r those of us still without an Xbox 360, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One provides some consolation for not being able to play Call of Duty 2 on the 360. Activision’s World War II shooter doesn’t stray far from earlier installments in terms of looks and game play but it does provide a more compelling story line. The game delivers exceptional visuals for an Xbox title and provides an entertaining experience of playing through a blockbuster Hollywood war movie and yes Mark Hamill is included.
In Big Red One you are thrust into action as part of a squad in the Army’s First Infantry division. The missions are fairly historically accurate and you follow the Big Red One’s campaign throughout the war from Africa to Italy and on into Germany. As with other Call of Duty games it changes up the missions adding tanks, half tracks, and airplanes for you to control, so you aren’t always the guy on the ground running everywhere. One mission in particular has your character controlling several stations within a B-24 bomber. The constant change of scenery was also a plus as the campaign takes you from the deserts of Africa to the snowy hillsides of France and Germany. A unique thing in Big Red One is the character development that takes place within your squad. Much like a movie there is the wise-guy New Yorker and the humble Sarge from a rural background, this all helps to deepen the playing experience by giving names and faces to your
teammates as opposed to them just being nameless and faceless bots.
The graphical presentation of this game is pretty outstanding. Coming at the end of the first Xbox’s lifetime it has the advantage of utilizing techniques already pioneered in order to push the system to its limits. The missions give a full sense of being in a war with all of the explosions, bullets, bodies, and Nazis to prove it. The action on screen is impressive as things explode and planes fly overhead. Even simple movements such as reloading and characters talking are executed well.
Call of Duty games are famous for immersing your senses into the feeling of being in a warfare environment and Big Red One does not disappoint. The sounds that the game produces are top notch. It is almost sensory overload as you try to listen to orders being shouted, explosions going off, people yelling and screaming, all on top of the sound of your own gun shooting. The music throughout the game and in the menu page also provides an accurate feeling of World War II-ness.
Game play is fairly fluid as the game easily directs you where to go (no choices here remember its like a
movie). However, it still is fun regardless. On the easier difficulties you can get by going in guns blazing, but on the harder difficulties you will need to utilize the crouch and cover techniques. Controls will take a slight bit of getting used to for those of us coming off Halo 2, however after a level or two of playing the controls become fairly intuitive.
After playing through an engaging single player, the multiplayer on Big Red One is kind of disappointing. First off there is no split screen multiplayer, just online and system link. The online multiplayer can be fun once a game is set up and people are actually joining but that is where problems arise. You will have to sort through many lists of games that seem hopeful in order to come upon one that is actually playable as there are problems with refreshing and availability. For those of us who have been spoiled with Halo 2’s ingenious system of organizing matches, this game will feel like a step back. The actual gameplay in multiplayer is
very straightforward there is deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, and domination game types. One cool feature is that you gain rank during the game in multiplayer. In each multiplayer game players have the opportunity to advance from private to sergeant depending on kills and accomplishments. The ranking system opens up features that allow players to carry more weapons and ammo and it also serves to show who the better players are. Unfortunately the ranks do not carry over from game to game; still I found this system very clever and intriguing.
Ever wanted to know more about the gun you were shooting? How about that tank you drove in mission 3? Well the extra content included in Call of Duty: Big Red One will tell you all about the weapons of war that were featured in the game. Granted this information is unlocked as you play through the game. I was glad to see this information available as it helps to teach people the history behind what they are playing. Players can also re-watch the historical clips that the game showed while loading between missions (Mark Hamill provides the voice of the narrator).
Overall the game was fun and enjoyable to play through. My only gripe was with the shoddy multiplayer. The
developers could have taken more time to expand upon it thus making this a truly great game. The in-game rank advancement was a nice novelty but it too could have been expanded and strengthened. It felt like the multiplayer was rushed or added in at the end; however I would rather have it over no multiplayer at all. Also, what happened to split screen? That was another of my major problems with the game.
Scoring
Graphics: 5
Sound: 5
Gameplay: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Extras: 4
Dev. Perspective: 3
Overall: 4
