Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360)
Manufacturer: Activision Part number: 80937
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- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Description:
- Call of Duty 2 redefines the cinematic intensity and chaos of battle as seen through the eyes of ordinary soldiers fighting together in epic WWII conflicts. The sequel to 2003's Call of Duty, winner of over 80 Game of the Year awards, Call of Duty 2 offers more immense, more intense, more realistic battles than ever before, thanks to ... Read more
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Gamespot editors' review
Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) price range: $6.75 - $28.99
- Reviewed by: Bob Colayco
- Reviewed on: 11/15/2005
- Released on: 11/17/2005
When a game is announced for both the PC and consoles, the question always arises about what's different between the two versions. Did any compromises have to be made on one platform or the other? Did something get lost in translation? As it turns out, the recent release of Call of Duty 2 on the PC turned out to be a very accurate preview of what Xbox 360 owners could expect to get from next-generation shooters. Almost everything that makes the PC version one of the year's best shooters remains intact on the Xbox 360 version of the game, which looks just as good and actually runs smoother than all but the most beastly of gaming PCs. If not for the online multiplayer that's limited to eight players, the Xbox 360 version probably would have been hands-down better overall. But as it is, Call of Duty 2 still sets a high standard for any shooters following in its footsteps on Microsoft's new console, and it's considerably faster, prettier, and more exciting than most any other shooter available on consoles.
Call of Duty 2 sets the bar high for Xbox 360 first-person shooters.
As in the first PC game, Call of Duty 2's campaign will put you in the shoes of a few different soldiers fighting for different Allied factions. You start off as a private in the Russian army, visciously fighting off the invading Germans in Moscow and Stalingrad. The British campaign is unlocked after beating the first Russian mission. For most of these missions you'll be fighting in the sand-swept deserts of North Africa, alongside the Desert Rats, against Field Marshal Rommel's troops. The final mission in the British campaign sends you to the bombed-out houses and hedgerows of Caen, France. After you're done with that, you'll play as an American corporal in Europe. Yes, you will be doing a D-Day landing, but not on Omaha Beach or Utah Beach, which you've probably played several times before. Instead, you'll be scaling the sheer cliffs of Pointe du Hoc as artillery with the Army Rangers. If you already thought rock climbing was an "extreme" sport, try doing it with artillery and machine-gun fire raining down on you.
Each of the game's 10 missions is broken up into a few different stages. If you play the game on regular difficulty, you could blow through it in about 10 hours. Ratcheting up the difficulty a notch makes the game much harder and more tactical (this is probably the experience the designers intended). Since you'll be creeping and peeking more carefully through all the encounters, you'll lengthen the campaign significantly, and you'll enjoy it more.
Breaking up the campaign into several different narrative vignettes arguably weakens the impact of the plot as a whole, although that was never the strength of Call of Duty in the first place. What this does is let the designers put you in a lot of different, interesting situations. One memorable moment in the Russian campaign has you crawling through a raised pipeline to sneak behind German lines and into a fortified factory building. As you make your way through the pipeline, you'll spot and snipe small pockets of German infantry through holes in the pipe. When they fire back up at you, you'll notice bullets tearing through the rusted pipe, ripping open holes for shafts of light to poke through. It's a thrilling effect.
You'll also get quite a rush from both participating in and defending against all-out infantry charges across open city squares in Stalingrad. But just as the novelty of these wears off, you're shunted over to the British campaign in North Africa, where you'll do things like participate in night raids of small Tunisian towns, climb up to the top of spires to call in artillery on enemy tanks, and even drive a tank yourself. The American campaign has its own memorable moments, like scaling the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, or sniping at German mortar crews from the top of a grain silo. The game paces itself so that you're always on your toes, and you'll find yourself switching back and forth almost constantly from an offensive position to making a defensive stand against counterattacks on the objective you've just captured. Yes, at the end of the day you're still just shooting a lot of Nazis, but the constantly varying contexts of how and why you're doing it keep the game compelling from start to finish.
