Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

"This is what a console WWII shooter should be."

I am somewhat obsessed with the Second Great War, which happens to be the most destructive in history. I have reviewed every console WWII game that involves a first person perspective, and I always start by giving some lame history lesson that will in no way influence whether or not you buy this game. I do need to give a brief lesson behind the games title, however, as it can be rather confusing to someone who isn't sure why a developer would name a game "The Big Red One". As most people know, the U.S. military divides its men into divisions, and the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division is obviously the first to go into battle in most situations. They got the name "The Big Red One" because of their signature patch which is, well, a big, red number one. Look at the soldiers arm on the case to see the aforementioned patch. Makes sense, right? With that being said, they are our nations most decorated division, meaning they have earned more medals than any other division. A game about an amazing team had better be good, and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is just that.

I have been playing WWII games since the original Medal of Honor came out on the Playstation. While it was good for its time, as systems got more advanced, the lone soldier formula just didn't do the trick anymore. Call Of Duty for the PC was the first WWII game that introduced you to what war is truly like. You are not a WWII era 007 who can take on hoards of Nazis on your own. Quite the opposite, in fact. You stormed German hideouts with a number of other men, and you would watch as they fell from German machine gun fire. Call of Duty created a real sense of war. The Big Red One is the first console game to come close to the PC version. Sure, Finest Hour and European Assault had teams, but both games failed in that department. Anyway, in Big Red One you are a low level military grunt who is assigned to the First Infantry Division. You will go from North Africa, to Sicily, to France, and finally you will reach Belgium. It is true that we have been to these places in other WWII games (Sicily not withstanding), but playing as the Big Red one puts a whole new perspective on some famous battles. Lets take the Normandy beach mission for example. In Medal of Honor: Frontline, you stormed the beach and headed toward the bunkers. Well, in The Big Red One you will go around and disable the bunkers so that the people storming the beach will take fewer hits. It is a subtle difference, but it goes a long way in making this game seem fresh. At its core, though, the game plays out pretty much the same as all the other WWII games out there. You will simply complete mission objectives through large and linear settings while killing large amounts of German soldiers along the way. What makes this game stand out is how well it is done here. The A.I. in this game is brilliant. Your team and your enemies will hide behind cover, occasionally poking their heads out to fire a few shots. German soldiers stick together, so when one dies, another will take his place. This is something that needs to be seen. One negative aspect about the gameplay is the accuracy of some of the guns. The Thompson, in reality, isn't near as accurate as it is in the game. Submachine guns these days are hardly accurate, let alone one from the 1940's. Most of the other weapons are dead on.

One of my biggest gripes about Call of Duty: Finest Hour was the tank sections. The tank missions sounded like a worthy addition, but in the end they ended up coming short...by a lot. The tanks were insanely difficult to control, and even though they are hard to control in reality, this game is not reality. Big Red One fixes this by making the tank sequences in third person rather than first person. This helps a great deal as you can see threats from a distance. It makes the missions easier, but video games aren't meant to be difficult all the time. Also, the tanks are far easier to control. You now control the tank just like you would your character, except you are a tank rather than a soldier. These minor changes eliminate what could have been some frustrating missions.

Call of Duty 2 looks great. In fact, it looks better than all of the other console WWII games available. The environments are all beautifully rendered, and they look how they should. While in the Italalian countryside, you will see vast fields and thick clouds. In a city, however, you will notice rubble and destroyed structures all over the place, some still with fires. One of the cooler missions is a flight mission where you will be able to see ships down below the bomb bay, and eventually you will get to see the island of Sicily. This mission really sticks out. All the missions look great. The guns are also nicely done. These are the best-looking gun models in any console WWII game. Enough said. Characters are perfect, and everyone in your squad had a different face and a different body type/size. This helps to make you feel like you are in a diverse team. The framerate rarely drops, and considering how much action surrounds you at any given second, this is truly amazing. I really can't find a single complaint about the visuals. Grenades to look a bit weak, but who the hell cares?

As with any WWII game, the audio is outstanding. I have never shot a WWII era gun (well, I have shot a 1943 Russian Mosin Nagant), but all of the guns in Big Red One sound great. The Thompson had a loud popping sound, where as the Garand has an echoing boom. Grenades are a little on the quiet side, but you usually won't notice unless you are not currently in battle. The characters are voiced fairly well, and the accents are believable. The epic score in his game is also fantastic. You will be treated to some superb orchestra style military music, if that makes any sense. When a team member dies, some dramatic death music will take over for a minute or two. One of the best things baout the audio is the sheer amount of things that you will here. Mortars will land right beside you while German machine gun fire will force you to duck. While all this is going on, German Stukas will drop bombs on ally vehicles, all while your commander is yelling at you to follow him. You get the picture.

One of the things that Big Red One lacks is replay value. The 'Cube version does not have multiplayer, and the campaign is somewhat brief, and because of the linear missions, there really isn't anything new to keep you going back for more, aside from a few standout missions. There is some bonus material, but these things are hardly a challenge to unlock, and chances are only die-hard WWII historians, like myself, will find them to be interesting.

So should you rent or buy? If you are a casual WWII gamer, I will tell you to rent as this game is short, and it is fun while it lasts. If, like me, you love WWII games, or even WWII itself, then this game is no doubt worthy of a purchase. I got this game a week ago, and even though I have beaten it numerous times, I still find myself going back to the missions. This game has earned itself a big red nine...sorry. I couldn't resist.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/05