Call of Duty 2

"If you only have one 360 game to pick up this holiday, CoD2 is it."

The Call of Duty franchise debuted on the pc, entering a market flooded with ww2 games. You played as a soldier during different campaigns in Europe(just like every other ww2 game to date), only you didn't fight alone. CoD was the first ww2 game where you didn't play Rambo-style mowing down Axis Soldiers like the Medal of Honor series before it. You could race around mowing down Germans, try at least, but you would find out very quickly that the wisest strategy was to work as a team with your ai allies. The game was a great hit, and several lackluster console ports and spin-offs were made, the series seemed to be going downhill from there...

Until Call of Duty 2 hit. The game can be summed up as amazing. You follow 3 campaigns, the Russians defending mother Russia from the Germans, The British in North Africa, and the Americans in Normandy. Gameplay is nearly the exact same as the original, you fight alongside your comrades, allies, as you complete objectives. These objectives range from destroying enemy communications, blowing up tanks, and even destroying buildings. One feature that was added over the original was the grenade danger indicator, which is a little icon on your hud that will point in the direction of a grenade, making them easier to avoid during heated conflicts. Another feature, if you can call it that, is the lack of health bar or meter. When you are injured, your screen gets red and bloodshot around the edges, taking cover and avoiding further damage with restore you to full health. This is an excellent new feature for the series, because I absolutely hated having to hunt down health packs in the first one, while avoiding sniper fire with 15% health. Speaking of snipers, another addition is the ability to hold your breath to steady your shots while aiming, minimizing the sway of the rifle that you're stuck with in the first game.

All of this carries over to multiplayer as well, which is great in its own right. Split-Screen multiplayer is great fun for hours on end. There's Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Headquarters, and Search and Destroy. Headquarters plays a lot like King of the Hill, with players fighting to hold a position for the longest amount of time during the round. Search and Destroy is a lot like Counter-Strike, where players have to plant bombs on objectives, usually Flak 88 guns, and the other team has to prevent or disarm the bomb. Xbox Live is a disappointment with this title however, with the random games and the matchmaking service. You cannot invite your friends to play, who you play with is determined by the live service. Hopefully this will change over time, but for now thats all there is. You can play either ranked or standard matches with the above game types Once you get into a game (another hassle, because servers are randomized) its exactly like the pc version, and - if you ignore the shortcomings of the matchmaking service, CoD2 one of the better online experiences among the other launch titles.

However, no game is without its shortcomings, and CoD2 has shortcomings. Allied and Enemy AI is poor. You'll find throughout your war enemies have no interest in surviving, only to kill you. They will jump from cover and try to flank you, even if it means running right past you to get behind you. Your allies are smarter in the sense that they take cover and use it, but they don't work together. They seem to be cannon fodder for the Axis. Aside from AI issues and the Matchmaking service however, I cant think of much the game has at fault. The weapons are a little unbalanced, but nothing that would break the game, war isn't fair.

Visually this game is stunning. Realistic weather effects such as the snow and ash falling from the sky in the Russian campaign, heat distortion in the North African desert, and the rain in Normandy. The smoke effect is one of the most realistic of any game to date, across all platforms. Realistic particle effects, bump mapping, normal mapping, and that creepy plastic sheen on every npc are plentiful in this game. The levels are amazingly detailed in some areas, and very, very bland in others, with empty rooms and an vast amount of barrels and crates, these areas are disappointing to see, and feel like fillers in the environment, but these make up only a small percentage of the levels. The bloom effect is used everywhere, and looks really nice. CoD2 has a very solid framerate, staying at 30 for almost the entire game, which is very satisfying compared to Activisions other port Quake 4. Compared to the pc version, the 360 wins in the higher resolutions, with the pc version being incredibly close.

The musical score is just as great as the first one, with an orchestrated soundtrack composed by Michael Giacchino, the man behind the Medal of Honor soundtrack. Each score is fitting for the setting, and really helps the immersion. Sound effects are outstandingly realistic, from the bullets ricocheting off of different surfaces, to explosions and debris reacting with the environment. A proper 5.1 setup is recommended to add to the visceral experience of virtual war. Its a really great audible treat when taken full advantage of.

Overall CoD2 is a great game on the PC and 360, and I would recommended it to anybody looking for a great action game. As a single player game, it lasts about 10 hours depending on the difficulty you play on, but multiplayer could last forever, with downloadable content promised for the future. The game just has a great production value, much like the first game, and improves upon nearly everything. This game is a must have from the launch lineup if you were lucky enough to get a 360. Otherwise, pick up a the wired controller and CoD2 pc and pretend.

Gameplay: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Visuals: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/05