The first World War II FPS to make an impact (and really establish the sub-genre) was Medal of Honor. Combining (mostly) authentic weapons and a cinematic feel, it was a runaway hit. Medal of Honor was the top dog in its field... until Call of Duty came a knocking.

Originally an acclaimed PC title, Call of Duty turned the sub-genre on its ear with realistic squad based action. Last year, when a proper sequel came to consoles, the game showed blockbuster promise for publisher Activision. Now, with Call of Duty 3 a right hit across several platforms, it's time for serious debate as to who rules WWII FPS titles.

We caught up with Thaine Lyman, Activision's Vice President of Studios, and talked about hearing the call... all over again.

According to the NPD, Call of Duty 3 for the Xbox 360 was the fifth best selling title overall during November and the eighth best selling during December, making it second to only Gears of War on the 360 during that time period. The PS2 version was no slouch either, placing tenth overall and fourth on the platform during December. Over all consoles, Call of Duty 3 sold more than 1.1 million copies during the month of December, putting it behind only the mighty Madden juggernaut.

"We're very happy with how Call of Duty 3 has performed, both from a quality and a commercial standpoint," said Lyman. "Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 2 was an instant classic and the most successful of all of the Xbox 360 launch titles, delivering the Call of Duty hallmarks of cinematic intensity, authenticity, and flat-out great gameplay. In doing so, it also cast a long shadow and great goal for Treyarch as they took on development for Call of Duty 3 - it's quite a challenge to have to live up to those expectations. The success of CoD3 shows that players want more of what Call of Duty brings, and that Call of Duty 3 delivers it."

This success continues the series' strong pedigree, especially on the Xbox 360. As Lyman alluded to, Call of Duty 2 was the 360's best selling title during its nascent stages and had overall sales of over a million as of September 2006. When asked about comparative sales between Call of Duty 2 and CoD3, Lyman responded, "Sales of the Call of Duty franchise have been very strong. Call of Duty 2 was the #1 game on Xbox 360 in 2005, as NPD has reported. And, this past year Call of Duty 3 was the #3 game overall across multiple platforms in the holiday quarter 2006, which NPD has stated, so we're quite pleased."

The Call of Duty series has set new high water marks for graphics with every incarnation. The first game rendered World War II infantry skirmishes like never before, and the sequel took it up a notch with greater detail and awesome looking smoke effects. Now, with Call of Duty 3, the attention to detail is evident in every vehicle, every weapon and in every soldier's face.

"Treyarch really went to town on taking the graphics even further. The level of detail in things like the uniforms and characters, the weapons, vehicles, environments and weather effects, shows off the kind of quality the next-gen systems can deliver. The interaction with the environment - for instance the fact that much of the cover can be destroyed, forces the player and AI both to deal with changing conditions on the battlefield, or that the grass will actually get matted down from tank tracks or grenades exploding again really reinforce the deeper immersion," explained Lyman. "Next, the variety of gameplay is strong, from infantry missions, to tank control, to drivable vehicles, to firing mortars, artillery spotting and sniper sequences, these were all elements that the team was able to more fully flesh out with the added capacity that the next-gen systems provide. The cinematics, done using the game engine and ensemble motion capture, are also items that I'd highlight which look great and allow the player a more movie-like experience."

Perhaps even more appreciated by gamers are the multiplayer improvements Treyarch made. While Call of Duty 2 only had support for 8 people over live, Call of Duty 3 raises the stakes significantly by increasing the number to 24. With different kits to choose in mutliplayer (like medical and ammo) and the addition of vehicles, the game is really a 'must have' if you love fragging your friends online.

"We have had a huge audience playing multiplayer since the release of Call of Duty 3 and still do," he asserted. "There's been a great response to the new modes and gameplay features, such as the large 24-player games and use of vehicles in multiplayer. It's fun jumping into a tank and blasting away at the enemy with the big gun - and equally fun to mantle onto the back of a tank and take the driver out by tossing a grenade into the hatch. The aspect of team play that the new modes and introduction of classes (such as medic, sniper, and scout) create really helps make for a game, where you can have fun just going in and blasting away, but that there's also a great amount of depth and strategy for players who take the time to play together as a team and use the strengths of the various classes together.

"In addition to all of the new modes and features, I think fans really enjoy the ranks and leaderboards, and the fact that we continue to support the community by releasing new content," Lyman added about Live support. "The new maps are a lot of fun and I think a few of them will quickly become among the most popular for the game, because we've been able to design them with the experience of how players have been playing the original maps in mind. With Call of Duty 2 we were one of the first publishers to offer additional game content via Marketplace, and there are always challenges that come with trailblazing on these kinds of new features, but with both Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 3 we felt like it was well worth the effort to be able extend players' enjoyment of the game."

In the past, Call of Duty's console entries received flack for airing TV ads that depicted pre-rendered sequences, not actual gameplay footage. We were pleased to see that the opposite was true for Call of Duty 3. The TV spots showed off the great visuals of the game on the Xbox 360, and while the editing was a bit frenetic, the result was a good demonstration of the game.

"We worked very hard to create a fully integrated marketing plan that revolved around the central theme that in Call of Duty 3 the player was going to get closer than ever to the fury of combat," Lyman remarked. "Every image, every screenshot, and every event we did worked toward this single vision. The overall campaign was successful because every part worked in unison."

Some of the most touted changes to Call of Duty 3's gameplay were the hand-to-hand combat and the drivable vehicles. These small additions really helped the game stand out compared to its predecessors. While we can only wonder what the future editions of the franchise will have in store (Improved control over your squad? Realistic infantry support of tanks?), the only certainty is that there will be more Call of Duty, a fact most fans can cheer about. "We think they're great additions that gave the player new experiences. In each Call of Duty game, the teams have introduced something new to keep the experience fresh and innovative for the player, and we look forward to new and exciting additions in future installments in the franchise," concluded Lyman.