The first thing that you need to know is that Call of Duty 2 is not the Call of Duty 2 Big Red One that is out on current consoles. Call of Duty 2 on Xbox 360 is a different game that is actually from the PC version. It is easy to think that this would be the Xbox COD 2 considering that Activision has put the same versions of GUN and American Wasteland on 360. In this case, Call of Duty 2 is a game that wouldn't be able to run on Xbox. It is easily a must-have as far as launch titles go.
The Big Red One, for the current-gen consoles, is good but doesn't really do anything different from other games. A great thing with Call of Duty 2 is that you get to fight alongside different squads. You'll get to fight as a Russian, British and American soldier as you make your way through the 3 campaigns. To further push gamers into the war, there isn't an actual health bar stationed on your screen. Instead you will rely on your heartbeat and notice any deep breathing. Detracting from this realism is that you can recover your health by taking cover and not get hit for a short amount of time. This is really something that I disliked about the game. It's one of the few things I didn't like but it really negates the realism. I guess the idea is that you have an unlimited stock of med-kits on you that just requires you to sit still in order for them to work. I think it would be neat if they made it so if you were badly injured, you would need to call for a paramedic and hope they don't get killed on the way to you. Otherwise, less life-threatening damage would be healed by self med-kits. So I'm pretty much saying, I don't like the way you heal your injuries in COD 2.
The controls on Xbox 360 for COD 2 work out nicely. With the black/white switched to the top of the controller, they act as smoke and frag grenades. The smoke grenades are a great help during the game as you disrupt the enemies' view. The game is really just a FPS so there isn't anything too special here like commanding a squad.
Call of Duty 2 does a good job showing what's to come graphically on Xbox 360. Everything in the game really stands out and still runs smoothly. The smoke effects from the smoke grenades look great. All of the environments and buildings are amazingly textured and really brings the game to life. You'll really see the destruction as you run through the various areas. With 1080i HD support (as well as 480/720p), COD 2 looks even sharper. And if you haven't already, you should make sure to look for an HD tv to get the most out of your Xbox 360. Character animations are also smooth and realistic looking to complement the superb graphics.
War games are always good to play in surround sound (or better yet, any Xbox/Xbox 360 game) and Call of Duty 2 is no exception. The carnage of the war is perfectly translated into the sound of the game. Turn off all the lights and close all the doors so you can fully immerse yourself, and it won't be too hard to do so. All the explosions and gunfire around you comes out to give you the best experience. And thanks to the Xbox 360 capabilities, you can now gun down Nazis as you "Get Down With the Sickness" or go with a more upbeat choice and "Lie In Our Graves" now that custom soundtracks can be used on all 360 games.
It's a bit disappointing that you can't go through the campaign co-operatively with someone else. In fact, when it gets down to it, Call of Duty 2 is lacking a bit in the multiplayer aspect. The game offers 16 player via system link but only 8 on Xbox Live. Strangely, you are unable to create your own room and make it private to have a friends only game. There's also a problem with lag. When you are able to get a smooth running match online, you're in for some fun even if there isn't a whole lot of new things here. Hopefully a patch can be released to make the online portion of the game as good as the single-player mode.
Call of Duty 2 really shines as a great Xbox 360 launch title. The look and feel of the game really put you into the middle of WWII. Sure the game is available on PC but it isn't on any consoles. They could've taken the easy route and put Big Red One on Xbox 360 but they were smart. The graphics are impressive and shows the potential of future 360 titles. And while online play isn't the best currently, it is still fun when you get in. This is a highly recommended title to pick up with the Xbox 360.
