October 29, 2005 -
To be honest, I wasn't even going to write a review because of the effort required but after I saw IGN's pathetic review, I just had to. Let me start by saying this game is not even close to an 8.5; this game is a 9.0+ for sure and I'll explain why. As a warning though, this is a review of the singleplayer campaign only.
Presentation
Nothing to complain about here. The interface is slick and clean with plenty of options to tweak your World War 2 experience. The new video preview of missions is quite cool, displayed in black and white footage from the war accompanied by appropriate narration.
The interface is that same old Call of Duty style and there is really little I can find to complain about in this section. It's all great, as expected.
Graphics
Unless you were expected the best graphics ever (and why would you?), you should be very satisfied with Call of Duty 2's new engine. I must say, after hearing the graphics were a little lacking I was very surprised to see the quality in this game.
The graphics are nothing short of amazing. The models all look surreal for a WW2 game, accompanied by great model texture and insanely well done animations. Call of Duty 2 decided to move away from ragdoll physics which is nice to be perfectly honest. Sure it's cool to watch those physics in action, but it can also look very unrealistic. Instead Call of Duty 2 has implemented dozens of unique, and ultimately very cool, death animations; they won't disappoint.
The landscape for the battles was easily my favorite part of the campaign. From the snowy streets of Stalingrad to the heated deserts of Egypt to the rainy streets of France; WOW. The towns are so perfectly designed and are definitely the most authentic looking WW2 towns I've ever seen. Not only are the textures amazing, but they truely give off the feeling of dread that would have been present at the time.
The weather effects are also very beautiful to look at, though they can sometimes bog down performance. All in all, this may not be on par with F.E.A.R. in terms of graphics but this game is not designed to be eyecandy; in the end, it's still by far the best looking WW2 game ever made.
Sound
Ah, the calling-card of the Call of Duty franchise. Anyone who played COD and/or COD:UO is well aware that one of the most amazing parts of these games is the total immersion brought on by the scenery and especially the sound.
Music changes at the perfect moment in every mission, going to harsh, triumphant, eerie, sad, etc. Not only is the soundtrack again top-notch, but the creators of COD know exactly how to use it; no game can match Call of Duty 2's use of sound to immerse you within the game.
You actually feel like you're in a war. There are pot shots all around you from the distance, motar shell explosions and plane motors roaring every second of the game. At the same time some missions, such as Stalingrad add even more effect; for instance, at one point in Stalingrad you can hear the German's speaking over a megaphone asking for your Russian surrender.
What makes this game's sound even better than the original COD is the chatter between the men on the field. Your teammates are constantly yelling to each other about enemy positions and other interesting dialogue but what's even cooler is you can hear the German's doing the same thing.
Gameplay
The gameplay is essentially the same as Call of Duty and United Offensive, but who's complaining? Not much has changed and I'm very happy to say that it all still works fine!
The major change is the new health system which many people seemed to be wary of before release. I'm going to tell you now, at least for singeplayer, I love it. In the old COD's you'd take a little too much damage and have to go on a search for healthpacks, or even reload a save point because you can't access any. With the new system you merely need to find cover quickly and recover your health and go back out. This might sound too 'noob-friendly' but I feel it works. You still get killed quickly if you're out in the open or hit with grenades, but this way you can just play the game without distractions. I want to also add upping the difficulty lowers your survivability which made this new system even better.
I absolutely love every mission in this game. There are the simple defensive and offensive missions but there are some missions that truely made me gasp.
- One mission in the Russian campaign has you climbing through a network of pipes above Stalingrad. You can find holes to look out and kill unsuspecting Germans which gives a real thrill. But the best part of the mission is when they return fire, the bullets puncture the pipes and leave behind streams of light.
- In the British campaign you'll have some missions piloting a tank; these missions are oustanding! They are a little short but I absolutely loved them. The control over the tank is great but the battle you are thrown into is even better.
- The D-Day mission in this game beats any WW2 game. Not longer are you on a beach with bunkers, but now you must climb up the side of an enormous mountain while your comrades fall from the top as a result of the German barrage awaiting you up top. Once up top, this battlefield is one of the best looking in the game and I felt like I was there on D-Day.
Those are just three of the funnest missions in the game, but those aren't it. I never had a missions where I wanted it to end to go to another. Every mission was so well done and planned out and the next one in line was usually so different that just couldn't stop playing. Many of the missions also give you multiple routes to complete your objectives. While this does not occur every mission, it happens enough to be worthy of a positive mention. I enjoyed this and am interested to try new routes next time through.
One of the only problems with this game, which is often present in WW2 games, is the "I'm the only one on the battlefield" symdrome. What I mean is, you'll have multiple teammates in the open but as soon as you appear you're instantly targetted by the Germans. This seems to be less apparent than in COD and COD:UO but can still exist and can sometimes be very frustrating.
The gameplay may be very similar to the original Call of Duty, but everything new that's been added improves upon the already amazing COD system. I can't get enough of the super-intelligent AI, which is far smarter than any WW2 AI before this game, and I truely cannot wait to replay this game.
Lasting Appeal
Not every mission has multiple routes but I'm already itching to get back and replay the campaign. For anyone with first-person shooter experience this game should last you roughly 10 hours of gameplay but it's all worth it. I want to go back just to admire the scenery and redo the "wow, this is cool" missions over and over.
I haven't tried multiplayer but I know with Call of Duty you cannot go wrong. This is one of the most replayable WW2 campaigns I've ever played and with multiplayer, this game is a long-term gem.
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide |
|
| 10 | Presentation No problems here. The intro videos to missions really get you in the mood for the upcoming chaos. |
|
| 9.5 | Graphics Slow-downs can be an issue, but it's worth it to see this gorgeous engine at work. The weather effects and textures are outstanding. Death animations also deserve a mention. |
|
| 10 | Sound No a single bad thing to say about this department. The soundtrack, battle sound effects, chatter system, use of mood music, etc. are all superb. |
|
| 9.0 | Gameplay Some people may not like the health system, but I love it. The gameplay is essentially very much unchanged, but this is also a good thing. Bad note is sometiems you feel like the only target. |
|
| 9.0 | Lasting Appeal Will replay this game many, many times. The singleplayer is great and I can't wait to replay. Multiplayer should not disappoint. |
|
| 9.5 | OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average) |
|
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Rating Info
Ranked #19 out of