Massive amounts of infantry can populate the battlefield.
You won't be participating in these forays alone; far from it. In every setting you'll be surrounded by what seems like dozens of soldiers, both friends and foes, who move and act in a realistic fashion. Lots of your artificially intelligent mates will die by your side, along with the dozens of enemy soldiers you kill, but more will come in from the rear echelons to take their place. The designers often do a good job of reminding you that the war isn't just the infantry skirmish in which you're fighting. From time to time you'll see planes engaged in dogfights flying overhead, or when you complete an objective of capturing a German harbor, you'll call in a naval strike and see enemy merchant ships being sunk at the docks.
In each confrontation, you'll find yourself setting up at logical stopping points to exchange fire with German resistance. You can snipe dozens of enemies out of the windows and from the trenches in front of a house, for example, but reinforcements replace them. It never feels as though the game is cheaply spawning in more fodder for you; it just does a great job of making you feel like there are a realistic number of soldiers holed up in a building. You need to get a feel for the flow of each pitched battle, and this can be done by advancing your line when the enemy ranks look thin enough, and then breaking into the house or bunker. Your allies will follow you in and help you clear out the objective. Of course, if you're too meek at attacking and pressing your advantage, the enemy AI is wily and aggressive enough to take charge. They're not afraid to pour fire on your position and toss tons of grenades at you. Thankfully, a handy grenade danger indicator lets you know when and where you have to scurry away from an impending blast. When you do die, the game reloads very quickly, and you're even treated to a quote about war from various historical figures. One that sticks out in our minds is an ironic one from Solomon Short: "The only winner in the War of 1812 was Tchaikovsky."
User reviews
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Lots of fun, but have had more fun with other war games
by mouseclick on December 1, 2005
Pros: Simply... pure fun
Cons: I expected more from the graphics
Summary: This game is a lot of fun to play - very fast paced and action packed. However, I had more fun playing Brothers in Arms on the old Xbox. But ...
Summary: This game is a lot of fun to play - very fast paced and action packed. However, I had more fun playing Brothers in Arms on the old Xbox. But this is like saying a french vanilla shake is better than a vanilla bean shake - close and arguable. I do feel the graphics should have been better. Splinter Cell for the old Xbox rivals these graphics so, I expected a whole lot better for the 360 console (but I understand, this is a first generation game). The graphics are not bad at all, it just leaves me wanting more (although some scenes are indeed magnificant). Still, this is one title you must have.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This game is great
by jmo7 on December 5, 2005
Pros: Killer Graphics, Good Missions, intelligent AI
Cons: can't bring guests to xbox live with you...
Summary: Ok, I bought this game shortly after Perfect Dark Zero, because Perfect Dark Zero sucked. This game is a way better fps than PD0. I really like the single player, ...
Summary: Ok, I bought this game shortly after Perfect Dark Zero, because Perfect Dark Zero sucked. This game is a way better fps than PD0. I really like the single player, multiplayer is good, except only one person can play on xbox live per account. This sucks, when my friends come over, they don't want to watch me play, and a 4 person deathmatch is kind of boring... Would have been a 10 if I could bring guests on xbox live. As far as entertainment value... it is awesome. I like that this is like real war, you can die very easily, and you have to be very thoughtful in playing. The visuals are stunning in high def ( I play on a 42" high def). And the audio makes you feel like you're there. In short, buy this game, it is probably the best launch title, don't let the editors rating of Perfect Dark fool you, it sucks.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This Is An Awesome World War 2 Shooter
by DylS123 on July 18, 2007
Pros: Excellent Campaign Mode, Stunning Graphics, Amazing Sound, Great Online Gameplay
Cons: Can't Bring Guests Into Xbox Live Matches, Small Online Games
Summary: I am so glad that I decided to download this demo because this game defines the word 'awesome'. The first thing I noticed from the moment the game started is ...
