By
Michael Palisano
Activision's beautifully designed Call
of Duty 2 pushes the Xbox 360 hardware to new heights with some of the
best visuals in any WWII shooter to date. The realistic graphics make you
feel like you're actually on the battlefield. The solo campaign is
surprisingly long and deep, with multiple branching options that allow you
to select which order you complete missions. While the market is saturated
with WWII shooters, Call of Duty's production polish and visceral gameplay
make it stand out from the pack, creating the most immediately satisfying
Xbox 360 launch title. The visuals show off the hardware's power
effectively, and is complimented by solid gameplay, and controls which
makes Call of Duty 2 a must-own title for the new system.
While
there have been several impressive titles released at Xbox 360's launch,
one title seems to have risen to the top of the heap in terms of critical
acclaim - Call of Duty 2. Great things have been promised for the console,
and this release definitely lives up to expectations with its stunning
visuals that will leave you breathless. The robust environments are large
in scale and scope, with ruined cities, desolate sun soaked deserts and
bleak beaches. The feel of a WWII battle has been recreated faithfully
from the weapons, vehicles and, soldiers' uniforms, with an incredible
amount of detail, putting you right in the middle of the action. Each
object in the game looks incredibly realistic with detailed texture
mapping and lighting effects used to make a believable environment. Call
of Duty 2's weather and environmental effects are also quite impressive,
with the fumes from smoke grenades actually creating clouds that react
naturally throughout. The level of detail extends to the character models
as well, each soldier moves realistically, with an incredible level of
natural movement that makes them feel very much alive, and also quite
dangerous. The smallest details, such as light fixtures and tracks in the
snow have been given a lot of attention to create a coherent world that
seldom shows its seams. This high level of polish extends to the
voice-overs, with the chaotic, panicked screams of your soldiers and the
enemies adding to the sense of chaos and drama surrounding these events.
Taken together, these elements create one of the most visually impressive
FPS titles on the market, showcasing the Xbox 360's hardware more
effectively than any launch game to date. While the graphics are
impressive, what really matters is what lurks below the surface, and
players will find a solid game that lives up to the presentation.
Taking place during the heat of World
War II, Call of Duty 2 places you in the middle of intense combat missions
throughout many fields of operation. The game takes you to a variety of
locations including Russia, Africa and Asia as you battle the forces of
fascism. Each mission is presented in a linear fashion, where you need to
complete a series of objectives in order to progress to the next
checkpoint During the course of the game, you spend the majority of your
time trying to survive the onslaught, while also trying to perform other
tasks such as destroying tanks, repairing cables and more. The designers
deserve a lot of credit for adding these elements, which makes the game
more than just a mindless shooter, though combat is never too far from the
surface. Shooting itself is also quite varied, and you won't get very far
just rushing in - you'll need to find cover, shoot from a distance and
keep yourself safe while keeping an eye on your comrades as well. In order
to protect yourself, you can crouch down, crawl and hide behind walls.
However, you aren't always safe standing still since the enemies use
grenades frequently. Fortunately, the game includes an onscreen indicator
when one of these are thrown, allowing you a chance to get away from the
explosions. You can collect ammo and weapons from fallen soldiers, and can
also collect these items along the way. Firing the guns is fairly simple
using the onscreen crosshairs, but players can also use the reticle at the
end of each gun to zoom in on the action, allowing for more accurate
shots. This is particularly useful when you encounter a sniper or an enemy
taking shelter behind cover or hiding behind a wall. However, you're
standing still when you use this technique, which makes you more
vulnerable to enemy fire.
Call
of Duty 2's missions feature a straightforward structure with most
objectives clearly laid out before you, making your mission progression
linear for the most part. There are several points later on where you can
choose a different path, but these are fairly minor divergences. The
gameplay itself is straightforward with a variety of different weapons
ranging from machine guns to rifles available to use, with the addition of
both smoke and frag grenades as well making up your basic arsenal. Players
can also use embedded guns to shoot enemies and can perform a variety of
tasks, such as placing explosives on tanks, with the press of a single
button. Unlike many other FPS titles on the market, there's no life-bar in
COD2, instead the game relies on a more intuitive system. When your
soldier takes a hit, the arrows on your radar turn red, and you'll hear
heavy breathing. A message will appear on screen telling you to get to
cover, where your health gradually regenerates, if you don't take further
hits. While this isn't the most realistic approach to health damage, it
allows the game's pacing to move much more smoothly without excessive
interruptions. However, this system also has its drawbacks, since you
never really know how close you are to death, it makes it difficult to
gauge how much damage you've actually taken. This is particularly true
during the heat of battle, where the intensity of the noise makes it
difficult to hear your soldier's breathing. However, in the end, this
system works surprisingly well, allowing you to concentrate on the task at
hand, and reduces the number of reality suspending health packs usually
found in FPS titles.
While most FPS titles suffer from
predictable AI, the enemies in COD2 are quite intelligent and attack you
relentlessly. They take cover behind walls and objects, regroup and ambush
players and seem to have an endless supply of reinforcements. This gives
the battles an epic feel where you feel you are battling an entire army,
not a few soldiers here and there. On the other hand, the other soldiers
in your squad are intelligent and can attack in groups and wipe out
enemies ahead of you without being ordered to do so. They'll also use
cover fire to protect you and can give you useful information along the
way. This doesn't mean that they don't suffer, and you'll see plenty of
your team fall during the battle, giving the game a gritty realism that
captures the brutal reality of war, with the unexpected and unpredictable
nature lending a sense of chaos and desperation to many of the events
you'll face. These elements give Call of Duty 2's single player game an
unprecedented sense of realism, with a cinematic feel that further
enhances the game's atmosphere and urgency. The fact that each mission
ties into the larger story of World War II gives you a strong motivation
to keep playing. Call of Duty 2's cut scenes feature actual footage from
the war and, along with the character's logbook between each mission,
helps to complete the players immersion into the game.
The
strong single player campaign is impressive and quite addictive, with
incredible production values adding to the intensity, which makes it easy
to overlook the game's solid multiplayer modes. Logging onto Xbox Live
allows you to compete in variety of modes including standard deathmatch
and team modes, along with other modes that accurately mimic the single
game's cooperative play. There's no loss in frame rate or intensity when
playing online, and these modes play just as well as their off-line
counterparts. Each map has the same level of detail as the single player
missions, and are well designed for online play. You'll encounter some of
the same areas, and this familiarity helps to make the online modes feel
more cohesive. As you'd expect, playing with Xbox Live is a joy, with a
smooth interface that's easy to navigate, making setting up and joining
games an almost painless task. Call of Duty 2's multiplayer mode is
excellent, with polished and challenging gameplay that will keep players
occupied for many happy hours. The sheer excellence of its online
component is emblematic of the game as a whole - it sets new levels of
visual quality while offering a solid gaming experience that is appealing
and challenging at its core. While the game's solo campaign is too linear
at points, and goes by too fast in some areas, there's quite a bit of
enjoyment to be had while it lasts, and the visual quality is sumptuous throughout as well, making Call of Duty 2, without question, the best FPS
on the 360 to date.
