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Hidden within the premium versions of Modern Warfare 2 was a little game called Call of Duty Classic. A downloadable game for PSN and XBLA, PC gamers saw this game a long time ago as the original Call of Duty. Back then it was a fantastic game, it won many game of the year awards and started the now legendary franchise. I am a major fan of the franchise and I was looking forward to playing this game since I missed it initially. This anticipation led to the biggest disappointment of the year for me.
This is essentially a 6 year old PC game so luckily the games graphics have been updated slightly, but it still looks completely dated. Like any 3d game that came before it Call of Duty now is laughable compared to other games that have been released. Which is sad since the campaign now doesn’t make the impact it once would have. It’s like your uncle at the yearly get together wedding that says he can drink you under the table but ends up passing out after a six pack. You laugh at the time but end up feeling bad later.
Sound design is another weak point (it is 6 years old after all.) with the explosions and gun fire sounding weak these days. The main letdown is it just becomes a shooting gallery. With the AI barely doing anything besides standing and shooting and what are meant to be your squad mates doing nothing. This provides some frustrating situations where you are caught doing what the game tells you to do but your “AI” partners can’t kill 2 or 3 enemies that end up with you pressing continue again.
To make matters worse the gunplay doesn’t feel good; the machine guns barely feel any different. The old Call of Duty auto aim is in full force here to the point of ridiculousness. The amount the auto aim will aim for you in this game are astounding and it enforces the feeling of a shooting gallery.
I can’t expect many people will be playing this 8 player game online with Modern Warfare 2 out on the loose. Oh did you miss that the first time? Only 8 players online, that really doesn’t make sense to me. Be honest with yourself about the multiplayer on this game, there is no way anyone is going to play this over Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty World at War.
Because of its age the game is frustrating, it might not seem fair to judge the game because it’s old. But releasing it in such a crowded marketplace at the 1200 point max forces me to compare it against other games in the same price bracket and it cant compete in quality.
So what are the redeeming features of the game? I hear you ask. Well I can’t think of anything overly positive about the game but it is Call of Duty and feels like it. Considering how successful the series is now people must enjoy playing it. That is where this game makes its main argument.
It makes it even more disappointing that porting job on the game is terrible. There is no true widescreen option, it’s not completely noticeable unless you have played the PC game until you use the sniper rifle scope and notice that it’s an oval shape. Add in the fact you have to use the triggers to fire on the PS3 version and there are no other controller layouts and you have all the makings of a shoddy port.
I'm struggling to find the relevance of Call of Duty: Classic in today’s market; as an extra for the special addition it’s nice, but as a full 1200 point ($23.95 on PSN) game I can’t heartedly recommend it when you can get Call of Duty 2 or 3 nowadays for the same amount of cash. Even at 800 MS points this game would not seem reasonably priced considering how little work was put into the porting. 1200 points or $23.95 on PSN can buy some fantastic games: Shadow Complex, Trials HD, Castle Crashers, Braid, Pixel Junk Shooter, Flower or if you want a FPS battlefield 1943 for god sake. Please buy one of those games instead of spending money on this obvious cash in by Activision.
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