Call of Duty 2 Review

World War 2 games are far from new, nearly every mission, setting or battle has most likely already been done. From the D-Day landing, to the liberation of France, to the final conquest of Germany, all have be recreated countless times over. None however, have done it as beautifully as Call of Duty 2 does. The excellent graphics, audio and new features bring excitement to a worn down storyline and if not for the very average multiplayer this would be a near perfect World War 2 game.

Like the original Call of Duty there are three separate single player campaigns where you'll play the role of an Allied soldier during World War 2. The campaigns run in chronological order from 1941-1945 but can be played independently of each other. The Russian campaign begins in 1942 and takes you through the Russian winter in battles through the streets of Stalingrad. Once you've completed the first mission you will unlock the British campaign. That campaign is set in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and puts you in the midst of some of the greatest tank battles of the War. The American campaign begins with the D-Day Invasion of Normandy and the liberation of Europe. Each new mission/campaign is introduced with a nice documentary clip and narration from the Military Channel followed by a short mission briefing.

The missions themselves are not as linear as many other WW2 first person shooters and are much more open ended which lead to more flexibility in what you're able to do. As with most games there are certain objects within each mission that must be completed but how you go about doing them and the order they are completed is under your control.

Call of Duty 2 implements some of the latest and greatest features to hit the first person shooter genre. The biggest feature implemented is the revised health system. In Call of Duty 2 as you get wounded the screen will begin to turn blurry and red around the edges. This is meant to warn you that one or more shots may kill your character. To regain your health all you'll need to do is find safe cover for a few seconds. Once the redness and blurriness are gone you're good to get back into the action.

Along with the new health system Call of Duty 2 features the off-hand grenade. Rather than having to change your active weapon, now a quick hit of the 'g' key will toss one of your grenades. You will not be able to shoot you're rifle or any two handed weapon until you're finished throwing but the weapon will be ready a split second after the toss is completed. This feature is invaluable during assaults on unknown areas or against a large number of opposing forces. Smoke genrades are also a new feature for Call of Duty 2, they help to provide much needed cover in both the single and multiplayer game modes.

Like the original, Call of Duty 2 places you within a small squad of soldiers. The objectives and most of the action will reside in your shoes but your squad mates do provide both covering and suppressing fire. Unlike Brothers In Arms, the game's AI has complete control over all of their actions. Even though this AI is much improved, a feature that toggles between AI controlled and user controlled squad mates would have been a nice addition.

The game offers more than 30 different weapons, drivable vehicles, multiplayer maps and environments that are stunningly detailed. Other features for the most part identical to the original. Minus your health status the HUD display is the same and the Radar Map includes stars, enemies and allies that help you complete mission objectives.

The AI has been enhanced to accommodate the open ended style of some of the missions. Both squad mates and enemies react realistically to your actions and decisions. Enemies will throw back or move away from grenades before they explode and seek cover when they encounter heavy gunfire. Enemy AI will also make adjustments and take into consideration the terrain and current environment. They will duck, jump, or climb over walls, attempt to flank and more.

Infinity Ward developed a new graphics engine for Call of Duty 2 and their hard work has paid off. Call of Duty 2, to say the least, looks stunning, the graphics and effects make it one of the best looking games on the market today. The shading and lighting effects give every environment a very detailed and realistic look. Witnessing the demolition of a huge 5 story building in the first mission is quite impressive. The visual effects created by smoke grenades are definitely work a mention as well. Virtually everything within the cloud of smoke is obscured to a blur or faint outline with the only course of action being to wait it out, or run straight through it.

Animated movie cut scenes are not nearly as frequent as seen in many older World War 2 shooters and the ones that do take place are not over done. They flow nicely with the game play and story, and don't take away from the intensity of action that can sometimes happen. As mention previously each mission begins with a short documentary of real WW2 footage usually followed by some short in game briefing that gives the background and objectives for the current mission.