The tank
rumbles across the terrain, running over enemy soldiers and blasting other
hostile metallic beasts that sit there trying to train on your moving machine.
No stationary targets, this move and shoot, the only thing that impairs accuracy
is the unevenness of the terrain …
The American
soldiers are holding a slight edge in a quick-paced game of capture the flag.
Sitting on a balcony, BAR with sniper scope in hand, waiting for that enemy
soldier to come try to steal the American flag … hehe, here he comes. Scope on …
he has no idea … BAM! Scratch one Nazi. … and there is another, sneaking through
the park … BAM! Scratch two. Oops, grenade, too long in one spot. BAM! Scratch
one American sniper.
Whether it
is a rousing game of capture the flag, deathmatch or working through the
single-player experience, Call of Duty 2 for the Microsoft Xbox 360 is one
fine-looking game. The action is every bit as intense as its PC forefathers and
cousin, and the graphics, aglow on a huge plasma screen, are just short of truly
amazing. Why just short? They were expected to be good because this is high-def
gaming.
Activision
and Infinity Ward held a media event in San Francisco recently to show off both
the PC and the 360 versions of the Call of Duty 2 title, and the game was
everything expected and a little more. One level had a Russian soldier using an
overhead pipe system to work behind German lines in a rail yard. A gaping hole
in the pipe reveals soldiers below, sitting targets. The Russian soldier opens
fire, which is – naturally – returned by the Nazis. The rusted pipe pops with
holes punctured through by the bullets, slim streams of light filtering up.
CoD 2 is
much bigger than the first title, estimated somewhere around 150% the size.
Missions include vehicle and soldier missions, with each of the missions holding
several objectives. But don’t expect this to be a cake walk. The enemy AI is
smart, understanding elements like suppression fire and cover.
The game’s
multiplayer action was solid. With the event set up the way it was, four players
took part in the battles with the high-def screen split four ways. The size of
the screen certainly helped although the controls, at this stage of the game’s
development, seemed a little less responsive than its PC counterpart.
The sound
was robust and amply displayed in surround sound. The voices are spot on and
though there is some repetition in phrases used, for the most part the game
captures the essence of the time and circumstances.
Call of Duty
2 for the 360 is slated to release later this year.
