by Steve - September 26, 2004

Last year, Call of Duty was released, receiving more than 80 Game of the Year Awards. It was renowned for totally immersing the player in the vivid World War II environment around them. Gray Matter plans to continue this with their expansion, United Offensive.

Keep Moving Comrades!

United Offensive's single player is laid out similar to that of Call of Duty. You start off in the shoes of an American paratrooper participating in the Battle of the Bulge. Out of the three campaigns you encounter in single player, the American section is probably the worst. Most of the missions consist of simply defending against wave after wave of German attackers. Although it may accurately portray the grim odds that paratroopers faced in the Battle of the Bulge, it isn�t a whole lot of fun. The British campaign starts aboard a B-17 bomber flying over Germany. Although you can�t fly the plane, you are one of the crew�s gunners. Again, you fend off wave after wave of German attacks. You�ll eventually find yourself working on the ground with a group of British commandos. Except for the first mission, the British campaign focuses more on small conflicts rather than the huge battles that are portrayed in the other two campaigns. The intense action picks up again in the Russian campaign. The insane infantry charges and the �not one step back� mantra still hold true. You�ll see hordes of your comrades throwing themselves at the enemy. They never stop, and keep pushing forward. These missions are very exciting and fast-paced. The level designers at Gray Matter did an excellent job on the Russian missions. The decimated Russian cities look absolutely amazing. Of the three campaigns, I enjoyed this one the most.

Artillery... Get Down!

Gray Matter pushes the aging Quake 3 Arena engine to its limits. They've introduced a new particle effects system, which makes explosions and fires look absolutely amazing. This new system is most apparent in the British bomber mission, with flak explosions and gunfire all around you. Little details like that really help to suck you into the game�s environment. They�ve also introduced several new weapons into the game, including deployable machine guns, semi-automatic rifles for the Germans and Russians, and a flamethrower. The weapons are wonderfully modeled and look great. Even on the lowest graphics settings, the game looks good. Although it can�t compare to some of the genre�s newer titles like Farcry and Doom 3, United Offensive still looks great.

Total Immersion

United Offensive keeps Call of Duty's stirring soundtrack. The screams of your comrades keep you fighting for more. Artillery and gunfire can be heard in the distance, making you feel like you're just a small part of a much larger conflict.Music kicks in at just the right moments, adding greatly to the game's atmosphere.

Mission Failed.

Some sections of United Offensive's single player can be very frustrating. Even on the game's lower difficulty settings, missions can be very difficult. With the excellent ambience that the game presents, this frustration is somewhat disappointing. United Offensive's multiplayer is the other side of the coin. Multiplayer is fast-paced and action-packed, especially with a group of friends.

Multiplayer Mayhem

Call of Duty has an incredibly large multiplayer following, and United Offensive fulfills many players� requests. Drivable vehicles have entered the multiplayer equation. Small jeeps can move quickly, holding a driver, rear gunner, and passenger. A variety of tanks are also available, holding a main gunner/driver, and machine gunner. Vehicles add a whole new dimension of game play and strategy. Gray Matter has also introduced three new game types and eleven new maps. The maps are absolutely enormous, mostly cater to vehicular combat. Capture the Flag, a staple of most first-person shooters, doesn�t need much explanation. Base Assault is a very unique mode of play. Each team has three bunkers that they must defend. In order to destroy a bunker, it must be blasted open with a barrage of heavy weapons fire. Then, explosives must be planted in the interior to finish the job. The first team to destroy all three of the other team�s bunkers wins the match. The final game type is Domination. It will instantly be familiar to fans of the Half Life mod, Day of Defeat. Each team vies for control of several control points distributed throughout the map. The first team to take control of all of the points wins the match. The multiplayer also introduces many other new features. One that many fans have been begging for is HTTP redirection. This allows players to download custom files(like maps and mods) that a server is running from an outside file server, rather than from the game server itself. This results in incredibly fast downloads, compared to the slow ones in Call of Duty. Another notable addition is a ranking system. As you gain ranks you get bonuses, like more ammo, or the ability to call in devastating artillery strikes. Overall, the multiplayer is just as solid as Call of Duty�s was.

Worth the Purchase?

Overall, United Offensive is a very solid expansion pack. If you hated Call of Duty, United Offensive probably isn't going to change your mind. On the other hand, if you loved CoD, United Offensive will keep you playing for many more months.