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ESRB: T (Teen)
Genre: Action
Platform: Xbox 360
Multiplayer: N/A
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Graphics: 80
Audio: 90
Gameplay: 90
Replay: 80
Overall: 85
High:
Amazing surround sound that will give any home theater a workout.
Intense action throughout the entire game.
Terrific graphics.
A Next-Gen worthy title.
Low:
Enemy AI is lacking on a few levels.
Could have used some touchups in overall, but nothing major.
Call of Duty 2 is the newest multiplatform World War 2 based first person shooter on the market. Many people are highly skeptical of any new game based around the Second World War simply because the entire concept has been done to death time and time again. With different titles being released what seems like every month that base them self around this historical time period, you would think nothing new could possibly be done. Oh man were they wrong! I am happy to announce that if you did gather up enough dough in hopes to add this gritty game to your ever growing 360 collection you will not be disappointed. It delivers on almost every aspect a first person shooter should and with some of the most amazing sound effects blasting from your home theater, it sets a new standard for any game that follows. The only warning I can give you for this fast-paced dogfight is to make more room on your couch because if you are lucky enough to have friends, they will defiantly be occupying it.
When you first pop Call of Duty 2 into your Xbox 360 you will notice that like its senior, the game starts you off as one of a few different countries. The first one you are required to control is the Russian Army. You play as a lonely private fighting his way through droves of intent Germans trying his best to stay alive. From there you move onto the British, where you’re stationed for the most part in Africa shooting the enemy from behind destroyed walls and marking tanks from sandy rooftops. Once you have killed enough hell bent Nazis with those two allied factions the game swoops you off for a surreal adventure hitting the shores on D-day with the Americans. As you meticulously overcome each obstacle you will slowly begin to unlock the others campaigns. Even though you can’t play all three countries right from the get go, most gamers will have them all unlocked by the end of the first or second play session.
This game is one of the most fast paced, intense and brutal first person shooters that have hit the market in a long time. You are thrown into an extreme combat sequence right off the training session and don’t have any time in-between to really stop and get your bearings. The only place in the entire game you really have a chance to collect your self is during the journal intermissions or after you have just been killed. Between dodging bullets as you hear them zip past you and lodge themselves in the chest of your comrade, to stabilizing your senses as huge mortars crash into the ground shaking the ruins of what was Stalingrad. This game is definitely not for the feint of heart and gives you an overall sense of how vicious and corrosive WWII was towards the people and the environment they inhabited.
With such hectic combat, you would imagine the controls for the game were done well. Though the basic control setup, as far as crouching and the other necessities of a shooter are concerned were appropriately implemented, the one thing I did find odd is why leaning around corners has been left out. A standard feature that comes with even the PC title, leaning from behind cover seems to be mistakenly missing from the Xbox 360 version. It becomes a bit frustrating when you’re in the most heart throbbing, palm sweating situation and the only option you have is to pop out in front of a tank like a mental patient; guns blazing just to be killed within 3 seconds of introducing yourself to the enemy. It is not a major draw back; however I can’t comprehend the reasoning process behind this decision.
When you examine the screen, one thing most players will notice is the fact that the health meter does not make an appearance in this installment of Call of Duty. That’s right guys, it’s gone. What it was replaced with is what seems to be working well with more modern games and that’s action based health indication. When you are in an intense firefight and you begin to take hits, your breathing will become heavy and red veins will pop up on either side of the screen. The more you are hit, the more obvious it becomes you need to take cover. If you fail to get behind even a small wall, you will die and be welcomed by a quote from one of many historical figures. Once you play through a couple of mission, the health system becomes more of a gift from the invisible man above then a hindrance to the awesome game play Call of Duty 2 delivers. This is one of the better changes I have seen done with this title because it allows you to concentrate on the events surrounding you, rather then a health meter.
One aspect of this game I was not impressed with is the drone like enemy AI. At many points in the game it feels like you’re killing a bunch of European third graders who are on there way home from school instead of defeating one of the world’s super powers. From colliding with each other, to generically popping their heads out from cover like some sick version of whack-a-mole you would play at a local fair, Next-Gen AI does not get much worse then this. However, you will be happy to know, that the Artificial Intelligence in this game, does have a slightly brighter side. Your teammates will react to the battle in real-time. If the enemies are cleared out of the target destination, they will advance and set up offensive positioning. On the other hand when it’s time to defend, they not only brace for it, but the commanding officer lets you know the situation and in many cases this becomes an effective luxury. I can accredit the illusion of a more substantial AI to the fact that you indeed do many of the tasks the opposing force must figure out alone, however, whatever the circumstance the little computer controlled men you work with, seem slightly more competent then their Nazi counterparts.
Call of Duty 2 is easily repayable due to the extreme variances in intensity based on what difficulty you have chosen. Each difficulty completed gives you the feeling of accomplishment rather then an empty sense of twisted “dejavu”. The real fun begins when you attempt to tackle the game on Veteran. Your overall experience will change greatly because you’re left to overcome many of the objectives alone. Every enemy guns right for your neck and if you thought you had experienced an intense and overwhelming game thus far, you are in for a rude awakening. Not only do your ever so trusted war buddies become useless lumps of pixel and polygon, but the vicious Nazi’s seem to become more ferocious with each encounter.
With all this being said, it boils down to the game itself. Is it worth the hard earned money you would spend on it? We defiantly think it is. Call of Duty 2 is one of the first next-gen experiences many players will have a chance to enjoy. With stunning visuals, intense game play and sound that will make your body shiver, this game is a must for any first person shooter fan.
Reviewed By:Doug Lambe Reviewed On: Fri, 20 January 2006 10:05:34
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