Call of Duty 2

"Hard at first but worth persevering for. Essential for any online gamer."

You're running through the amazing looking streets with grenades exploding around you and bullets being fired at you from all directions, some clinking into metal objects and ricocheting off. You run to cover to get out of the way of the sniper who had his sight on you and think "wow, I could actually be there"

There is an intensity and realism to Call of Duty 2 no other First Person Shooter (FPS) has created. It does little to radicalize the genre but it does every old idea brilliantly.

I'm going to split the four categories (gameplay, graphics, sound and value) into two separate categories single-player and multiplayer.

Gameplay:

Very well designed storylines and differing gameplay make the single-player campaign a full-filling experience. The difficulty options are well designed and give you a description of what sort of gamer should play each. The game splits into the lives of 3 soldiers in WWII, all from the allied forces, and tells the story of their war time lives as soldiers. The story stands up well and is support by old black and white footage before each mission which is interesting but not necessary to enjoy single-player. There are four nations in the game, British, American, Russian (the Allied forces) and the Germans (Axis forces) each have differing weapons and look.

Single-player is rather long but as the missions are set in completely different places and has varying objectives they are highly enjoyable, but I would not call the single-player campaign the main reason you should buy the game. It is helpful to improve your skills with all kinds of different weapons and find out which ones you favour. All in all single-player should be more of a "side game" to what I find the most exciting and intense online FPS of all time.

The Artificial Intelligence of the computer is very well done you feel part of a team and you must advance together to get past enemy forces. Allies will provide cover fire or take the task of sniping or manning a Gatling gun.
Allied soldiers shout commands and say where enemy soldiers are and enemy soldiers shout in they're national language. It adds to the experience and it helps greatly when someone shouts "enemy soldier behind you" and you can turn round and shoot him.

Even though before I said they have not added much to revolutionize FPS's Infinity Ward have made a step forward in the health system of FPS games. Gone are the health bars of old and now the interface looks much cleaner adding to the realism, now health recharges and it pays to be safe. Okay you may think "that's stupid, that must detract from the realism" but you would be completely wrong, firstly it eliminates health packs and the like which did look a bit silly in the first place. Secondly you can see some physical effects when you are injured, the screen goes red, your vision is blurred and you stumble around, it makes you feel hurt.

Aiming is always a talking point in FPS's and it is one of the only gameplay niggles I have in COD2. A lot of the time it is fine, machines guns when 'sprayed' go off in one direction; sniper rifles have big recoil, etc. But some guns they haven't quite got the balance right. To get more accuracy with weapons you have to right click to look down the sight, on some weapons the sight is obscured by big clips or dodgy sights, this is an annoyance that isn't really necessary to the game. In perspective it is very few weapons and most are ones which don't always require aiming. Sniper rifles have a magnified sight but shaky aiming so you have to breathe in to stop the shaking, this system is handled very well and it isn't hard to quickly aim down the sight then breath in when you get used to it.

There are six main types of guns, pistols, machines guns, heavy machines guns, fast-fire rifles, bolt action rifles and sniper rifles; there is also a rocket launcher in single-player only and a few shotguns. There are also grenades which all act the same and play a part in strategic manoeuvres; there are frag and smoke grenades. You usually start with a pistol and a weapon of your choice but this can change slightly. Every weapon is slightly or vastly different from another which makes the game differ and the choice in weapons greater. But sometimes weapons are a bit unbalanced and don't stay up to the standards of other weapons, for example the fastest gun in the game, the PPSH. It's probably used by 75%+ of the people on the Russians; it is powerful, fast and in short bursts not inaccurate and is regarded as the most annoying and 'sprayish' weapon in the game, on most maps it's a fair weapon but on small maps it is an unfair advantage. To be honest it isn't a huge problem but it wouldn't be so hard to fix with a downgrade of the weapon.

Running speed is affected depending on which weapon you currently have out, with pistols you run at full speed, but with a sniper rifle you make run at half. In multiplayer games you can see the adjustment to your running speed each weapon has as well as there power and accuracy.

The maps on the game are really special and are well thought out and designed and give little advantage to either force. On each map there are spots to hide for cover, to take up sniping positions or to have an all-out rush on the enemies' base. All the maps differ in appearance and set-up and add to the experience in single-player and multiplayer. Learning the maps is an integral part of getting better at the game as they are so complex and knowing the one hiding spot where the Russians always run round can give you an advantage.

On to multiplayer, where the really amazing gameplay starts. It's the thrill of the main game but you know you are competing against real people with better intelligence than the computer (most of the time). The online experience is one where you can be killed one minute then taking on three people the next. It is so intense at times you feel your head might explode. You will be playing the multiplayer for a long time and most likely making friends and finding good servers. Oh and there is very little lag and it's easy to meet friends in the same server; the search option is very good and fast.

Gameplay: 9/10
Almost a 10, just a few discrepancies make it miss the perfect mark.

Graphics:

Amazing. To fully experience the graphics of the Cal of Duty 2 you don't need a top-end PC just a slightly better than average graphics card and a good processor. The graphics are simply perfect. The enemies blend into the scenery and it adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay, on a lot of other shoot 'em ups you can easily see the enemy and its just about aiming but now you have to look twice round every corner and check every bush and tree and if you don't you might get blown to bits.

The maps all look vastly different and look well compared to there real life areas. The building all slightly different, some plain, some with interesting patterns, some little more than one wall, all add to the differing environments. There are also many war time objects about, broken down tanks, artillery, etc. The sky, trees and bushes are all realistic and trees and bushes can be used as hiding spots or cover. The terrain also looks realistic to the different places and gains and drops in height.

There is a mini-radar which shows, allied soldiers positions, enemy positions who are shooting and flags in capture the flag mode. The radar is useful in locating the flag and enemies but sometimes confusing when a lot of people are clumped up together.

In single-player every person has a unique face design. You can see they're emotions, some looking petrified while getting shot at or some looking brave while running into battle. The guns also look unique and interesting and even bullets differ in size and look. In multiplayer there is no slowdown in busy areas and there is an indication of who killed who and how; showing the weapon or if it was a headshot which is cool if not also useful.

Graphics: 10/10
Pretty much perfect, very good but not overly good or busy to produce slowdown. Adds to the complete experience.

Sound:

The sound is another very good part of the experience of the game. You hear bullets whiz past you into a tree or a metal object and makes an overly realistic sound. With a good soundcard and headphones you can feel like your actually just being missed by a bullet. Another feature is when walking while standing up or falling off something of moderate height you make noise so you must either crouch while walking or not fall off so other players can not hear you. You can also hear changing weapons, picking up weapons and breathing in with a sniper rifle.

The sounds are very realistic and the shouts of comrades and enemies add to the feeling that you could be in a bunker in WWII. Also in multiplayer sounds can be an integral part of play as hearing your opponent can sometimes help you locate them much more easily than just randomly searching.

Sound: 9/10
Very realistic sounds and quality bullet and grenade sounds, could be more differing ones depending on terrain and such.

Value:

Going to be a quick one here. This game is complete value for money; it currently is half the price of newer game and will last you many times longer. The online mode is free and will last you a long time, I see no reason not to add this to your collection right now if you are an FPS fan or just a fan of games.

Value: 10/10
If you only buy one game in the next six months get this.

Rent or Buy?

Buy, Buy, Buy! A classic game that you will remember with joy in years to come. Will last you a long time and be a memorable experience. You'll probably have lots of late nights with this game.

The best game I have bought in a long while and one with the best value too. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06