound "muffling" effects, blurred vision, and also results in the player slowing down, unable 👍 to sprint.
As the focus of the game is on simulation of the actual battlefield, the gameplay differed from many single-player 👍 shooters of the time. The player moves in conjunction with allied soldiers rather than alone; allied soldiers will assist the 👍 player in defeating enemy soldiers and advancing; however, the player is given charge of completing certain objectives. The game places 👍 heavy emphasis on usage of cover, suppressive fire, and grenades. AI-controlled soldiers will take cover behind walls, barricades, and other 👍 obstacles when available.
Campaign [ edit ]
American campaign [ edit ]
The American campaign begins in August 1942 with Private Martin, a 👍 newly enlisted member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, completing basic training at Camp Toccoa. In June 1944, Martin establishes 👍 a landing zone for soldiers participating in Operation Overlord. The paratroopers are scattered, leaving Martin in a mixed unit formed 👍 from various companies led by his CO Cpt. Foley, who seize a nearby town from Germans. Martin and his unit 👍 are sent to force the remaining Germans from Sainte-Mère-Église and disable several Flakpanzers (anti-aircraft tanks) as D-Day begins. Martin's unit 👍 destroys German artillery positions attacking the landing force at Utah Beach. Afterwards, Martin learns that his unit has been assigned 👍 to participate in an attack on a Bavarian manor to rescue two British officers, Captain Price and Major Ingram. He 👍 learns from Price that Ingram had already been moved to a more secure POW camp for interrogation; Martin and Price 👍 infiltrate the camp and rescue Ingram. Martin's unit later takes part in the Battle of the Bulge, successfully securing top-secret 👍 documents and stopping an attempt by the Germans to call in tanks.
British campaign [ edit ]
The British campaign starts with 👍 Sergeant Jack Evans and a unit from 2nd Ox and Bucks of the 6th Airborne Division taking part in Operation 👍 Tonga. The unit is dropped in Horsa gliders near Pegasus Bridge, Bénouville. Led by Captain Price, Evans and his troops 👍 clear the bridge of German soldiers. The unit holds out against an attempt by a German battalion to retake the 👍 bridge with the help of the 7th Parachute Battalion.
By September, Evans has been transferred to the SAS. He takes part 👍 in a mission to sabotage the Eder Dam, restored after being destroyed by the No. 617 Squadron RAF during Operation 👍 Chastise, destroying the anti-aircraft guns protecting it. Following extraction, Evans helps to cut off pursuing German troops. Reaching a German 👍 airport to escape, Evans uses an anti-air gun to cover Price and Waters from German Stuka dive-bombers as they procure 👍 and flee in a Fw.200. Evans and Price then pose as German naval officers and sailors to infiltrate the battleship 👍 Tirpitz, disable its defenses, and steals information for the RAF to attack the ship. Price sacrifices himself to buy time 👍 for Evans, who escapes with Waters by boat. Later, Evans, Waters and their squad arrive near Burgsteinfurt, Germany, to assist 👍 the impending Allied assault on the city. Discovering plans to launch V-2 rockets at the Allied forces, the unit destroys 👍 them before joining the rest of the army.
Soviet campaign [ edit ]
The Soviet campaign begins during the Battle of Stalingrad 👍 in September 1942. Corporal Alexei Ivanovich Voronin and his fellow recruits are sent across the Volga River, many of whom 👍 are killed when the Luftwaffe launch an attack. Once across, they call in an artillery strike that forces the Germans 👍 back. At Red Square with Soviet officers killing soldiers who retreat, Voronin kills several German officer and soldiers, disrupting the 👍 German offense long enough for Soviet artillery to destroy their tanks. Voronin links up with surviving allies in a train 👍 station and guides them to Major Zubov of the 13th Guards Rifle Division; Voronin is promoted to Junior Sergeant. In 👍 November, Voronin rendezvous with a unit led by Sergeant Pavlov, tasked with retaking an apartment building in German hands. The 👍 unit assaults and clears the building, and defends it from a German counterattack.
In January 1945, Voronin, now a full Sergeant, 👍 serves with the 150th Rifle Division of the 3rd Shock Army. The unit secures a makeshift German tank repair facility 👍 in Warsaw during the Vistula–Oder Offensive, and regroup with the 4th Guards Tank Army. Due to shortages in experienced soldiers, 👍 Voronin commands a T-34-85 tank for the 2nd Guards Tank Army, and helps the Soviets capture a town near the 👍 Oder River. In April, Sergeant Voronin is returned to his old unit, the 150th Rifle Division. He and a small 👍 group of soldiers storm the Reichstag building and raise the Victory Banner atop the roof, ending the European war.
