Call of Duty 2

"Who can get tired of WWII with games like this?"

Overview
In COD2, there are your standard British, American and Russian campaigns. They will take you from Stalingrad to Toujane and then Wallendar. It takes place during WWII, and that's pretty much everything there is to know about the game. The story isn't one for the ages, sure, but then again FPSes and great stories don't mix.

Gameplay (9/10)
The gameplay is standard COD fare, and that's always a good thing; Hectic firefights are the order of the day here. COD2 also introduces the concept of smoke grenades. It's definitely a nice touch, but they could have been incorporated into the game so that they are used a bit more. There will not be a lot of situations where smoke grenades will be absolutely vital if you want to progress. In multiplayer, however, it is a different story.

The single-player game will have you sitting at your computer until your eyes fall out - yes, it's that good. Admittedly, there aren't as many vehicular missions this time around, but nevertheless, the missions are varied enough so that you will not get bored of them. Of course, if you do want a challenge, you could always try playing on a higher difficulty level; for those macsohists out there, Veteran might be a good gamble. There is a new health system, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it doesn't require the player to go around looking for health packs, which keeps the action fluid and furious. The downside to this is that the game will not take very long to beat. Thankfully, there is multiplayer, and once you try it, you will understand why it was pretty much the top Xbox Live game for about 5 months straight.

Sound (8/10)
There is a plethora of noises, ranging from your squadmates' "Battle Chatter" to the explosions and so on. Just to elaborate on the Battle Chatter system, it is, at least to me, an innovative way of telling you where your enemies are at. You will hear shouts of "Jerry, overe there by that window!" or "Krauts, by the low wall to the southeast!" and lo and behold, when you take a look, they will be there. Some people might get the wrong idea that this makes the game easier; it most certainly does not. Then again, like I said above, you could always switch to Veteran ;)

If you have good speakers or headphones, this game would definitely score a 10 in this section. The level that best illustrates the quality of the sound in this game would be the Pointe du Hoc. Holy smokes. Just don't send me hatemail if your neighbours come a-knocking.

Graphics (9/10)
I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that this is the best-looking WWII shooter so far. Simply put, everything looks great. Words can't do the graphics justice. After all, seeing IS believing.

Closing comments
This game is a must-buy for any self-respecting FPS/WWII/action fan. You'd be missing out on one helluva game, and war is hell, isn't it?

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/04/06