They had eight months. It showed — and that mattered less than what they learned.
Call of Duty 3 was built in eight months — the shortest production window Treyarch had ever worked within. The deadline was set by Activision's publishing schedule, and there was no room to move it. The result was a game that Noah Heller, a senior producer at the studio, later called the weakest Call of Duty Treyarch had made. He didn't say it bitterly. He called it a 『first draft.』 The kind of work you do when the clock is ticking and the only way forward is through. Years later, Treyarch would develop Call of Duty: World at War and Black Ops — games widely regarded as some of the best in the franchise. The eight-month sprint on Call of Duty 3 taught them what worked under pressure and what didn't. First drafts aren't meant to be perfect. They're meant to be finished — so you can write the second one better.
About this game
Call of Duty 3 (2006) is a World War II first-person shooter developed by Treyarch for multiple platforms including PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii. The game depicts the Allied advance through France in 1944, with campaigns centered on American, British, Canadian, and Polish forces. Treyarch developed the game in eight months — the shortest production cycle in the series at that time — which Noah Heller, a senior producer at Treyarch, later acknowledged made it their weakest Call of Duty entry. Heller described it as a 『first draft』 that laid groundwork for the studio's later successes. The score was composed by Joel Goldsmith, marking his first console game soundtrack.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Call of Duty 3 was released in November 2006 for multiple platforms, including PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii. It was Treyarch's second Call of Duty title, following Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. The game was developed in eight months — a timeline Noah Heller, senior producer at Treyarch, later confirmed in interviews — making it the shortest production cycle in the series at that time. The rushed development showed in the final product, and Heller openly acknowledged it as Treyarch's weakest entry, but also described it as a 『first draft』 that informed the studio's later, more acclaimed work on Call of Duty: World at War and the Black Ops series.
Tricks & Tales
The score for Call of Duty 3 was composed by Joel Goldsmith, a veteran of television and film music (including Stargate SG-1) for whom this was his first console video game soundtrack. Goldsmith had over twenty years of composing experience before entering game audio. The game ran on Treyarch's internal NGL engine. Despite its difficult production timeline, Call of Duty 3 introduced mechanics that would reappear in later Treyarch titles, including vehicle sections and squad-based combat emphasis.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PS2 is region-locked. A machine and a disc must belong to the same region to work together: NTSC-J (Japan and parts of Asia), NTSC-U/C (North America), or PAL (Europe, Australia). A Japanese console plays Japanese games. It is also Japanese 100-volt hardware — a fat model used in North America's 120 volts or Europe's 220–240 needs a step-down transformer; the slim models use an external adapter that can be swapped for the right one. DVD films carry their own separate region code, fixed to the console as well.
Maintenance Tips
The PS2's most vulnerable part is its optical drive. The laser pickup weakens with age, producing the famous Disc Read Error — discs that load slowly, read intermittently, or read games but not DVDs (or the reverse). Keeping the vents and internal fan free of dust matters, especially on the larger 'fat' models, which run warmer. Replacement laser units are still made, but match the part number to your exact model before buying, as several incompatible types exist. DualShock 2 controllers commonly develop sticky or drifting analog sticks with age; the rubber and contacts wear, and both are repairable.
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Call of Duty 3 copies regularly.
Is the PlayStation 2 Call of Duty 3 region-locked?
Yes. The PS2 locks discs to their region, so a North American disc plays on North American hardware and will not boot on an unmodified Japanese or European console. Before buying, check that the disc's region matches the machine you own.
Do I need a memory card to save Call of Duty 3 on PS2?
Yes — it saves to a PlayStation 2 memory card, so slot one in before you start. There is no battery sealed in a disc to wear out, but without a card your campaign has nowhere to live.
Does the PlayStation 2 version have split-screen multiplayer?
No. Unlike the Xbox 360 release, the PS2 version has no offline split-screen mode — on this hardware it is a single-player campaign. If couch co-op is what you are after, the PS2 disc is not the one.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Call of Duty 3 sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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