Last week about this time, we were at full-blown war in the Activision office. Now don't get us wrong- we didn't go into some danish-throwing fit over a game of World Series of Poker or anything like that. No, we were in trenches, moving about as if out life depended on it. Before you ask, no, we're not talking about a real war here. We are in fact talking Call of Duty 3, the next chapter in Activision's ongoing first-person World War II-based series. Due next month, the game looks ready to bring even more ferociousness than last year's Call of Duty 2- and it'll be doing it for all the major consoles. We've already given you the lowdown on the PS3 edition earlier this week. Today, we talk about the Nintendo Wii edition.

The Nintendo Wii edition has something going for it that makes it more unique than any of the other versions on the shelves- the correspondence with Wii-mote movements. Using the combination of the Nunchuk analog stick and the Wii-mote, you move your soldiers through the war-torn battlefields in the Normandy Breakout campaign. With this game, you don't use analog sticks to aim your weapon. Instead, you use the Wii-mote in real-time, moving the tip of your gun at your targets and then firing with a quick press of the trigger.

This gameplay took some adjusting at first. That's because while you're trying to figure out how the aiming system works, the enemy's not letting up. However, a few minutes into our first mission through a village (and a couple of deaths later), we got the hang of the gameplay. The movement actually works really well with this game. The Nunchuk stick makes strafing a bit easier, all while we aim with the Wii-mote. It's a nice new approach to the FPS theme, just like Ubisoft's Red Steel.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to look at the game's multiplayer functions. The final game should have some kind of support for off-line matches, although it's unclear how the control system will work via split-screen. I'm sure Treyarch and Activision have something figured out in this regard. As far as online, nothing is confirmed for launch, but eventually, the team wants to have support for up to 24 players. We'll see how this pans out in the final release.

Call of Duty 3 also has a hitch with its graphics. Although what's here is very presentable for the Wii, the details aren't really as good as they are in the Xbox 360 and PS3 builds. The game moves between 20-30 frames per second, and is fluid enough, but we couldn't help but notice some of the muddy textures, even in the zoom-in view through our rifle. Perhaps that was the intention of the folks at Treyarch, trying to make us feel we're in a real worn-down territory, taking down the Germans. But some people might be turned off by the fact the game doesn't look as good here as it does elsewhere.

Regardless of the lackluster graphic appearance, the gameplay does enough to innovate. Along with using the traditional set-up to move around, you can also move the controller up and down for melee attacks, as well as to switch weapons in a hurry. You can also lob grenades by doing a fisherman-like hand motion, although it takes a little bit of practice. The first time I threw a grenade, I blew myself up pretty badly. Yeah, ouch. Fortunately, like I said, with a little persistence comes result. Grenade throwing became more fun after that.

The sound is pure authentic WWII experience, complete with commanders barking orders, thunderously loud explosions, and plenty of gunfire to rattle your stereo speakers. The music is also good when it kicks in, sounding as if it was ripped right from the Saving Private Ryan soundtrack. Well, close to it anyways.

Call of Duty 3 for the Nintendo Wii probably won't attract as many people as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will, due to its muddy graphics and its undefined multiplayer features. However, the control scheme definitely incorporates a new style of play that's worth a try, even if you feel kind of silly throwing grenades. The game will have various missions in the final product, making you feel like you're really tearing German ass throughout the campaign. We'll be back with a full review of the game upon its arrival next month, and let you know if this is a war worth fighting. Hopefully there won't be any danish throwing.