Call of Duty has been possibly the best first person shooter series since it aired on the PC a few years ago. CoD3 was disappointing not because the game was bad, just that the WWII theme had been played out more than Lindsey Lohan. This time around they started from the ground up to deliver what I truly think is the best FPS I have ever played. Bold statement, you bet. Read on my young padawans.

Presentation and Graphics: Activision totally re imagined there take on the menu and loading screens. Absolutely awesome. It seems like they really wanted to feel that you were in an actual war and briefing room and they nailed it. The menus are very easy to navigate through. The graphics rival the best on the system. You feel like you are actually in the shit when you put the night vision goggles on and can see the lasers bounce of the walls. From the polishing on the guns to the detailed map environments, this is a good as it gets. It seems like they took painstakingly detail in every aspect and in full 1080p, yeah. Welcome to flavor country. 5 of 5

Sound and Music: This is why I bought a surround sound system. My dog shakes in fear when I play this game. The explosions especially make things shake on the table. The music is pretty standard for a military shooter. You know, that kind of ominous, shit is gonna hit the fan music. The voice acting is also very good. Its hard to tell if its a Russian guy speaking English or a English guy doing a Russian accent. Thats a good thing. 4.75 of 5
Gameplay: Its like describing a sunset in the straightest way possible. Where do you start? Well, the controls are about as tight as you can expect. This is the kind of game you can just pick up and go at it. CoD console controls have never been problem and they haven;t changed anything. The guns are bad ass. The enemy AI is also noticeably tougher. I started the game on Hardened, which is sort of like a Heroic equivalent. The missions are also less “plant this charge” on a tank or gun or door or basically everything. There are a few but thats it. What really caught me by surprise is how much your squad mates actually help. They do shoot people. In prior games, they served as cannon fodder and ammo supplies after they got killed. These guys interact and in some cases, rack up all the kills if you sit back and play like a pussy.

My only complaint is the collisions. There are times when you and about six of your friends try to go through a door and it becomes a man pile. Other than the pile o’ dudes, this is where the game shines. 4 .5 of 5

Multiplayer: I haven’t played Halo 3 since I got this. That has to tell you something. There are no bullshit kills like in the aforementioned and the ranking system along with the challenges make you never want to put this thing down. I have not unlocked all the modes yet, but I hear once you do, you will never get bored. Only complaint here is how fast people can rank up. Guys are at 55. The game has been out 5 days. Skill is not a factor, but just sheer playing time. I was a Lvl 2, just got the game and lead my team in points which was strewn with officers. I wish they would have done something like Halo that uses a two facet approach, but thats about it. With exception of Halo fanboys, this will become the next big multiplayer game if it has not already. 5 of 5

Lasting Appeal: The campaign is not very long. 6 hours on Hardened is likely. There are some Intel pickups along the way, but are not necessary unless for achievements, which are all single player. Let’s be honest, we got the game for the multi. If a longer campaign was here, it would be perfect. I’ll be playing this until I reach the max rank. Something big happens when you do. 4.75 of 5

Final Word:For a game that seems to be anti war with all the quotes that pop up when you die in campaign, it seems to have the whole violence thing down. This game kicks ass. Better than Halo… yes and no. Halo holds a much higher cultural significance but for a an entire new experience, this is a must have. Buy the game. Today. If you are one of our younger readers, ask Santa, Jesus, Allah, Tom Cruise, or whoever you believe in.

Overall: 4.75 of 5

1 = Not worth the bandwidth.

2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.

3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.

4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.

5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.