Call of Duty 3
Encyclopedia
Call of Duty 3 is a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...

 and the third installment in the Call of Duty
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...

video game series first released on November 7, 2006. It has been released for all three seventh generation video game systems: the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

, and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

. It has also been released on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

.

This game was a launch title for the PS3 and Wii in North America, Europe and Australia. It was also the only major Call of Duty installment not to be released for personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

 platforms and the only numerical sequel to date to have been a console-exclusive game alongside Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a World War II video game for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox and acts as a spin-off of Call of Duty 2. It was released on November 1, 2005, in North America...

and Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a first-person shooter developed for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. It was released on 16 November 2004. It was the first console installment of Call of Duty, developed by Spark Unlimited and published by Activision. It was followed up by a sequel, Call of Duty...

. It was also the second major installment in the Call of Duty series to be developed by Treyarch after Big Red One. It is also the second World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 video game to feature Canada as a playable country.

Campaign

The single player is modeled after the Normandy breakout
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...

, where the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Canadian, Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

 forces pushed into the village of Chambois, France, also known as the Falaise Gap. Unlike most other games in the Call of Duty series, the events in Call of Duty 3 are based on a single combined campaign, with the player being switched between the four nations and their respective characters for each leg of the story. There are 14 campaign missions.

Multiplayer

In addition to the single-player campaign, Call of Duty 3 features a wide range of multiplayer modes for players to participate in - each team allowing up to 24 on the PS3 and the Xbox 360, and 16 for the PS2 and Xbox in a single match. This is only in the online mode. All team game modes feature the soldiers of the Allied nations
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 versus those of the Axis. Multiplayer features are absent from the Wii edition. This was the first Call of Duty to allow the player to drive military vehicles like the German Motorcycle with Sidecar, and the Panzer IV Tank.

This was also the first Call of Duty to introduce two different game modes. The "Normalized" mode was added to allow console players a way to adjust to the smaller kill box of Call of Duty, UO, and Call of Duty 2.

On the Xbox 360, Call of Duty 3 divides its multiplayer aspect into Player and Ranked matches. Player matches allow players to invite other players into their games, but do not contribute points toward the leader board or unlock achievements. Ranked matches put the player with and against teams of random players, and contribute towards player points and allow players to unlock achievements.

Downloadable content

Three map packs were released for the Xbox 360 multiplayer game on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...

. The first, "Champs", was released as a free download on January 11, 2007 and contained a single self titled map. The "Valor" map pack contained five new maps: Crossing, Ironclad, La Bourgade, Stalag 23, and Wildwood. The pack was released on January 27, 2007 for 800 MP ($10). The final map pack, "Bravo", contained five new maps of which two were remade from Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the first-person shooter computer game, Call of Duty. It was developed by Gray Matter Interactive, with contributions from Pi Studios, and published by Activision...

: Gare Centrale, Marseilles, Aller Haut, Seine River, and Rimling. The pack was released on May 31, 2007 for 800 MP. The price of the map packs was later reduced to 400 MP ($5) each.

American campaign

In the American story, the place sets a month after D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

 invasion, the player takes control of Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...

 Nichols, recently arrived in France and eventually attached to the 29th Infantry Division. Nichols and his squad participate in the capture of Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...

. After that, the squad is folded into the 90th Infantry Division and sent to secure the wooded area of Saint Germain-Sur-Seves, where intense hedgerow fighting took place. Soon after, the 90th assaults the town of Mayenne
Mayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...

, where Private Leroy Huxley (voiced by Benjamin Diskin
Benjamin Diskin
Benjamin Isaac "Ben" Diskin is an American voice actor. He is known as the voices of Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 2 in the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door....

) is tasked with defusing bombs planted on a bridge, which is heavily guarded by German infantry. Huxley is wounded before he can carry out the order and Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 Frank McCullin successfully defuses the bombs, but is killed in the process.

Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....