Summary: I am so glad that I decided to download this demo because this game defines the word 'awesome'. The first thing I noticed from the moment the game started is the amazing graphics and detail (I play on a 60 inch HDTV). I was so amazed by them that I forgot what I was supposed to be doing and I remembered, "I am in the middle of WW2!" and I quickly joined the fight.
Another thing I noticed was the amazing sounds and detail of the guns. They sound just like the actual guns do!
The story is also awesome. You fight with the Russian, British, and American. Three awesome campaigns with my favorite being the Russian. Each battle gives you so much information of what the troops went through every day fighting. And I find the experience they got to be terrifying. This game truly is beautiful.
Another thing I enjoy is the Online play. Although you are unable to bring a guest into an Xbox Live match with you, it really is a lot of fun and you will want to keep on playing it giving it a great lasting appeal.
All in all, Call of Duty 2 is one of the greatest games and it showed me just why I purchased an Xbox 360. This game just blows away Call of Duty 3 even though it came out after this game. I recommend this game to anyone wanting an amazing WW2 shooter, and who wouldn't? -
The best WW2 shooter ever.
by uyp501324 on June 16, 2007
Pros: Amazing single player and amazing multiplayer.
Cons: There is not much of a story line.
Summary: If you dont have this game go and get it now.
Summary: If you dont have this game go and get it now.
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Great game
by sarfdawg on January 16, 2007
Pros: Solid review of the history
Cons: None noted.
Summary: I really have enjoyed this game as it is audio and visual masterpiece. The graphics really push the 360, and the sound is alarmingly good as the bullets sound as ...
Summary: I really have enjoyed this game as it is audio and visual masterpiece. The graphics really push the 360, and the sound is alarmingly good as the bullets sound as if they are flying right by your ear. Sometimes the lack of athletic ability of your soldiers is frustrating, but it is a great game to just pick up and fire away.
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Jaw dropping game quality
by fifaworldcup06 on November 28, 2006
Pros: Perfect graphics, great maps, fantastic deathmatches
Cons: When you get hurt, it goes away after 5 seconds of hiding so you don't get hurt
Summary: Call of Duty 2 is an incredible game for the XBOX 360. It has great graphics, fantastic gameplay and some great guns. The only downside to the game is that ...
Summary: Call of Duty 2 is an incredible game for the XBOX 360. It has great graphics, fantastic gameplay and some great guns. The only downside to the game is that when you are hit with multiple bullets, there are no health packs, you just take cover for 5 seconds and you are all better, slighty unrealistic. But otherwise it is a perfect game, really stunning in all aspects.
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Intense, one of the best on the 360
by aronhalt1 on October 27, 2006
Pros: Graphics, gameplay, sound, even the box is cool
Cons: Invisible ranking system online
Summary: This is, hands down, one of the best games on the 360. Graphics are awesome, gameplay is intuitive, easy, and the controls don't distract from the game. You don'...
Summary: This is, hands down, one of the best games on the 360. Graphics are awesome, gameplay is intuitive, easy, and the controls don't distract from the game. You don't have to pull out the manual to figure out how to throw a grenade for example...you just push RB. The gameplay is linear for the most part, however, you can wonder off the beaten path sometimes (to your own demise usually). The controls and gameplay are pretty much the same as other games in the genre (Metal of Honor for example), however, some aspects are improved. For example, in most sections of the single player campaign you are assisted by other troops. Instead of being left by yourself after they die, more troops come to join you from the rear to fill the gaps. This means that you are not distracted by saving your squad, but at the same time, they can present the intensity and brutality of the situation (i.e. bodys hitting the ground everywhere). The AI is pretty smart, they take cover when you try to shoot them, they throw grenades, they attemp to flank you, etc. The storyline actually continues during the action. The troops around you talk (yell rather) during the gameplay to inform you of what is going on around you. They will report on troop movements, gun postions, locations of enemy troops under cover, etc. To me, one of the most difficult parts of the game was trying to hear or read what my commrads were say while under fire and returning fire. It makes things seem more real because I'm pretty sure it is hard to talk and call out orders when guns and motors are going off all around.
