Reviews

Posted by: jkdmedia

There is that moment, the initial moment, when the game roars to life, and you sit, slack-jawed with alarm and realize that you have indeed entered a new gaming zone.

Activision and Infinity Ward were one of the first to release a title for the 360, and the benchmark has been set. Ok, yes, this is  essentially the same game that was featured in a PC review in late October. And the term “essentially” is operative here because while the game bears all the marks of its PC brethren in terms of the story and linear nature of the game, graphically it feels like a whole new animal.

Consider the opening sequence. A young Soviet conscript is about to be trained to use the weapons available, a training session rudely interrupted by the advancing German army. When this same scene played out on the PC, it was almost a case of wanting to get through it to jump into the mainstream missions. Maybe it is the newness of the console, but there is little doubt that the graphical quality of this title either fairly meets or just generally exceeds the PC version.

That same opening mission was a languid affair, with each frame of this steady framerate savored for the visual delight. The game is splayed out on a bigger screen; the sound roars and the pacing would feel rather frantic if not for the sheer delight rendered.

Welcome to Call of Duty 2, the most intense and intelligent World War II shooter title on the market.

That was derived from the PC review and is as applicable here as there. This game is intelligent and while the levels are very linear in many regards, there is a certain amount of freedom players are given in working through the levels.

There are three campaigns that take place throughout Europe and Africa. You may begin as that Soviet conscript, or hit the North African desert as a member of a British unit, or climb a daunting cliff face at Point Du Hoc as Americans attempting to make inroads against German fortifications. While most of the missions involve squads of soldiers (yes, there are mobilized missions in the mix), you are not tasked with controlling the squad. This is very much an individual perspective, with gamers taking on the role of a soldier sent out as a member of a squad to accomplish a certain task. That task may evolve through the course of the assignment to add what normally would be thought of as side missions, but the dev team was able to integrate it all into one seemingly flawless mission structure that has players on the verge of relaxing only to realize that the chaos continues.

The snow is falling and you are part of a Soviet squad that is tasked with destroying a building where the Germans are encamped. The AI here is wonderful, with teammates shouting commands (yes, some of the phrases are very repetitious), warnings and generally the same information that things might occur in a setting. Most of your squad is moving generally straight toward the targeted structure, but you have decided to flank the Germans and move in from the side. The mission itself is linear, but your individual tactic allows for some flexibility. Certainly you will have to perform the same tasks in setting the explosives at the end, but your cyber teammates perform intelligently and the enemy AI runs the gamut from simple to rather tough, depending on which of the four difficulty settings you select.

As stated, the game itself is more or less a mirror of its PC counterpart. The major differences occur in the graphical presentation and the control scheme. While it may not be the popular thing to say (and consider this is coming from a predominately PC gamer), the graphical quality of the 360 version exceeds the PC title. Crisp, vibrant and sporting remarkable detail across a much larger screen, CoD 2 is a benchmark title. And it should be noted that this game was not played on a high-def set. This game was jaw-dropping.

The control scheme was also very well done. The 360 controller is close to the Xbox controller, save it has two additional shoulder buttons. What was surprising is how well it all seems to fit in a wireless controller and how responsive the game is.

Multiplayer splits the screen into four quadrants and while the gaming modes are somewhat traditional for shooters, players may likely get that new gamer experience just simply because the graphics take it to a whole new level.

Big sound is the hallmark of this title, and CoD 2 gets the sound right. If you don’t have your 360 and television hooked up to surround sound you are cheating yourself of an amazing aural experience. Every sound underscores the nerve-rattling chaos of the scenarios, and sets the perfect tone.

CoD 2 is stunning. It is one of those gaming experiences that defines a genre while also opening up possibilities for what may be to come, in the dawn of the new era of console gaming.

Gameplay: 9.0
The controller is solid and there is none of that feeling that the game has been “dumbed down” for the console. On the contrary, this is a very smart game that may be scripted and linear, but still gives enough freedom – while tantalizing with incredible pacing – to make for a wonderful gaming experience.

Graphics: 9.7
Absolutely stunning. The smoke effects are amazing and even fires burning in barrels as environmental effects are a treat.

Sound: 9.0
It sounds huge and the audio provides the perfect underscore for the whole visual experience.

Difficulty: Medium
Four settings allow you to fine-tune your gaming experience. The easy setting may be a little too easy, while the hardest settings will definitely challenge even the most hardcore of shooter gamers.

Concept: 9.0
This version was created parallel to the PC title development, but the changes – to build it for the platform – are such that in some ways it feels brand new.

Multiplayer: 8.8
Reflexive and fun, this is likely to do well once the Xbox Live connection powers it.

Overall: 9.2
Stunning graphically, a pleasure to control with the 360 gamepad, Call of Duty 2 is an amazing example of precisely what gamers can expect from the machine. While this may be one of the first titles out of the bag, it clearly sets a high standard for other titles to follow.