Call of Duty 2

"Call of Duty 2, try it or buy it?"

Buy it. As a launch game for the Xbox 360, Call of Duty 2 sets the standard for all the future FPS games that will be released for this console. With a challenging but still very entertaining campaign, a great on line multi player and just outright stunning graphics, CoD2 is all around great game.

Campaign: 9/10
To describe the CoD2 (Call of Duty 2, if you haven't yet caught on) campaign in one word, I would say spectacular. However, I have more than one word to use. The campaign follows several story lines and takes a new approach. You do not fight as one soldier or for one army for the entire game. Instead, the game takes you to different battle locations as you fight as either the British, the Russians, or the Americans. Each army has it's own weapons, and you also have the option of picking up weapons from German army soldiers who have been killed. The campaign itself can be played on either Easy, Normal, Hard or Veteran difficulty, with Veteran being the most difficult. The game gives a brief tutorial for those who need it at the beginning of the game, but you'll quickly discover the game isn't as easy at it appeared. Of course, if you set the difficulty to Easy, the game will be newbie friendly for most, if not all of the campaign. However, serious players will find their fix of gaming with the extremely challenging Veteran difficulty, bringing the war to an entirely new level of realism. Then, there's the Normal and Hard difficulties for those players in-between. The A.I. is great as well, with your allies warning you of incoming grenades and yelling to take cover, while the enemy's shouts can be heard in the background. This campaign provides tons of entertainment, though lacks in length and can be bland in a rare spot or two. None the less, for those gamers who do not have Xbox Live, the campaign of this game will not disappoint you.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics of CoD2 do not disappoint either, with stunningly realistic trees, soldiers, and tanks. When you throw a smoke grenade, the smoke instantly fills the room, rendering it totally useless for anyone inside of it, or nearby, for the smoke takes away all visibility. The guns look realistic, and the bullet hole effects are well done. As you are being shot at, you see the bullets rip into the ground next to you. Tanks are vividly detailed, as are most of the other objects within the game. In addition, the explosions look very realistic, as do things that often go unnoticed such as the sky, grass or water. Cliffs have detailed, rocky edges and tunnels have a dark, musty feel. A very good section for the game.

Sound: 10/10
Another pretty much perfect aspect of CoD2 is the game's sound effects. The weapons have different sounds but are all realistic. Your allies shouts can be heard easily to warn you of the incoming grenade or tank. But it's not only your allies you hear. Enemy soldiers will shout to their teammates as well, or yell war cries as they charge at you. Explosions can deafen your character temporarily, and bullets can be heard whizzing past you as you run for cover. With surround-sound you can really take advantage of this game, but even without it, the game still puts out a spectacular array of sounds.

Multi player: 7/10
Unfortunately, the potentially perfect game inside CoD2 was ruined by it's multi player. Several maps are offered for split screen and Xbox Live play, each with the same realism as the Campaign. Each of the levels allows you to play as either of the armies that fought at the location you have picked, with all the weapons that were available in campaign for those armies available in the map as well. However, if you have only one other person you wish to play the game with, CoD2 leaves you with mostly large maps suited more for the 4-8 person match ups that are common on Xbox Live. Unless you enjoy spending three quarters or more of your multi player time looking for your opponent, you'll want to gather up at least, most likely more than, three people to play with. If you do have Xbox Live, then you have more entertaining multi player possibilities. For both split screen and Xbox Live multi player, the games gives you several options. Among them are a Free for all, Team Death-match and Capture The Flag. However, with split screen offering you a maximum of four players, you can usually only utilize team games like Capture The Flag or Team Death-match on Xbox Live. However, although CoD2 offers both unranked and ranked games on line, there is no way to check your rank. Another disappointment is the lack of a clan feature. However, the multi player adds longevity to the game and can still be fun, but is a bit disappointing none the less.

Conclusion
In the end, CoD2 winds up being a game worth buying with a stellar campaign, stand-out graphics and sound, and a multi player that adds to the game's longevity. A great launch title, and a great game all around.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/21/06