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> Results: Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
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The ESRB Says
Blood:GamerDad saw blood spatter as he mowed down columns of Nazis in battle after battle. Language:Much of it was in German, but there was no mistaking the exclamations of many ambushed soldiers. Violence:If you aren't shooting at someone, you're walking to the next place where you'll shoot at someone. The history of World War II video games is becoming as interesting as the history of the war itself. Medal of Honor Allied Assault firmly established the genre as a PC gaming classic, only to be bested later on by Call of Duty. So it is fitting that the release of a Medal of Honor Allied Assault game for the PSP is shadowed by a Call of Duty game, but somewhat ironic that in the long run the Medal of Honor game is better. Most average games I play are a 'mixed bag' - a bunch of things that work acceptably but not great, with some elements that are particularly good or bad. This is what I would call genuinely 'uneven' - the entire game veers between really good and really bad, with an overall net effect. There are some really great levels - the 'Lucky Number 13' and 'Nijmegen' immediately spring to mind - but they are in the American section and are over before you are half-way through the game. The rest of the game is littered with 'kill all the Germans before they take out your allies' missions, timed set-pieces and drudgery. But the last mission is pretty well done, and leaves you with a decent feeling of accomplishment. The controls are not great, but are helped by an auto-aim that ranges wildly between 'insta-death' and useless. The general strategy ends up being to run into a crowd of Germans shooting wildly, as that is the best way to keep the auto-aim engaged. This works well since many enemies are simply standing around waiting for their turn to be killed. One of the best things about the original Call of Duty was the final set of Russian missions, and not having them represented here felt like a missed opportunity. Every now and then you would get into a frantic and frenetic situation that you wished would be sustained, but they never were with the exceptions I noted. Also, there is only local multiplayer with no bot support - and for many this means that when the game is done it is done. Is this a bad game? Not so bad as I portray - it is tense and filled with some decent shooter fun; it just is highly flawed and perhaps four out of fourteen missions are memorable. If you are looking for some portable World War II battles, look to Medal of Honor Heroes instead.  
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory looks, feels and plays almost identically to Call of Duty 2, right down to the use of the 'screen red' to show when you are getting injured. The scale of the effect compared to the screen size actually makes this effect more of a reaction - but as in the original game indicators on screen as you become more injured cause much more emotional reaction than watching your health bar approach zero. Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is an extremely intense and violent first-person shooter that uses scripting and a solid graphics engine very effectively to make you feel immersed in World War II. You are in constant peril, and the enemy onslaughts are frenetic and will have you scrambling for survival. Despite minimal blood, the intensity alone marks this as definitely a game for older teens and adults.
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