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Aussie Ninja's duty? Play a bunch of games for Buttonhole.
Publisher: Activision
Wed, 14 December 2005
by: Australian Ninja
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War -huh- what is it good for? Absolutely brilliant gaming - that's what. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One [COD2] surprised the hell out of me. I was not looking forward to playing it after the frustration I experienced playing Call of Duty: Finest Hour.
I don't know any other way to say it, this is the BEST WW2 themed console FPS since Medal of Honour: Frontline.
I actually dreaded the thought of playing COD2. Fortunately for me when I did start playing it, it was so damn fun that I played it for about four hours straight. I went to bed that night excited about the game and the following morning I couldn't wait to get back at it. When there are things that need shooting, I'm ready to fulfil my duty. Unlike my real life - where I wouldn't point a gun at anyone - in games I love to mercilessly blow the shit out of anything that moves.
The sheer variety of missions on offer and intensity of the firefights I thoroughly enjoyed. As I played as an American soldier I became somewhat immersed in the game following orders, being a good soldier and it all made perfect sense due to the scripting. Each mission plays out in an exact manner and there is no option to deviate from your course. Everything is kept so tight at times it is hard to breathe.
Usually scripted events in FPS's piss me off as I don't like waiting around while characters dick about and do nothing helpful whatsoever. But in COD2 I actually enjoyed the highly scripted nature of the game and this really surprised me. The chatter between the teammates I found interesting.
 | | "War does not determine who is right - only who is left." Bertrand Russell |
Often in team based games I'm the first person to intentionally indulge in some friendly fire. The extra friendly kind where I shoot my teammates point blank in the back of the head while they bitch about something I could care less about. Well, for once, the game characters held my respect and I actually wanted to co-operate with them. I got the sense of really being part of the team instead of the one-man army lonely soldier routine. This is the first game in which "cover fire" made perfect sense to me. Although the other soldiers in my team were all like robots carrying out specific dialogue, dying where the script called for it - none of that mattered.
The battles are consistently fun, intense and best of all believable. In other WW2 FPS's there is no shortage of moments where you are totally surrounded by enemies, gunfire and constant shelling etc. The sound is incredible, as always, but in COD2 this is the first time where I really felt that around me was not a war, but utter chaos. Ruined buildings, constant barrages of enemy fire, one-man planes crashing into nearby buildings all served to create a truly immersive environment. In other WW2 games with similar events I was impressed but often it felt like a big set, just a bunch of stuff going on and behind it all - nothing. In COD2 not once did I get that impression. Every environment is so beautiful and simultaneously chaotic that you feel a part of the battle rather than a scripted event or a game.
Running around on foot with my platoon was all good fun. But that's not all folks. Tanks, Planes, Half-tracks with mounted machineguns all get a good run.
One of my favourite scenes involved storming a small building killing everyone and finding a sniper rifle. While on the roof I was required to take out the men on the big anti-aircraft gun [the Quad 20mm Flakvierling]. Then, after finishing off those men and some others, running down to the big gun with my division.
With this monstrous four-barrel rotating gun I had to shoot down several small planes as they buzzed right over our heads. It was a thrilling experience to go from sniping the soldiers in the distance to taking the gun for ourselves then shooting down enemy planes. The sound was amazing as the engines roared past. The smoke and flames from the planes looked so realistic I momentarily forgot that I was meant to be shooting the other planes. Instead, I watched in awe as the careening heap of flames smashed into the ground.
Another mission gave me the thrill of firing a rotating turret gun in a very big and very loud bomber size aeroplane. This was totally new to me; I've never done anything like that in a video-game before. It was a mission to be savoured. Passing it filled me with a sense of real satisfaction as it was harder than any that came before it. The enemy single seater aeroplanes came fast and furious in seemingly infinite numbers. A really intense mission that keeps you literally on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Yet another mission had me firing a bazooka at eight German tanks. The dome like cover [or Pillbox; commonly used for firing big machine guns] gave my plenty of firing space in which to destroy the tanks. Until the tanks blew the whole roof off of the domicile. That just left me stunned and going "What the F%&*?" One moment I was inside, the next I was outside. It was just such a cool moment when the tank shot at the domicile, smoke obscured everything for a while, that crazy slow motion COD effect turned on and then I could see the blue sky.
