"Chapter two of a now four chapter saga."

_Introduction_
Following the release of Call of Duty: Finest Hour comes its successor: Big Red One. In case you didn't know, Big Red One was also known as "The Fighting First", the United State's first infantry division, and a tough one. You begin this game fighting with the Big Red One. It's a relive of the World War II nightmare that occurred in our nation's history. But don't let that drag you down from this game, it goes well beyond that. You get to man tanks, jeeps, etc., all while fighting German forces in an attempt at taking back lost cities and fighting for peace once more. The war has to end some time, right?

_Gameplay_
Unique in its own right. You get to control your own unit (an infantry soldier), tanks (Shermans), you even get to bomb targets from bombers in the air! There's so much to do in this game, they did a very good, no, remarkable, remake of this real-life series of events that took places many years ago. Once you get the feel of firing tank turrets, throwing frag grenades, blowing up stuff and cooperating with your platoon to get out alive (and save the day), you'll learn just how much ..tail.. this game really kicks. It deserves a rental, if nothing else.

_Sound_
Amazing sound. Very well suited for its historic purpose. The sounds of guns being fired, tanks being blasted, grenades being detonated, planes soaring through the sky (Stuka's, German fighter plane that sounds like a person screaming when they are in dive mode), water rafts, and otherwise destruction, all of these key elements are what makes this game's sound category stand out from the rest. The music is quite good too. Of course, the sound is not the only thing good about this game: see below.

_Graphics_
Very outstanding graphics. Activision did a great job animating each and every concept, meticulously pinpointing all elements in which the game requires perfect pixels to look good and be rendered a true classic. The sights of battered buildings, plane wreckage, fallen soldiers and other debris is quite really authentic in its own right. Very good work here.

_Controls_
Not too hard to get used to, and not too hard to learn right off the bat, either. I think that if you try at them long enough, and focus, it shouldn't take you very long at all to get accustomed to the ways of the controls.

_Buy or Rent?_
Buy. Definitely. Add it to your collection of World War II history if you haven't already. A must have is a must have.

_Conclusion_
I think this is a great game and I'm sure many others agree with me as well. Go ahead and try this game out, and if you like it, voila, buy it! If you like classic war games, then you'll love Big Red One. Have fun!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/07

Game Release: Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (US, 11/01/05)