Like I said above, this game is intense. The best description I have is the movie Saving Private Ryan. Picture this movie as a game and you get Call of Duty 2. They even show actual news real footage from WWI of the battle you are going to fight before you actually fight during each section.
I only have one negative comment and that has to do with online play. They use something they call trueskill ranking. This ranking system is transparent meaning you never get to see what your ranking is. The system is only used to match you will players of a similar skill. To me, one of the joys of a game like this comes from the competitive nature of online play. If you or others can't see how well you are doing, then what motivates people to play well or practice online? Besides this small negative, the online play is great. Getting into a game is fast and easy and there are several types of matches to keep you busy.
Great game, money well spent. -
Great Graphics and Great Overall Game!
by karpedmm on August 9, 2006
Pros: Great Graphics and Great Maps
Cons: Cannot let friends play on live from your 360
Summary: This game is great. The graphics and game play are almost perfect. The only downside is that you can only get one player on live from your 360, unlike GRAW.
Summary: This game is great. The graphics and game play are almost perfect. The only downside is that you can only get one player on live from your 360, unlike GRAW.
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Best Game on 360
by rhlptl on July 13, 2006
Pros: Great graphics, fast loading, exitig through out the play, long enough to keep you busy for days.
Cons: Multiplayer doesn't have enough options
Summary: COD2 is one of the best game on 360, Graphics are excellent, especially if you have HDTV. Sound effect is just great. I have been waiting for this game since ...
Summary: COD2 is one of the best game on 360, Graphics are excellent, especially if you have HDTV. Sound effect is just great. I have been waiting for this game since I played COD1 on computer. you get to play for 3 different countries. Simpely amzing. Muliplayer's options are not so great. only 8 players max can play at a time. I found some (2 or 3) maps very boring, but you can select them so you wont play on those map. It never lags unless the host has slow internet connection (slower DSL). Over all I enjoed the game very much, even though the multiplayer options are not great, but you will still love to play it. Dont listen to any one, go buy this game and see for your self, i gurentee you will love this game.
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Probably one of the best FPS's for the Xbox 360 ever.
by CarbineGuy on July 11, 2006
Pros: Great graphics, great sounds, great gameplay.
Cons: There are no cons in this game.
Summary: This is probably one of the best, if not the best, first person shooter on the Xbox 360. It has a combination of Graphics and Gameplay that put you right ...
Summary: This is probably one of the best, if not the best, first person shooter on the Xbox 360. It has a combination of Graphics and Gameplay that put you right in the middle of all the action, with great historical accuracy.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Activision
- Part number: 80937
- Description: Call of Duty 2 redefines the cinematic intensity and chaos of battle as seen through the eyes of ordinary soldiers fighting together in epic WWII conflicts. The sequel to 2003's Call of Duty, winner of over 80 Game of the Year awards, Call of Duty 2 offers more immense, more intense, more realistic battles than ever before, thanks to the stunning visuals of the new COD2 engine.
Product Basic Spec
- Platform Xbox 360
- ESRB rating Teen - Mild Language,Blood,Violence
- Genre Action
- Elements Action - first person shooter
- Context Realistic
- Number of players 1-16 Players
- Connectivity Online,Live Aware,System Link
- Difficulty Medium
- Learning curve About a half hour
- Offline modes Competitive,Team Oriented
- Online modes Cooperative,Competitive,Team Oriented
Game
- Developer Infinity Ward
- ESRB Teen
- ESRB descriptors Mild Language,Blood,Violence
Manufacturer info
- Activision
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Activision products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.activision.com/
- Address:
3100 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 - Phone: 310-255-2000
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