Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: September 29, 2004

Last year marked the emergence of one of the best squad-based, first person WWII shooters on the PC, Call of Duty. The title boasted gritty, realistic graphics, adrenaline-pumping locales, and some of the most memorable scripted-action sequences of any game in its genre. Based on Call of Duty‘s success and the vast scope of the war it covers, it seemed inevitable that Activision would bank on an expansion pack, bringing players new and more exciting scenarios, weapons, and game modes. Heeding the call, Grey Matter Studios (the team that designed Return to Castle Wolfenstein) has developed the add-on named United Offensive, returning gamers to battle by land, sea, and air.

United Offensive is an expansion pack with three single-player campaigns and new multiplayer features. Like in the original Call of Duty, the single-player campaigns include highlights from the American, British, and Russian experiences of WWII. The American missions quickly bring players into the thick of the battles of Bastogne and the Bulge, featuring the Germans’ last efforts to counter-attack the inevitable invasion of Germany in December of 1944. Next, players go back a few years to become a British B-17 gunner during a bombing run over Germany in September of 1941, followed by a sabotage mission preceding “Operation Husky,” the July 1943 invasion of Sicily. The final campaign takes place throughout the Russian Battle of Kursk, featuring elements of trench warfare, large-scale tank battles, and heroic assaults on bombed-out cities.

In addition to the single-player campaign, United Offensive features an enhanced multiplayer experience. The developers have added 11 new multiplayer maps, as well as three new modes of play: “Domination,” “Capture the Flag,” and “Base Assault.” On these new maps, players can take sides as Americans, Germans, Russians or British, and for the first time, commandeer multi-slotted tanks, jeeps, and trucks to add extra punch to the battles. Multiplayer also adds new weapons on all sides, such as flamethrowers and deployable machineguns, plus new items like smoke grenades and binoculars to call in mortar strikes.

Like in Call of Duty, the bulk of United Offensive‘s missions take place on the ground, with gamers acting as part of a multi-person squad. Going “Rambo” typically gets players killed, so the key to success often involves working in conjunction with AI allies to coherently storm a bunker or execute a flanking maneuver across a contested area. During battles, gamers can duck, crawl, and run to their destination, as well as right-click to look “down the sight” of their weapon for more accuracy at the expense of free movement. In addition, some of the new features of United Offensive include the ability to sprint short distances (ala Day of Defeat) and “cook off” grenades, letting them explode sooner than normal.

Vehicle combat also plays a significant role in the new add-on. There are a few missions that involve manning guns on a truck or motorcycle sidecar as the AI driver traverses a dangerous and exciting pre-set path, something that best resembles an interactive, violent Disneyland theme ride. Players also get to man the guns of a B-17 bomber, a patrol boat, and several anti-aircraft platforms to shoot down or sink the enemy. Some of the later missions in Kursk even put you in the seat of a Russian tank during the famous armored land battle.

Other noticeable additions to the Call of Duty experience are found in the expanded arsenal. The Americans now have the infantry-stopping Browning .30 caliber machine gun and the tank-busting M1A1 Bazooka. On the Russian side is the self-loading Tokarev SVT-40 rifle, the Tokarev TT-33 sidearm, and the Degtyarev 7.62 mm hand-held infantry machine gun. The British get to use the Silenced Sten Mk IIs during espionage missions, as well as the trusty Webley Mk 4 revolver. To counteract all this firepower, the Germans have an expanded list of weapons as well. The enemy carries the Gewehr 43 reloading rifle, the powerful MG 34 machine gun, the formidable Panzerschrek, and the fearsome Flamethrower. Multiplayer battles also feature satchel charges and strategic smoke grenades, adding new elements to already frenzied skirmishes.