Call of Duty 2

Written by Glenn Wigmore  on December 15, 2005

Review: УIntenseФ is the one word that sums up Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360.

Tweet

Comments

The element that really sticks out about Call of Duty 2 and its gameplay is the variety of ways you'll be required to tackle a conflict, especially in some of the game's middle sections. Many sequences are scripted and this may worry some, but never fear as the game plays so well that you'll be able to look past some of the set pieces and staged moments (and these УpreparedФ moments are still great, in their own right). You'll have to use frag and smoke grenades to deal with many conflicts, but you will often be given sniper rifles to deal with the Germans. These sniping sequences are great fun, as the scope graphic and firing impact really feels authentic and I got a flash of Saving Private Ryan when I was firing on some advancing Germans during one pitched battle; the gun really makes you focus on what you're shooting at and it does so very effectively. Other sequences have you calling in artillery strikes on advancing German tank divisions or driving in tanks yourself, and these are a great change of pace from the usual combat. That being said, the Уusual combatФ is still loads of fun and is made so by the various objectives you'll be completing and locales you'll be visiting.

Sticking with the mantra УLess is more,Ф developer Infinity Ward made the controls in Call of Duty 2 very simple, and this is a chief reason the game plays in such a satisfying way. You'll be able to fire, conventionally, with the right trigger, but you can aim through the УsightsФ of the gun by depressing the left trigger; this quick zoom really lends itself well to the bolt-action gun and feels authentic in doing so. Movement and aiming is handled with the two thumbsticks, and grenades can be thrown with the left and right bumpers Ц simple and effective stuff, here. Like in most war games, you can go prone and crouch (with the УBФ button), and this is very helpful for the game's trench sequences, as crouching will allow for quiet movement and let you get the jump on the enemy. You can also mantle over many walls and structures with the УAФ button, which works very well since you'll be doing this quite a bit in the game. Having firing and grenades on the triggers and bumpers works so well, and it almost seems like the Xbox 360 controller was made for it (I think I'll be saying that a lot in the future). Occasionally, I did find myself getting caught in a door or on a table, but this is probably because the game moves so fast.

Fancy that, all this other talk and no mention of the game's buttery smooth framerateЕ mmm, buttery framerate. Ahem, yes the game does move at 60 fps on the Xbox 360 and it looks fantastic. The battles all feel hyper real because of the smoothness, and you won't find much slowdown when flying through a trench or stumbling through a smoke grenade-filled alleyway. This clarity and fluidity to the combat really elevates Call of Duty 2 above Xbox offerings and makes the game feel much more next-gen.

The environments all look sharp and detailed, thanks to the УusedФ look many of them have. There's plenty of blown-out cars, war-torn houses, dust and debris filled streets, and rugged trenches strewn throughout the various mission, and each chapter of the game usually features some unique weather, lighting, buildings, and vehicles. The soldiers look good, but nothing worth getting too crazy about. They animate believably and have unique features, but they reminded me of the level of detail found in Halo: CE -- they look good, but there's so many on screen that detail has to be sacrificed. It won't be uncommon to see dozens of enemies and comrades on the screen at once, but the game cleverly spawns in reinforcements (for both sides) at the right moments when battles are changing, and this still allows for a dynamic and dramatic feel to the fights without waiting through load times.

As said, certain effects Ц like the smoke grenades Ц look truly fantastic, and they really come to life on an HDTV. Thankfully for non-HD users, this game is one of the launch titles that look fantastic without the resolution boost, but it does really hum along when played on high definition. You'll really be able to see the detail in many of the buildings and environmental effects, and the 60 fps smoothness will really sing because of the HD clarity.