 Mike Dixon then assumes command of the squad and is promoted to sergeant. The squad is later tasked with clearing out Forêt d'Ecouves so 2nd Battalion can move through. In the end, Nichols clears the last roadblock with a mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

. The squad then participates in clearing out a nearby town with a vital crossroads. Towards the end of the assault Dixon is wounded but survives. After taking a shortcut through the sewers, they find the crossroads and take it successfully, with the help of the Sherman tank divisions.

The unit is then sent to defend the town of Chambois
Chambois
Chambois is a commune in the Orne département in north-western France. The city is remarkable for its Norman keep and was part of the Falaise pocket in 1944.-Norman keep:The Norman keep or Donjon was built in the 12th century...

 from Axis forces trying to run through the Falaise Gap. Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...

 Salvatore Guzzo marks German positions with flares for air support. Earlier, the squad had supported Baker Company and held a heavy position while Huxley went to get a bazooka to hold off German tanks. The squad tried to hold position, but they were soon heavily out-gunned and fled to the rally point, and the Germans did not hesitate to chase them. The squad fell back to a heavy German emplacement. While laying smoke, Guzzo is wounded, and Dixon and Nichols come to his aid and extract him to relative safety. While treating Guzzo, Dixon is shot in the back, and dies a few moments later. Guzzo takes command of the squad. After fighting through the rest of the town, the squad then holds off the Germans until reinforcements arrive.

2 weeks later, Guzzo was promoted to Sergeant while Huxley and Nichols were promoted to Corporal as the German resistances surrendered to the U.S armed forces. With the new crews for their squad, they continued to marched into France as the Allied forces have gained access to Europe, ending the Battle of Normandy
Battle of Normandy
The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Allied forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in World War II. It was the largest amphibious operation in history...

 and the beginning of the European theatre of World War II.

British/French campaign

During the British and French campaign, the player controls Sergeant James Doyle, a returning character from Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the first-person shooter computer game, Call of Duty. It was developed by Gray Matter Interactive, with contributions from Pi Studios, and published by Activision...

and member of the British Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

. Doyle parachutes into France with a squad led by Major Ingram, also of Call of Duty: United Offensive fame, and meets up with members of the Maquis Resistance
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...

. Due to fire from an 88 mm gun
88 mm gun
The 88 mm gun was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognizable German weapons of the war...

, their Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...

 is shot down. The plane drops the squad and the two jeeps. Soon after making contact with the French resistance, SAS
SAS
- Special forces :* Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army* Australian Special Air Service Regiment * New Zealand Special Air Service * Rhodesian Special Air Service...

 and French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

 fighters attack a German anti-aircraft position. The French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

 and SAS
SAS
- Special forces :* Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army* Australian Special Air Service Regiment * New Zealand Special Air Service * Rhodesian Special Air Service...

 then try to destroy a German-held fuel plant. While escaping, Ingram is captured and tensions rise as Corporal Keith accuses one of the Resistance members, Marcel, of collaborating with the Germans. Against the advice of the Resistance, Keith and Doyle attempt to locate Ingram. Soon after rescuing Ingram, French and British fighters attempt to stop the executions of captured Resistance fighters. They rush to save as many as they can, but in the process the Resistance loses one of their significant members, Isabelle DuFontaine, who is killed after planting an explosive charge on an armored car.

Canadian campaign

The Canadian aspect of the campaign involves members of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
The 4th Canadian Division was created by the conversion of the 4th Canadian Infantry Division at the beginning of 1942 in Canada. The division proceeded overseas in 1942, with its two main convoys reaching the United Kingdom in August and October....

. It is centered on Private Cole, led by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 veteran Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 Jean-Guy Robichaud, who demonstrates a proud and often haphazard style of leadership, often making assaults and completing objectives beyond his assigned mission at the risk of his own men. Robichaud commands a platoon in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada , or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces, based at John W...

