Call of Duty 3 gets detailed

From within the pages of US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, comes some new information on Call of Duty 3. Firstly we’re told to expect online support for up to 24 players, plus split-screen support for those that like to gather around a single screen.

A new War mode is also revealed, in which Axis and Allied teams battle it out for strategic locations and vehicles, earning points and new abilities on the way. This ability gaining mechanic is explained using the example of a scout who at first is only able to call up a couple of artillery attacks, but as experience is gained larger scale attacks can be ordered.

New gameplay tweaks since Call of Duty 2 will affect the way tasks such as planting bombs are carried out. No longer will a single button press plant the bomb – instead you’ll need to go though all the motions involved. Other gameplay snippets include having to row a boat and fire at the enemy simultaneously, plus a fair bit of hand-to-hand combat.

Presentation should be vastly superior to its predecessors – characters will move more fluidly, and environments will feature better texturing and advanced shaders. Load times are apparently a thing of the past as well. Other neat additions include realistic foliage that will flatten as you walk over it, grenades that scorch the ground, and lots of destructible cover – each surface will even react accordingly to bullets.

It all sounds impressive, and we don’t even need to wait that long for its release. Call of Duty 3 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, and Xbox towards the end of the year.