Games that captivated me: Call of Duty (2003)

In the past decade or so there have been very few first-person shooter (FPS) games that have appealed to me. They have become too complicated, focus too much on multi-player (which I don't like) or end up being micro-transaction nightmares that I refuse to play. One of the only exceptions to this is the modern Doom games and a lot of this has to do with the metroidvania aspect that they built in as well as the absolutely bangin' soundtrack. That being said, I think that even the Doom games are too hard for my casual ass.

There was a time that a FPS game was the best game in my gaming arsenal and I played the hell out of it. We have to go all the way back to 20 years ago to revisit this though and it is one of the only Call of Duty games that I have ever played with any sort of determination to actually finish it.

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I don't recall if this game was even available on any other platform other than PC because my gaming options were pretty limited at that point in my life. I did have a pretty beefcake desktop computer at the time though so my ability to play the latest and greatest games was at the highest I have had in my life based on the time period. So running the game wasn't a problem for me and oh wow, did I ever play the hell out of this game.

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The graphics of course look dated in today's times but let's remember, this was 20 years ago and these graphics were really the best that anyone could hope for at that time. It wasn't just the graphics that made the game though and I am not a fan of games that substitute gameplay for majestic graphics anyway.

The WW2 genre has always been a popular one but this one had an amazing story that took part over actual battles that were in the real WW2 yet they were able to do it in a respectful way - or at least I don't remember anyone complaining about it - this could just be a sign of the times though since people will complain about almost anything these days.

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One of the coolest aspects about this game was that the same story was told from 3 different perspectives from all of the major Allies from the conflict. The Americans, the British, and the Soviet campaigns all were distinctly different and involved different voice actors that were all pretty damn amazing and timeless. The voice acting still stands up as some of the best I have heard in a war video game ever.

I think the most tragic campaign was the Soviet one, where you witness your own soldiers killing your own soldiers who are attempting to flee from battle. I don't recall if you are ever involved in actually executing any of the fleeing soldiers but given how sensitive a topic that would be an how friendly fire wasn't a part of gameplay, I doubt it.

The missions were gruesome and exposed the horrors of this war as well. It was also quite difficult but not in a way that made you want to throw your keyboard across the room. Most of the time when you were getting killed over and over again it was because you were approaching the level in the wrong way and perhaps it WAS a good idea to remain behind the tank during the advance just like your CO suggested.

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There aren't many FPS games that I have completed only to almost immediately start back over and do the whole thing again but that is exactly what I did with Call of Duty. As you would expect, I was a lot better at it the 2nd time through.

This was the very first Call of Duty game that ever existed and as I am sure you are aware, it went on to become a bit of a franchise and make tons of money. I have tried since then to play other COD games but like I mentioned before, they became too complicated or were pushing you towards multiplayer. The reason why I enjoyed this one so much is because it was about an actual conflict, perhaps that most famous one of all time. It was one of the first times in my life that I recall feeling as though video games are soon going to look like real life and will be excellent at recreating real-world situations. I think we have already come to that point but still, I prefer the classics that were a starting point for so many games that followed.

Almost anyone that mattered in the review world gave it damn near perfect marks and it won "Computer Game of the Year" from multiple publications. It was one of those games that for me personally, kind of ruined all other games that I had because it was so much better than anything else that I, or anyone else even had in our libraries.

The game has been remastered for consoles in 2009 and I am kind of upset with myself for having never played it. Seeing as how I am in a bit of a gaming drought at the moment having just finished Far Cry 5, maybe I should go and seek out some "comfort food" in an old classic friend.

Did you play Call of Duty back in 2003? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!