Preview: Call of Duty 3 (PS3)

Activision's historic World War II series has, in its short lifespan, managed to snatch the initiative from EA's blockbusting Medal of Honor. This has been achieved through solid research and some barnstorming cinematic moments as you help the Allies overcome the original axis of evil.

While PlayStation 2 owners have had the opportunity to enjoy this version of the series since last November, we all knew it was far from the real deal. Jealousy was inevitable when you compared the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions, with the latter taking those cinematic set pieces to another level. Glorious high definition, amazing digital sound and graphics delivering a real sense of war, unsurprisingly COD3 was one of the most popular 360 titles upon its release. What improvements, if any, have been made four months on?

Call of Duty 3 is refreshing in that it shuns the usual historical big moments of WWII and instead focuses on overlooked (but ultimately just as important) events. Playing elsewhere, you'd have been led to believe that after D-Day the Allies simply strolled into Berlin, when in fact there was a succession of deciding battles along the way. This journey is too big for one videogame, so Treyarch have decided to focus on the events just after D-Day, when the allies tried to break out from their initial landings zones into the more luscious Gallic countryside.

A common theme with all of Gamestyle's recent PS3 previews is that the developer has tried to integrate the motion control feature of the SIXAXIS controller. The trend continues with the introduction of melee combat sequences, where you are invited to shake the device from side-to-side to overcome an opponent. It is far from a major selling point, but its implementation helps to break up the carnage and action, that on a high definition set up (yes, it supports 1080p) can overwhelm at times. The controller also comes into play whilst steering a vehicle, sniping or mini-games such as trying to defuse a ticking bomb.

More common themes are evident in feedback after the American PS3 release late last year. Dare we say it, but the consensus is that the Xbox 360 version not only has a smoother frame rate, but also a more vivid colour scheme. Add to that the existence of bugs (in both versions) and you hope that the European launch delay has been used to shore up the defences.

Despite supporting 24 players online, the current online mode is still inferior to that of the Xbox 360. This is partially out of the developers' hands, as the Microsoft service is well established and extremely efficient. In comparison, the PlayStation 3 edition is just starting out and needs to be given time. However the foundations of a strong online experience are evident, with nine competitive maps and balanced classes promoting fantastic matches across six match types. With no voice support or points system in place to reward skill, you know that the PS3 has its work cut out from day one. It's a shame that the split-screen couldn't have been included either.

The main criticism levelled at COD3 is that it does nothing new, only delivers something on a higher scale than before. For fans of such releases there is much to behold in the release (online or offline) but for those uninspired by the genre, this may prove to be a brief sortie behind enemy lines.

Words by Jason Julier