Some battles are just more fun to fight than to win. You can thank riveting World War II epics such as the Call of Duty series for this fact -- the battles are perfect fodder for explosive first-person combat experiences, full of period-specific weaponry such as Mauser Kar98K rifles or MP40 submachine guns.

Though light on originality, Call of Duty 3 is a strikingly atmospheric firefight that scores big with its cinematic battles and dramatic window-dressing. Credit the efforts of series newcomer Treyarch, which inherited development reins from Infinity Ward. Treyarch upped the ante with button-mashing one-on-one unarmed battles with ambushing Nazis, sprints through rain-soaked riverbeds as buddies bite it inches away and suicidal marches up underbrush-strewn hills which bristle with automatic gunfire. The action unfolds from four perspectives -- American, British, Canadian and Polish GIs -- taking you on harrowingly brutal assignments, in which you'll accompany squads of intelligent allies through burning barns and enemy-infested tunnels. Dramatic mid-mission cut-scenes and constant chatter from gung-ho, mutinous or fear-addled associates lend a tangible sense of emotional weight to every battle.

Intense and smartly-scripted conflicts feature multiple pathways through every engagement. Still, gloriously unpredictable minute-to-minute combat is the most impressive showpiece, as windmills explode and SS recruits charge down embankments or intelligently flank your position. From clever use of smoke and cover to support for 24-man team-based online showdowns featuring on-foot battles and vehicular combat, military mayhem has never looked better.