Development [ 👍 edit ]
Call of Duty was developed by Infinity Ward, a new studio formed in 2002 originally consisting of 21 employees, 👍 many of whom were project lead developers of the successful Medal of Honor: Allied Assault released the same year. Led 👍 by Chief Creative Officer Vince Zampella, development began in April 2002, and the team grew to 27 members by May 👍 2003. At its beginning, the project was nicknamed "Medal of Honor Killer".[6] Using an enhanced version of the id Tech 👍 3 game engine developed for Quake III Arena and an in-house skeletal animation system called "Ares", Infinity Ward set out 👍 to develop a new World War II-era video game that, unlike many of its predecessors, placed more emphasis on squad-based 👍 play with intelligent assistance from teammates during large-scale battles. The team also extensively researched weapons, artillery, and vehicles from World 👍 War II to enhance the authenticity of animation and sounds used throughout the game.[7] The game's budget wasR$4.5 million.[8]
Another area 👍 the development team focused on was their artificial intelligence (AI) pathfinding component dubbed "Conduit". The ability to suppress the enemy 👍 with cover fire and clear obstacles, such as fences and windows, was tightly integrated into the squad-based aspect of the 👍 single-player campaigns. The AI in the game was designed to flank the opponent, bank grenades, and move from one cover 👍 point to another.[2] Lead animation director Michael Boon explained that actions which would have normally been scripted in past games 👍 were moved to a dynamic AI environment, in order to help create a different experience each time levels are replayed.[9] 👍 While the campaigns were the primary focus, development of the multiplayer modes were tailored to please modders. Zied Rieke, a 👍 lead designer, clarified that gameplay and modes were written in script making it "extremely easy for players to make their 👍 own modifications to Call of Duty multiplayer".[9]
Reception [ edit ]
Reception Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 91/100[10] Review scores Publication Score 👍 Edge 7/10[11] GamePro [12] GameSpot 9.0/10[13] IGN 9.3/10[14] X-Play [15]
Critical reception [ edit ]
Call of Duty received "critical acclaim", according 👍 to review aggregator Metacritic.[10] It won several "Game of the Year" awards for 2003 from several reviewers.
During the 7th Annual 👍 Interactive Achievement Awards (now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards), Call of Duty was honored "Game of the Year" of 2003 👍 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences; it also won awards for "Computer Game of the Year" and "Computer 👍 First Person Action Game of the Year", along with nominations for "Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming", "Outstanding Achievement in Original 👍 Music Composition", and "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design".[16]
GameSpot named it the best computer game of October 2003.[17]
Computer Games Magazine named 👍 Call of Duty the sixth-best computer game of 2003, and the editors wrote, "This game ups the ante in the 👍 WWII shooter arena, and makes everything that has come before it seem as outdated as France's army."[18] The editors of 👍 Computer Gaming World presented Call of Duty with their 2003 "Shooter of the Year" award. They remarked, "Call of Duty 👍 won this category without a shot fired—there simply was no debate."[19] It was also nominated for "Best Game" at the 👍 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards. While it did not receive that award, it did win Infinity Ward the "Rookie Studio 👍 of the Year". Chuck Russom was also presented with the "Excellence in Audio" award for his work on the game.[20]
IGN 👍 rated the game 9.3/10, with reviewer Dan Adams saying "You have to love a game that glues you to your 👍 seat and keeps you interested... A thrilling piece of software that action fans should grab a hold of and love 👍 fiercely." His only negative critique was on the short length of the game, which many reviewers pointed out.[21]
The N-Gage version 👍 got "mixed or average reviews" on the site Metacritic.[22]
Sales [ edit ]
The NPD Group named Call of Duty the eighth-best-selling 👍 computer game of 2003.[23] It maintained this position on NPD's computer game sales rankings for the following year.[24] In the 👍 United States alone, Call of Duty sold 790,000 copies and earnedR$29.6 million (~$41.5 million in 2024) by August 2006. At 👍 the time, this led Edge to declare it the country's 13th-best-selling computer game released since January 2000.[25]
In the United Kingdom, 👍 Call of Duty sold 95,000 copies by the end of 2003, which made it 88th-biggest seller across all platforms that 👍 year.[26] Discussing this performance, Kristan Reed of GamesIndustry.biz wrote that "Activision will be pleased that it managed to interrupt the 👍 Sims party" with the game's release.[27] Call of Duty ultimately received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure 👍 Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[28] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[29]
Call of Duty ultimately sold 4.5 👍 million copies worldwide by 2013.[30]
Franchise [ edit ]
Call of Duty spawned numerous spin-offs and sequels, as part of the Call 👍 of Duty series. Its expansion pack - Call of Duty: United Offensive was developed by Gray Matter Studios and released 👍 September 14, 2004. Call of Duty 2 was also developed by Infinity Ward and was released in October 2005. Some 👍 Call of Duty spinoffs were developed for consoles, such as Call of Duty: Finest Hour by Spark Unlimited and Call 👍 of Duty 2: Big Red One by Gray Matter Studios (merged into Treyarch). The franchise eventually had over fifteen more 👍 sequels and spin offs.
Ports [ edit ]
Call of Duty Classic is a downloadable version of Call of Duty for Xbox 👍 360 and PlayStation 3, featuring HD resolutions.[31] Tokens to download the game ahead of its release were sold along with 👍 special "Hardened" and "Prestige" editions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,[31] and the game was publicly released on December 👍 2, 2009.
IGN rated this version 7.5, citing it as not well adapted to the consoles, as well as criticizing the 👍 multiplayer for only supporting up to eight players.[32]