I thought: "Oh crap, tanks; soldiers; where's the roof, so many tanks, run; F'ING RUNNN!"
COD2 has frequent in level checkpoints that activate automatically. If you turn off the console the level will start over. So it is an automatic quick save only - for when you die during the current level. It works very well as you die often and the checkpoints are so numerous that you only have to replay a small section of the mission. This cuts down big time on the "angry gamer syndrome." You know, those times when you die endlessly because of an extra cheesy crust event in the game that requires you to do it exactly as the game tells you to.
COD2 looks breathtakingly beautiful. The environments change so frequently and they all look marvellous. From sandy desert levels with tank treads to muddy autumn forests to the blissful azure blue sky as your gunner flies so high. As usual the guns and vehicles are totally authentic. Every gun looks detailed enough that I never confused it with a similar model. That's another first for me as most FPS's have some weapons that look too similar and lead to confusion. It's evidence of excellent game design. The developers obviously took the time to distinguish the look and sound of each gun.
SMG's, Rifles, Bazookas; each are faithfully represented.
The M1 Garand Rifle is the main weapon in the game and gets plenty of use. This rapid firing rifle has a fair range and is quite powerful. It is also reasonably accurate over a distance. One of my favourite guns was on the back of the Half-track [a jeep like vehicle]. Firing that gun was true joy as it devastated wave after wave of enemy soldiers.
The sounds of COD2 are truly awesome. You could say they are awesomely awesome; but that would be silly. I am just in awe of the sound quality created for the guns, various explosions and bombing sound effects. The Mig-type planes sound unreal as they roar past your squad crashing into nearby buildings. The sniper rifle sounds are hands down the BEST I have ever heard in a video-game. The bullet ricochet sounds were so real I had to stop playing just to hear them again. I have never and I mean never heard such realistic ricochet sounds in a game before. I'm no gun nut but I have fired a small rifle across a frozen lake when I was a kid. The "shoo-pinggg-ing-ing" sound as the bullet ricocheted is still with me today. So I have no hesitation in saying that the COD2 sound effects are as good as they get. I am envious of anyone who gets to play this game with a true surround speaker system. I can't emphasise enough how great the game sounds, and I've played plenty of other games with guns and explosions - this one is the best for sound.
 | | It started as an innocent snowball fight and escalated into something far more serious |
I'm no WW2 buff and I could not tell you the names of ANY of the weapons, vehicles or locations in the game. I know there was a big war and lots of people died. The details of which I am sadly ignorant of. Here's where the extras come in. Basically just playing the game [no special conditions] will unlock a mini encyclopaedia in the extras menu. Each gun or vehicle or whatever has its own picture and description. I mean EVERY vehicle and gun and what have you - which there is a lot of - has its own bit. This means land; air; and sea based vehicles. So for ignoramuses like me I can actually look up the name of a particular machine gun or boat thingy, along with detailed info. Many of the descriptions include how the weapon / vehicle was used during the war. So that is where I got the names of things like the ground based "really really big cool loud gun" I used to shoot down the enemy aeroplanes.
COD2 is a quality game that is unrelenting in its pacing and immersion. Bad points? Well, you will die a LOT. But the checkpoints take down the annoyance factor and frankly most missions I passed by the third or fourth attempt. In a good run I'd fly through 2-3 missions in an hour or two without much trouble. When you are done there is little reason to play again; everything is scripted so you will know exactly how it all goes down. Xbox Live multiplayer is available along with split screen multiplayer if you want it.
COD2 is a decent chunk of game and you will need to sink a lot of hours in to see the end.
I honestly could not find any major flaws or problems with this game. Cheap deaths and little replay value are about it. I'm going to add here that it is now one of my favourite FPS's. The others being Doom, Quake 1, Medal of Honour's 1-3, Deus Ex, Red Faction 2 and now Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.
The fearsome Jason is playing the PC Call of Duty 2, so we should have the review of that one at Buttonhole soon too!- Sammy
by: Australian Ninja
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More articles by Australian Ninja
There are good games, great games and then there are games that, without hesitation, will blow your brain into a hundred little meaty chunks. COD2 is an incredible experience and I heartily recommend it. Tanks for the memories. | |
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