Sound is extremely important in Call of Duty 2 and, thankfully, it's done insanely well. As said before, you'll hear soldiers crying out positions of enemies (you'll hear Germans doing the same), as well as screaming with pain or jubilation, depending on the circumstances. Surround sound really brings the detail of the voices to life, as you'll hear voices yelling all around you, barking out orders, shouting in fear, and yelling in triumph. The Russians don't speak in their native tongue, which is a bit silly seeing as the Germans do, but I guess the developers really wanted to create the УusФ versus УthemФ feel during the conflicts, plus you won't know what the Germans are up to (unless you can speak the language). Sound effects are spot-on perfect, and the sound design for the guns, grenades, and vehicles is strikingly realistic. The weapons all sound unique, plus the grenades have great impact when they explode (whatever their proximity to yourself). The vehicles' engine noise is bawdy and loud, and they sound particularly intimidating in one sequence where they go right over your head. The music is very appropriate, although a tad on the conventional side for war-themed material. It does sound fantastic, don't misunderstand, but after hearing so many sweeping war themes in movies and games, the sound and tone gets quite familiar. Even with that familiarity, though, there is uniqueness to each country's campaign, and the music reflects this well. Overall, the sound is a huge credit to the game.

The campaign can be finished in about 10-12 hours on the regular setting, but notch it up to УhardenedФ or УveteranФ and you will be tested to your Call of Duty 2 limits. The missions can all be played individually after you've unlocked them, and it is certainly cool to relive some of the real high points throughout the campaign.

The multiplayer aspects, unfortunately, bring Call of Duty 2 down from its single-player greatness, which is actually a bit frustrating seeing as this could have been avoided. There is splitscreen and system link (16 players) multiplayer available for local play, as well as 8-player Xbox Live support. Well, that's one of the problems right there: Why is there only 8-player support on Xbox Live? The game doesn't necessarily need 16 players in its online matches, but the option for 16, or at least 12, would have been more appropriate. It is quite perplexing that a title this well thought out in its single player would have started off on such a wrong foot in the multiplayer portion.

The 8-player support, as it stands, is entertaining, but you will likely be struggling with the game's poor interface to enjoy it all that much. The main issue comes from the poor match creation feature, which gives you access to QuickMatch or OptiMatch, but doesn't allow you to create a private room. As it stands, you will be thrown into a randomly created room where the first person УinФ the room is automatically the host Ц you can see where this is going. Suffice it so say, the host is often someone who has a connection that was not meant to host, and everyone in the game lags horribly. The only way to avoid this is to keep jumping into a УroomФ and hope that you are number 1 so that you can guarantee host (if you have a good connection, of course). Inviting friends isn't really feasible, as the game rooms fill up too quickly, but you can have someone on a voice chat and tell them to jump in right away, but this should not have to be, as proper lobbies or private rooms are such basic features and should have been implemented from the start. On top of all this, rooms are УcreatedФ by some automated system meaning fixed match lengths and random maps Ц not exactly what Xbox Live was supposed to be.

Still, if you actually do get into some lag-free games on Call of Duty 2 over Xbox Live, you'll have a pretty good time. The game maps are very detailed, and the weapon selection is the same as it is in the offline modes. You will probably experience the same type of weapon-whoring as in some other games (shotguns, sniper rifles), but many weapons can be effectively countered by holding up in a house or finding proper cover. Grenades also make the playable online matches quite fun, as you can frag clumped up groups of soldiers or smoke people out of their sniper perches Ц great stuff. This potentially fun gameplay makes it frustrating when dealing with such obvious online interface omissions or proper player support. Hopefully a patch will be released, but the developer and publisher have both declined comment on this issues (on the PC, as well) so that does not inspire a lot of confidence that things will get fixed.

Call of Duty 2 is fantastic game on the single-player side, and it is a title that Xbox 360 owners should definitely check out. The game features some amazing sound and great visual clarity, plus it runs at 60 fps, which is unique for a console shooter. The combat plays out extremely well because of the great design choices, simplistic control, and entertaining weapons of war. The multiplayer doesn't deliver what it easily could have, but it may still have some appeal to those willing to go to great lengths to force the clunky interface to work. When you add it all up, Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360 begs to be played by those who are fans of shooters and war games.