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 games: call of duty 2
This week, it’s war. 2003’s Call Of Duty topped what had previously been achieved with the Medal Of Honor: World War II first-person shooters. A masterpiece of intensive play with varied, detailed environments and smooth controls, Call Of Duty set a benchmark for WWII FPSs and earned itself a slew of Game Of The Year awards, including a BAFTA.Its publisher, Activision, now has not one but two sequels, in the somewhat confusing form of Call Of Duty 2 (on PC and Xbox 360) and Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One (on Xbox, PS2 and GameCube). Considering the WWII shooter marketplace is pretty crammed these days, can the games make their presence felt? By largely maintaining the quality of a foundation as strong as the first Call Of Duty, of course they can.  Call Of Duty 2. Call Of Duty 2 sees you battling in Stalingrad as a Red Army soldier, in North Africa as a Desert Rat, and in France on and after D-Day as a US Ranger. It's somewhat disjointed, but it does allow for a variety of settings which are enlivened by some impressive characterization. You fight your way through the British battles with a wonderful double-act between the posh, moustachio’d English Captain Price and his long-suffering Scots sidekick, Private MacGregor. Honestly, make that man a corporal. With the D-Day stuff, you get the impression the ambition was to top the Saving Private Ryan-influenced beach assault scenes in Medal Of Honor: Frontline. You're off the beach quicker here and climbing the cliffs, but it's similarly intense. The play is as technically impressive as that of the first Call Of Duty. But having played a lot of these games over the past three years, I'm starting to hanker for a bit more – for some emotional involvement comparable to that of TV's Band Of Brothers, or some political and moral complexity comparable to that of movies like Attack! or Cross Of Iron. With games so articulate in their visuals and play mechanics, can't developers try and push the medium a bit more in terms of the way the stories are told?  Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One. Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One, for example, touches on an area that could have been considerably more interesting – when the Americans take on Vichy soldiers in North Africa. Killing game Nazis is pretty uncomplicated, but having the devs give the Yank boys here a series of meatheaded whoops as they slaughter French soldiers reduces the situation to a frustrating lowest common denominator level of gaming. The Vichy Government may have consisted of some despicable reactionaries and collaborators, but it's hard to believe that the ordinary rank and file embraced Nazism, so it feels strange to blast away at them gleefully here. It's the first time I've felt such discomfort in a WWII shooter. The game just lacks the sensitivity of its obvious influence, Sam Fuller's film The Big Red One. Still, both these sequels are quality, with my money probably on Infinity Ward's Call Of Duty 2. It's a game that's also notable because it's the first title to look better on a console than on my PC, in this case with its gorgeous 360 incarnation.
Daniel Etherington
Call Of Duty 2 is out now on PC and Xbox 360. Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One is out now on Xbox, PS2 and GameCube.
 comments
Read members' comments related to this game.
comment by The Digital Ninja
Jan 6, 2006
I though the outbreak games were rubbish, no continuity....its like having a feature film with ten lead roles, hard to follow, and ultimately, rubbish.
comment by Mister Savage
Jan 6, 2006
Well good luck with that one! I haven't really played much Resi to be fair. Make sure you write a little review to let us know what you think, eh?
comment by honeybunnyhb
Jan 6, 2006
I just went down to the shops and brought resident evil file 2 in the sale. Tell me do y'all think this was a good choice if I enjoyed resident evil 4....By the way if anyone plays Res 4 when u get to the castle with the monks. You can hear them chanting. I was laughing because it sounds like they are saying "no he didn't, no he didn't"
comment by Mister Savage
Jan 6, 2006
Hey Gonzo - you should start that as a conversation then. I don't think w've had that one here yet!
comment by Spinky
Jan 6, 2006
No. You'd be uniquely extreme.
comment by The Digital Ninja
Jan 6, 2006
can you be 'extremely unique'if you are unique in doing something extreme?
comment by The Digital Ninja
Jan 6, 2006
woohoo!I LOVED psi ops, can't get past the bit where the invisible ghost monsters are after you... followed some footprints and then there was nowhere to go.... mister savage preferred second sight though, pah and fie on his name! 
comment by Spinky
Jan 6, 2006
I don't think you can be "extremely unique" - you're either unique or you're not.
comment by Dr. Gonzo
Jan 6, 2006
Sorry to defer from the subject, I'm open to discussion if anyone would like to continue this debate because it seems like I've provoked a healthy one, and I agree Michael Moore is loosing support but at least he's bring SOME information to light, on Bowling for Columbine he's also edited Matt Stones interview, that why that slated him so much in South Park and Team America.Anyway...... I've only really seen my friends play Beyond the Call of Duty, I'm a bit out of touch with my PS2 to be honest. I find that the graphic quality of such games, especially Medal of Honour, is pretty well done, plus Medal of Honour is based on the World Wars isn't it? I've only played the demo's so I don't know exactly. I think a lot of the first person shoot 'em ups get quite samey though. But I really like Psi-Ops, that's an extremely unique idea for a game.
comment by momo619
Jan 5, 2006
We were talking about CALL OF DUTY 2 werent we............................I think.
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