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| | Title:
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
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System:
Gamecube
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Genre:
FPS
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Publisher:
Activision
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Developer:
Treyarch
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Release:
11/01/2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Teen (T)
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The Call of Duty series is one of the most well known PC games and has been in close competition with other top-favorite first-person shooters. Xbox gamers first got a taste of this series with Call of Duty: Finest Hour, which was released near the end of 2004. Now, a year later, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is invading shelves for the Xbox console. Gamers get the opportunity to experience the full intensity of World War II and everything that comes with it. You play as a member of the 1st Infantry Division; code named Big Red One, and will travel through a few places in history.
Gameplay
Call of Duty: Big Red One's gameplay involves a lot of movie-like drama with supporting characters. This helps bring the stories and situations during the war to life and make the game feel more realistic. Because of this, the gameplay is completely scripted, meaning if you were to play the game twice the exact same events would take place. For most, the scripted gameplay is fun, but if you are looking to command your own army or create in-depth battle strategies, the Call of Duty series is not for you. You are commanded what to do throughout the missions so you always know what is going on and you are always going to see a lot of action.
The best part of this game is its varied gameplay. Unlike most games in this genre, where all you do is shoot and perform a few objectives in each mission, Call of Duty 2 will surprise you with how many guns that can be used, vehicles you will drive, and things you will blow up. For example, after you get used to the basic controls and a sense of the game on the first level, you will get to drive and operate a halftrack for the entire next stage. The halftrack's driving seems realistic in the sense that you can drive pretty much anywhere you need to and the physics don't seem cheap or low-budget. In another mission, you will have the chance to operate various turrets to shoot down enemy aircraft as you fly to your next destination. You’ll even play as a bomber pilot and sink a few battleships located in the ocean below. This type of varied gameplay continues throughout the rest of the game to ensure that you won't grow tired of doing the same actions over and over again, much like what developers have done with games like Crash Tag Team Racing.
Even though everything is scripted, this absolutely does not mean that there is no skill involved to complete the missions. In fact, depending on what difficulty you select, you will definitely die a handful of times, having to restart from your last checkpoint with thoughts of a better tactic in the forefront of your mind. Tactics involve conserving ammunition, using cover, leaning around corners, use of grenades, use of mounted turrets, and pretty much anything else you can use to your advantage to stay alive. Since the gameplay is so diverse, you will have to continually come up with these quality tactics in mind and deal with what is going on as fast as possible. If not, you could end up on the ground dead.
The weapons that you will use in this game are straight from WWII, so you won't be seeing an M16s or anything the army is using today. There are over 25 weapons that you will get a chance to use, ranging from pistols, to SMGs, to rifles, to anti-tank weapons. For most of the game you will use SMGs and rifles such as the Thompson and the M1 Garand. As you progress from level to level, you will be able to pick up any weapon, ammunition, or items that enemy soldiers drop, so this is how you will find most new weapons to use. However, you don’t build up a library of weapons or anything. Furthermore, at the start of each level you start with a preset weapon.
Anti-tank weapons, such as the Panzerschreck, and sniper rifles are probably the most fun to use and you will get to use both several times throughout the game. One mission in particular, where you will be located in a group of bunkers, will have your palms sweating as you are being bombarded by a crazy amount of tanks. The bunkers are being destroyed, pieces of debris are flying every which way, and you have to use the Bazooka to take out as many tanks as possible. Then you get to use your binoculars and call in an air strike. For most of the game, your weapon use won't be this extreme, but on each level there is usually one or two times where you get to use a turret and a special weapon of some kind.
When you are just using the normal weapons such as the Thompson or Garand, you can aim your shots and hope it hits something, or practice the best way to aim using the iron-sight on your weapon. By pressing the left trigger, your character will bring the gun to eye level and you will have a much easier time aiming at objects in the far distance. This works with any weapon, even with weapons such as turrets and bazookas.
Another great plus is that this game is playable over Xbox Live and features a few gameplay types. Sadly, there is no co-op, but only normal gameplay types such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Domination. There are about eleven total maps to play online, so it will take you a while to become an expert on each one. Vehicles are also useable with online play; vehicles such as tanks are always fun in online play. Overall, online gameplay does not seem nearly as polished as the single player mode, but is still a good time.
Graphics
The visuals in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One are excellent, but nothing extremely awesome and outstanding. If you are looking for better graphics, you need to wait and get Call of Duty 2 for Xbox 360 (if you still have some dough left from purchasing Perfect Dark Zero that is). The detail of objects in the environments isn’t particularly great, but the overall environment does look realistic. The areas you’ll be fighting through look war-torn with giant holes in the walls, deteriorated buildings, and rubble on the ground. You will also experience numerous special effects, such as plane crashes right in front of you, throughout the game that will be impressive for the most part. Weapon models are also very well done, and when you iron-sight the weapon it looks even better. Player models on the other hand don't look as good, being kind of blocky, but the overall graphics of the game are quite nice.
Audio
The audio in this game is outstanding. Background music is inspirational and sounds vary in type to what would be expected from the 1940’s. Voice acting gives the characters a sense of realism and grandeur to the story. Their characteristics will actually change throughout the game, and they will appear more tired after they have been in war for a while. The soldiers fighting right along side of you will also be commenting on pretty much everything that is going on, whether they are screaming or cracking a joke, it lends to the game’s realism. Sound effects are also very well done. The weapon sounds, vehicle sounds, reloading, airplane flights overhead, and everything else adding to the melee are well done and accurate.
Overall
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is the ultimate World War II experience on the Xbox console. The gameplay is extremely fun, varied, and action packed. Graphics are overall well done, featuring many special effects and nice realistic environments; however, nothing there is astonishing. Audio is top notch, and multiplayer adds to the replay value. If you don't plan on getting an Xbox 360 anytime soon, this is definitely something you should pick up. If you are planning on picking up an Xbox 360 soon, wait off on this and pick up Call of Duty 2. Overall, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a blast from start to finish and money well spent.
| The Core Score |
Overall
9 |
| Fun |
|
9 |
| Gameplay |
|
8.7 |
| Graphics |
|
8.5 |
| Audio |
|
9 |
| Replay |
|
8.6 |
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