Call of Duty was the winner of numerous gaming awards last year and, as you can imagine, an expansion to the game would be hard to ruin, even if a different developer took the reigns. At first it was a little hard going back to Call of Duty after playing graphically-intense games such as Far Cry and Doom 3, but it didn’t take long in recalling the enjoyment of the great and intense WWII first person shooter with new maps, missions, weapons, and more.
In United Offensive you have the opportunity to play some of the most impressive, powerful, and recognized battles of World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge, the invasion of Sicily, and the Battle of Kursk. As in Call of Duty, United Offensive lets you join forces with the American, British, or Russian Army in the campaign against Hitler and the Axis Coalition.
Gameplay
The gameplay in United Offensive has to be one of the strongest points in the expansion, as it was in the original game. The thing that makes the gameplay so great is the high level of action and intensity which includes your teammates beside you throughout the entire journey.
The expansion includes new weapons such as a Browning .30 Caliber M1919A6 Machine Gun, a Silenced Sten Mk II, the Panzerschrek, and a Flamethrower. There are also new vehicles and you get the chance to participate in an air mission where you take the gunner seat in a British B-17 bomber.
Graphics
While the graphics are a little dated they are still good. In many parts of the expansion there are so many things going on at once including smoke, fire, cross-fire, etc that it really helps create the effect of a realistic setting. If you’ve played Call of Duty then you pretty much know what to expect when it comes to the graphics. They won’t blow you away but they aren’t bad either.
Sound
The sound and music in United Offensive is another high point in the game. Simulating the entire war experience is something that requires quite a bit of detail which the development team successfully pulled off. The other big thing is the dramatic music you hear in the menus, videos, and at the end of each campaign. The music, which is most likely influenced by the highly rated HBO series Band of Brothers, really adds just the right touch of emotion to the hardened war stories.
Multiplayer
Exactly eleven new maps and three new modes (Domination, Capture the Flag, and Base Assault) were added into the multiplayer portion of the game. With new weapons, vehicles, and maps, it really feels like an entirely new experience. The following is a brief description of each of the new modes:
In the “Domination” mode teams battle it out in an attempt to capture between five and seven marked zones. In order for a team to capture a zone, represented by flags, players have to stand near the flags for a certain period of time to take over that area. The first team to capture all the zones wins.
The “Capture the Flag” mode should be fairly straightforward. Each team has to capture the enemy’s flag and return it to their base in order to gain points. The first team to hit the point limit wins the round.
In “Base Assault,” each team tries to find and destroy their enemy’s three bases. In order to eliminate a base the team must first take out the defenses. Once a base is destroyed the team that the base belongs to loses that spawn point.
Replay Value
Many games today are particularly lacking in this area. You complete the game and then it sits on your shelf for who knows how long. I can see myself possibly playing the single-player part of this expansion over at a higher difficulty rating, but probably not anytime soon.
Having a new and improved multiplayer portion really helps in this area which is what Gray Matter Studios has done. While some players might still play COD multiplayer religiously, it didn’t take very long for me to move on to other things. I definitely see something different with the multiplayer this time around, and I’m sure that I’ll stick with it for quite a bit longer than I did with the original COD multiplayer.
Overall
If you were one of the many people who enjoyed Call of Duty, adding this expansion to your game collection is worth it. It offers a new and improved look at this highly intense World War II FPS. The only things that I had a problem with were the dated graphics (which wasn’t hard to overcome), the shaky A.I., and the “use” key not always working correctly when trying to use things such as levers or artillery guns (I’m sure there will be patches). These few problems were not enough to distract me from a great expansion.
Playing out these historic battles gives the player a little insight into what the generation of men who bravely defended our nation faced in the trenches, air, and on the front lines. The expansion satisfied me for the price and I didn’t expect anything less.