. The platoon captures an industrial area and successfully defends it from a larger German force. While the Polish 1st Armored Division guards their western flank, the unit clears a forest near the Laison River, during which Robichaud berates a young radio operator, Pvt. Leslie Baron, over his lack of combat participation. Tension builds between the two, and Baron insists that he is not a coward. Robichaud dismisses him and assigns him to act as radio operator for a Polish unit where he then dies. Robichaud proceeds to clear a town to rescue a captured Canadian tank crew, but rather than withdraw with the rescued servicemen he decides to assist in capturing the whole town. After a King Tiger tank
Tiger II
Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,Panzerkampfwagen – abbr: Pz. or Pz.Kfw. Ausführung – abbr: Ausf. .The full titles Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf...

 appears, the men plant demolition charges in a German ammunition dump to destroy the tank. But one of the fuses is defective, and Sgt. Callard manually detonates it, sacrificing himself in the process. Robichaud and Cole are wounded, and Sergeant Callard is killed. A saddened Robichaud decides to nominate Callard for the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

 and promote Cole, and presumably Private Peterson, to corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....

. They then start moving reinforcements through the town to help the Polish defending Hill 262
Hill 262
Hill 262, or the Mont Ormel ridge , is an area of high ground above the village of Coudehard in Normandy that was the location of a bloody engagement in the final stages of the Normandy Campaign during the Second World War. By late summer 1944, the bulk of two German armies had become surrounded by...

.

Polish campaign

The Polish campaign revolves around Cpl. Wojciech Bohater, a tank driver in the Polish 1st Armored Division. Bohater participates in a sweep across the French countryside, engaging German armor. The Poles later move into position at the base of Hill 262
Hill 262
Hill 262, or the Mont Ormel ridge , is an area of high ground above the village of Coudehard in Normandy that was the location of a bloody engagement in the final stages of the Normandy Campaign during the Second World War. By late summer 1944, the bulk of two German armies had become surrounded by...

, which is assaulted by the remnants of the German 7th army desperate to escape the Falaise Pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...

. Bohater and his crew defend the hill against German tanks, but eventually their tank is damaged and the crew abandons it. They join in the battle alongside the Polish infantry units and other tank crews, holding off the German attack. The Poles continue to take heavy casualties, including two of the main characters, Corporal Rudinski and Sergeant Kowalski, while waiting for Canadian reinforcements, and start to retreat up the Mace through pockets of German-infested trenches. The Canadian radio operator, Pte. Baron, arrives to call in artillery and refuses to retreat, only to be shot in the head while getting up. Ulan scavenges his radio, which is used again to call for artillery strikes. In the final minutes of the level, Major Jachowicz commands Bohater to defend the hill against the advancing German troops. He defends the other side of the hill and finally, as green flares illuminate the skies, the Canadian infantry arrives to save the day for the Poles on Hill 262. After the level, Lieutenant Robichaud is seen talking with Major Jachowicz, saying that he and his men have done an excellent job at defending the hill, and also telling him that the Germans still have an escape route: Chambois. Presumably Bohater is promoted to Sergeant and Ulan is promoted to Corporal, and the soldiers move to prevent the Germans from escaping in Chambois.

Development

Call of Duty 3 was officially unveiled by Activision shortly before E3 2006, it was also revealed that Treyarch would be developing the title which was set to release later that year. The game would be running on Treyarch's own internal engine, NGL.

In a interview with Video Gamer, Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is generally considered to be the fifth mainstream game of the Call of Duty series and returns the setting to World War II. The game was...

 senior producer, Noah Heller, revealed the team only had eight months to develop Call of Duty 3.

Reviews and awards

Call of Duty 3 had generally favorable reviews, with an 8.8 from both IGN and GameSpot, and an 8.5 from Game Informer. The game won various awards from publications for best shooter and sound design. Institutes such as the The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded the game for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design in 2007.

Sales

Upon release Call of Duty 3 was one of the best selling titles of November, 2006 in the US. The game debuted at #3 on UK charts and dropped off the top 10 list by February 2007. By the end of 2006 the game had sold approximately 1.1 million units in the US according to NPD Group
NPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...

. By February 3rd, 2007 total sales in the US were 2 million units.
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