Call of Duty 2

"Call of Duty works some virtual magic mojo in this installment!"

Call of Duty 2
XBOX 360

No justification for war can be ever made; it's not a game of chess which can be lost for nothing. ~Bryan Somebody

So not true, war has brought us many things. John Wayne movies, first person shooter games, %80 of the history channel and of course the nuclear weapons… Well okay, it's brought us some pretty good things and some pretty bad. The good could be summed up by a collection of movies, memorable music and now Call of Duty 2, the sequel to the gigantic hit Call of Duty for the PC.

Call of Duty 2 fits into the mold of other games in the genre such as the Medal of Honor series. While not being totally revolutionary, it fits into that mold perfectly, making a fresh batch of muffins… Well, a game comparable to that- maybe even surpassing the batch o' muffins. Call of Duty 2 (COD2) is a first person shooter, placing you in control of 4 characters throughout many of the most famous campaigns of World War 2.

From the heart of the U.S.S.R., the sands of Egypt to the sea wall of Pointe du Hoc France- developer Infinity Ward (and producer Activision) bring unmatched detail to the infamous conflict. With next generation visuals you get the most ‘realistic' view of the war a game has ever had. From the character models, to the weapon sights to the staggeringly realistic animations, this game is easily one of the best looking ever made, and has a variety of locales to boot.

The story isn't too shabby either; obviously they were shooting for a Band of Brothers sort of feel with COD2. Giving you a slightly larger hint at each characters (often silly) personality. You take control of (from start to finish) Vasili Ivanovich Koslov (Russia), Sergeant John Davis, Commander David Welsh “Fox Three” (both British) and Corporal Bill Taylor (American). Which gives you different squads, weapon sets and of course, variety in location- with the British mainly in Africa, the Americans in Europe and the Russians in the nipple hardeningly cold Motherland.

The story though, while entertaining really doesn't give you any sort of emotional attachment to the characters you're fighting alongside; since they have an almost disposable feel to them. This is a flaw, though a small one.

The gameplay is very streamlined- easy shooting controls with the norm of great character movement makes this one of the best pc to console ports I have played. It feels like it was made solely for the console in this aspect, which is great. There aren't many changes to the formula either; the game plays very similar to Call of Duty the original. There are some small differences, such as the ability to vault over objects and the fact that you no longer rely on medical packs, in a rather odd characteristic that is similar to the Getaway, you only have to rest to get back to your original fighting readiness. The level design is great, with a great difficulty scale that on any of the modes besides veteran are fairly easy to conquer- with the occasionally tough firefight. On the veteran difficulty mode though, the game really ramps up the difficulty making it even more hectic than the game already is. Which is great for replay value.

The multiplayer is fun too- if you can get it to work properly. In testing I had quite a few problems from connecting to a game, to playing in a game without crippling lag. The matchmaking system is terrible, especially when compared to the smoothness of an online console game like Halo 2. The problems with multiplayer can be a major annoyance, especially when it's so fun when it works right. With modes varying from capture the flag, team deathmatch and even the old capture the radio favorite. Though it seems as though the developers didn't care too much about the online playability.

The game has great sound too, with a big budget orchestral score to go alongside your intense firefights- the game makes you feel like a hero. Sound effects are top notch, from ambiance to all the guns in your arsenal they sound realistic and clear. The only problem I can find with the sound is the sometimes incredibly crappy voice overs, which pull you out of the experience at times because they are so over the top or at times just so darn bland- even though they are delivered with the best sound quality available.

The game is fantastic, running at about 8-12 hours it's reasonably lengthy. On top of that it has some decent replay value, which could become amazing if Infinity Ward fixes the problems. Overall it stands on it's own as the best, and most engaging World War 2 game on the market. Buy it; rent it, it doesn't matter. Just find a way to play it.

9.3 out of 10

~MagicalMonkeyMop

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/06