GameSpy: Call of Duty 2 (original) (raw)
Reviews
By Will Tuttle | Nov 23, 2005
The most intense WWII FPS series of all-time has made it to the Xbox 360, resulting in one of the system's first must-have titles.
Outstanding!
Pros:
Amazing visuals; smooth framerate; ultra-intense combat; very realistic sound effects; extremely fun multiplayer action.
Cons:
Online action has been spotty in the early days; no real storyline; a few graphical blips here and there.
Let me just begin this review by going on record with the following statement: I'm just as sick of WWII first-person shooters as the next guy. Over the years, I've played so many of them that I feel like I could walk blindfolded from the beaches of Normandy all the way into downtown Berlin. Unfortunately, the bombed-out cities that served as arenas for some of the war's biggest battles have gradually blurred together into an unrecognizable grey mass. It just feels like we've seen the same things over and over again in these titles, yet people keep playing them for some reason.
While I'd be happy to see the WWII genre as a whole receive an honorable discharge, the fact of the matter is that some of the most innovative FPSs of all-time were associated with The Big One. The Medal of Honor series was the first to bring the war home, Battlefield 1942 let everyone in on the action, and the Brothers in Arms games made leaders out of players. However, it was Call of Duty that introduced "cinematic intensity" to the masses, assaulting their eyes and ears with the most realistic depiction of war ever seen in a video game. Now, Xbox 360 owners are getting a chance to experience the sequel, Call of Duty 2, a riveting and exciting game that already enthralled PC gamers last month.
Like the rest of the games in the series, Call of Duty 2 lets you see the war from several different perspectives. In the beginning, you'll play as a Russian soldier, doing battle in the bombed-out city of Stalingrad. Next, it's off to the North African deserts where you and the rest of the British Desert Rats will take on Rommel's famed Afrika Korps in both tank and ground combat. Finally, you'll storm the beaches of Normandy as an American, then battle your way deep into the French countryside. Although we're used to the series' lack of a real narrative, we were hopeful that there would be some sort of common thread running throughout the standalone missions.
Thanks to the Xbox 360's excellent controller, it won't take veterans of console first-person shooters very long to feel comfortable with the gameplay in Call of Duty 2. The default control scheme feels perfect right from the start, and there's a good chance that you'll be a genuine killing machine by the time you finish the brief tutorial that kicks off the game. You'll come to rely quite a bit on the triggers (which zoom and fire your weapon) and the two "bumpers" that control your smoke and frag grenades. While you'll find yourself using a lot of grenades throughout the game, your enemies will use even more, occasionally throwing littering the ground around you with them. Thankfully, there's a handy on-screen indicator that will show you where they are in relation to your position, allowing you to move a safe distance away.