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.
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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.
