Call of Duty 2

"An average game, but nothing more"

Call of Duty 2 is the sequel to the 2003 WWII shooter Call of Duty. This game gained a lot of hype, but doesn't deserve it. But if your reading this, I'm sure you know about the game. So on to the review!

Graphics: 9/10

I have no complaints about the graphics. The player models are fine, but not great. Textures are average, nothing special. I don't have the best system to play this game on, so I can;t say anything great about the textures. The weapon models and skins all look great. As long as you have a good video card, nothing will seem too outdated. Particle effects look great, but the explosions are flat very 2 dimensional.

Sound: 9/10:

The music is great, as we all have expected. They haven't kept the theme music of the original, and the new scores are less memorable. The sound effects aren't top notch, though. Many are reused ones from the first. That's not bad at all, but it seems as though they didn't spend much time on it.

Gameplay: 7/10

Here's where the game's score lowers. The gameplay is what we all know and love from the original. But, the few new additions just aren't that good. The standard health system is gone, and now we have something new. Health regenerates, but one shot can usually kill. This new feature just feels out of place. Sure, for the Xbox 360 this will be fine. But on the PC, it seems a bit unbalanced. Players will need to refine their techniques. Rifles are deadly in the right hands, and now SMGers are no good. That's fine, but games are now much slower. And in SP, it just makes the game harder. In CoD1, you could sustain several injuries, but have to go get a health pack. So rushes were effective. But now, a few shots and your dead. You have to go running around, seeking cover. IW gave you more allies, but they just get in your way. If a MG is firing at you, your dead if you don't find cover. In the original, you had some time to find cover, than fire back. So while MP has some refreshingly new gameplay, SP is less than desirable to play. But the overall idea is the same as before in CoD1, so I'll give it a 7/10.

Replay value: 6/10

Play through the SP again? No thanks, maybe in a few months. MP will of course give as much replay as you like. So if the MP appeals to you, it gets a 9/10.
For just SP, I would give a 3/10. It is short and repetitive. Averages out to 6/10.

Overall: 7/10

I didn't average this one out; I just chose what it deserved. It's a good game, but doesn't live up to the hype. More of the same, but that's okay. But it's definitely not 10/10, because nothings perfect.

Buy?

If you liked CoD1, there is no reason not to like this one. It's your decision.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/05