 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Infinity Ward |
| Publisher: | Activision | |
| Genre: | FPS | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1-16 (1-8 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | System Link |
To be honest, a few short months ago Call of Duty 2 wasn't even in my line of sight. Not only was I tired of shooters set in World War II, but also my only prior experience with the series came in the form of the lame console adaptation Call of Duty: Finest Hour for Xbox. Then a funny thing happened: Xbox 360 games started getting delayed. Not only did my most-anticipated Xbox 360 game get delayed into next year (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), but so did my #2 launch title Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, which also happened to be this game's primary competition. Suddenly I didn't know what I wanted for my shiny new (and already reserved) Xbox 360, but being a fan of war games I decided to give the series another chance. I'm definitely glad I did, because Call of Duty 2 is easily the most intense war game I've ever experienced.
Make no mistake about it; Call of Duty 2 is all about delivering the most intense and realistic World War II experience possible short of actually being there. To do this, the original kept the missions very linear and highly scripted to deliver those "wow" moments. Call of Duty 2 follows the same basic formula, although the greater hardware has been utilized effectively to make the whole experience as immersive as possible.
This starts with the enemy A.I., which has been revamped to act more realistically. Throughout each mission teammates are constantly yelling at each other, dynamically barking out enemy locations, objectives, and general comments based on what's happening at that point in the game. This constant chatter adds a great deal to the overall feeling of "being there", and is also supported by some scripted dialog that occurs when certain events are reached.
Not only do they act more human, but they also fight more like human beings as well. Soldiers on both sides of the war now use cover very effectively, popping out to provide cover fire for teammates or relocate to more advantageous positions. Perhaps for the first time in a war game they also seem to understand how to really use grenades; there's very little standing around while a grenade explodes two feet away that was so common in past war titles. However, there were times when I found myself wishing I could tell my teammates to perform various commands (flanking, ducking into cover, etc.) …which means that developers still have work to do in the inevitable CoD3.
With all of that being said, there are still some problems that need to be addressed. For starters, the game is still too linear. While I understand the reasoning behind it (keep the action focused and intense), the fact that the game teases you with several slightly open-ended areas shows that they could open it up more. Some optional objectives or branching paths would help to make it feel more like a real battlefield. For example, how cool would it be to get physically separated from your team if you play it safe and lag behind too much? As a symptom of this linear nature, there are also times when the war will stop completely until you perform whatever action (arrive at a certain point, plant an explosive, etc.) the game wants you to do. Most environments also feel a little small compared to the wide-open spaces found in something like Ghost Recon.
There are a couple smaller complaints as well. First, you can see your teammates throw grenades back at enemies and press their back flat against a wall before peeking out, yet you can't do any of these things. In particular, I really wished for a way to peek around corners. Also, the health system is much too unrealistic. Aside from a barrage of bullets, a shell shot out of a tank, or a grenade landing at your feet it's very hard to die in this game. If you're in trouble the edges of the screen will go red, which will then disappear very quickly if you find cover. And these moments don't seem to have any lasting impact on your health either, so if it occurs later it reacts the same as when the battles just starting. It definitely makes the game more fun and makes you feel like more of a hero, but some purists will cry foul in a game that's otherwise aimed at realism.
As for the story itself, the game alternatively follows the Russian, British, and American campaigns. Interspersed between missions are bits of authentic footage provided by the Military Channel, which help explain what happens between missions and set up the next. On the whole the single-player mode is a bit on the short side, with the Russian segment in particular wrapping up very early in the game.
Online, you get pretty much the typical FPS experience. Online modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Headquarters (each team tries to destroy the other's radio), and Search and Destroy (one team finds and plants explosives on an enemy's equipment). All of these are fairly standard for the genre, with virtually no way to customize the experience aside from choice of weapon (the sniper rifle is hot as always). One nice touch however is replaying each death back to you from the killer's perspective, which allows you to analyze your opponent's tactics. Overall it's all very fun and I plan on playing online long after this review is finished, but it doesn't really add anything new to the genre.
Graphically the game has gotten all of the polish you'd expect out of a high-end PC/Xbox 360 title, but it's how they're used that really impressed me. The clouds created by smoke grenades or large explosions now hang over the air, just as you'd expect them to in real life. The result is that smoke grenades are now very effective forms of cover, and when used properly make it much easier to advance on enemy positions. Large explosions make it hard to see the enemies around you, making the war feel even more threatening. I was also impressed with the weather effects, in particular the way lightning dynamically lights up an entire village's buildings in one of the later American missions.
Still, there are some problems in this area too. Some of the building interiors look like they belong on the original Xbox, and some foliage looks as 2D as it ever has. There is also some minor pop-up (particularly if you happen to move against the flow of the battle), and some pretty hefty slowdown in a couple key spots. None of this changes the fact that it's a beautiful game of course, but do seem to show the game's origins as a port.
Everything is top-notch in the sound department however. As I mentioned before, there's a constant stream of chatter between teammates that adds a lot to the immersion. The sound effects are also excellent, with booming bass for large explosions and lots of environmental effects such as gun fire off in the distance. The music is also solid, although used minimally as in most war games.
Bottom Line:
Call of Duty 2 is one of the few launch titles that truly feels like it couldn't have been done on the original Xbox, and proves that the system can stand toe-to-toe with the best the PC world currently has to offer.
That's not to say that the game is perfect, because the problems I outlined above are very real. But taken on the whole, Call of Duty 2 is an incredible experience. Look at it this way. There is a mission in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike, Bunker Hill Redux, that I thought would never be topped for its hectic and intense nature. Taking place entirely in the black of night, you first sneak through the forest taking out near-invisible enemies before you meet up with the rest of your squad. Then, you defend a bunker with barely any cover against a torrent of enemy soldiers and tanks for what seems like an eternity. Here we are a few months later, and almost every mission in Call of Duty 2 is more frantic than that mission was in its very best moments.
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9.3 |
Posted: 2005-12-10 13:28:45 PST