Call of Duty 2

Perfect Pacing
Much has been said about Call of Duty's graphics, gratifying gunplay, and overall sense of absolute destruction, but what really sets this WWII series apart from the rest of the pack is its in-game pacing. From the start of the Russian campaign in 1941 all the way to end of the American's drive over Germany, Call of Duty 2 reaches several crescendoing peaks that, once completed, result in a much needed exhale.

Infinity varies Call of Duty 2's gameplay enough, level by level, to keep it from ever getting stale. Tank and jeep rail sequences are well-planned and action-packed, while even on-foot gameplay objectives throw you for a curve now and then. For example, an early Russian mission challenges you to repair a telephone wire at several different locations, while an American sequence in Normandy has you sniping German mortar teams until Ally reinforcements arrive.

Hey, Good Lookin'...
Frankly put, Call of Duty 2 is simply breathtaking. The game runs standard in 720p with strikingly realistic detail on weapons and walls, emphasized by normal mapping, exceptional shading and lighting, specular highlights, and some absolutely phenomenal particle effects. Smoke grenades play an essential role in moving from station to station, and the power of the graphics engine really shines when clouds of smoke fill every last inch of the screen. The only graphical disappointments are the lack of active foliage and an interesting mixture of physics and hand-animation, which isn't necessarily bad. My thought is that tuning down the ragdoll, which can cause an engine to chug, allows for an overall better looking experience.

The Mad Multi
Multiplayer wise, Call of Duty 2 supports eight-player online play via Xbox Live, standard four-player split-screen, and the option to system link up to 16 players. The general FPS game types, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, and CTF, are all included, and it runs wonderfully smooth on Live.

While your instinct may be to write this one off as "Reviewer gets bit by new-generation hardware bug", don't do it! In fact, I'd be surprised if the Xbox 360 gets a better game than Call of Duty 2 in the next year--seriously.

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M13

I just recently purchased this game (yeah I'm a little behind). Not only is it incredibly fun but the combat is insanely intense.

coltpeacemaker

i love to play cod2. it has to have the most intense fighting scenes of any shooter i have ever played.

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