Okay, I admit it. Being from a younger generation, I am ignorant of the older, great Atari games that I've heard so much about. I can't stay in a conversation reminiscing about the "old" days when all 3D games were just simple, 2 color vector wireframes. Does that make me any less "hardcore?" Personally, I don't really care. I can still tell an awesome game when it comes along.

Simply put, Battlezone is great. I really cannot say that I remember the old Battlezone (featured on the Atari) but that makes no difference. Battlezone is one of the top games of the year displaying awesome graphics, addictive gameplay and whose only real drawback is its steep system requirements.

As the gaming world has progressed, two major genres have emerged: real time strategy & 3D shooter/action. Some games have made a valiant effort to combine these two genres. For example, Dungeon Keeper, basically a real-time strategy, lets the player jump into the eyes of any character, thus mixing in some 3D action. Uprising, on the other hand, was basically a 3D-action deal with the ability to build different structures and units. Battlezone takes the point of view of the latter: you command different units, which build structures, which in turn pump out more units. You can only control the certain unit you are currently in.

One aspect that Battlezone uses especially well is its story. Remember the "space race" during the cold war? Well, Battlezone unveils the hidden war against the Russians that was unbeknownst to the public. The game does an excellent job setting up different battlegrounds on different planets as two forces race toward domination of the universe. Levels range from Luna (Earth's Moon), Mars, Venus, Europa, Io and Titan (moons of Jupiter). Each planet has its own distinct characteristics including terrain, sky, and fog. Someone did their homework, research-wise.

Battlezone's graphics are just breathtaking. The landscape engine resembles that of Mechwarrior (& the more recent Heavy Gear), except with major improvements. As previously mentioned, each planet has its own characteristics, displayed almost flawlessly by the superb terrain engine. The innovative map/radar gives a 3D perspective, displaying hills and valleys on the planet. Objects in the game are also excellent. Detailed models have high polygon counts as well as good textures. All object animation (including ships flying, units fighting, and building, uh, buildings) are smooth and pleasing to the eye. But all of the marvelous eye candy is only available to those with a fast system (3D acceleration is definitely recommended).

Praise the lord and pass the ammunition!
This is the Age of Rifles, baby! There are no tactics except to attack. There is no finesse except in seeing how far your cavalry can charge blindly into the enemy rear. There is only your bright, colorful 19th century uniform, your trusty rifle, and enough glory to last one lifetime. This is as close as war comes to football, in the days before modern weapons such as machine guns and airplanes transformed gallantry into carnage.

Backed by a beautiful soundtrack reminiscent of SSI's Steel Panthers, the creators of that fine piece of electronic entertainment have done it again. Nearly every major battle (62 scenarios) from 1846-1905 is included in the package along with eight different campaigns and quite a few "what-ifs". The player can fight both sides in the American Civil War, which is showcased, or can go even further back to face the Mexicans in the 1840's, or jump ahead to the 20th century and play either the Russians or the Japanese in 1905 Manchuria.

Gameplay is surprisingly simple and concise, with on-screen help appearing every time the cursor is placed over a particular button. Units are moved across the finely bit-mapped landscape by a seamless point-and-click movement. To attack, simply place the cursor over the enemy force(s). A small crosshair appears, the music heightens in its intensity, and the smoke and bullets begin to fly! In fact, I became so engrossed in my game (a recreation of the Mexican-American skirmish at Palo Alto (Texas, 1846) that I soon lost track of time and realized that I needed to quit someday so that I could write this review.

Another excellent element is the powerful scenario editor. The player can take any scenario, any unit, any nationality, and then place them on the board for battle. Or, one even has the option of creating his or her own map and then adding buildings and different troops. Imagine this: a combined force of Mexicans, Prussians, and Zulus marching upon Washington DC in 1875, a city defended by a handful of Americans, a British legion, and several Chinese Boxers and Indian Sikhs. Makes you think.

For the briefest of moments, I considered joining the military. What young man worth his weight in arcade tokens doesn't want to learn how kick ass and defend "America the Beautiful" from any "real" threat to liberty and democracy? The answer is: a conscious young man. Not necessarily socially and politically conscious, but conscious of the fact that bullets hurt, war is frightening and there is no way in hell I'm waking up before 8:00 am to some strange man with a funny haircut barking orders in my ear.
Luckily, as a full-grown scribe tasked with reviewing Activision's latest first-person shooter, Call of Duty, I get to reap the virtual satisfaction of squeezing a trigger without all that moral crap confusing things. It can't, because the gameplay is much too good and the whole package much too sweet.

Not only does this help even the overwhelming odds, but it looks so damn cool to see NPC's dragging wounded soldiers, getting brutally dismantled themselves, supplying covering fire, seeking cover and climbing atop tanks to open hatches and deliver a well-place 'nade. They really move like a highly-trained group of bad-asses.

And it's all scripted. You will never need to issue a single command, which is a double-edged sword because sometimes you wish you could tell your group to advance or give you cover fire on the fly. Nonetheless, what is there is done splendidly and truly makes you feel like you're a part of something big - especially since you can play the same level over again and see the same events now scripted differently. Way cool.

And again, a very straightforward one. Some might be turned off a little by its linearity, though that's also where the game's scripting comes into play. Sometimes, linearity can be a good thing.

But like me, you'll be itching for more of the same once you complete the 10-hour single-player campaign. No worries! Call of Duty comes with an excellent multiplayer component which sits nicely as a separate shortcut on your desktop. There are 5 different modes supporting 32 players, including Team and Classic Deathmatch, Retrieval (very similar to Counter-Strike hostage rescue), Search and Destroy (basic CS bomb mission) and Behind Enemy Lines (this stacks the game with the allied forces grossly outnumbered). The action is fast-paced and frantic over large, detailed maps. Great, fun stuff that will more than likely keep you up very late.

With such simple and smart gameplay, Call of Duty rocks in all the right ways. It looks outstanding and plays well without any needed patches. The single-player is very engrossing, really the best thing since MOH:AA. Expect even more once the mod scene starts working it out. Highly recommended, soldier.