Call of Duty 3 - updated hands-on

We've already previewed Call of Duty 3 pretty extensively, but we recently had an opportunity to take a longer look at the PlayStation 3 version in action. Scheduled to ship alongside the system on its Nov. 17 launch, it looks more or less identical to its Xbox 360 cousin, but there are a few touches unique to Sony's shiny new monster.

We were told, for instance, that the PS3's multiple processors make it easier to keep the animation from becoming slow or choppy (although we were then told that the 360 version's animation will run with the same smoothness). There's also the Sixaxis controller's motion-sensitivity, which enabled us to pull off close-up attacks (by violentlyjerking the controllerclockwise or counter-clockwise) and steer a jeep (by holding and moving the pad like a steering wheel). Like in the Wii version, the action will be occasionally interrupted by motion-sensitive minigames; rowing a boat, for example, will require moving the controller like a paddle.

Next-gen bells and whistles aside, we had a chance to play a new level, Laison River. As you might already know, Call of Duty 3 follows one Allied campaign - the battle of Falaise Gap, during which the good guys fought out of Normandy en route to Paris - from Polish, American, Canadian and British perspectives. We fought through Laison with what appeared to be Canadian troops; it was kind of hard to tell, though, what with all the bullets raining down everywhere.