Multiplayer
Call of Duty 2 also has a multiplayer mode that does a fairly good job of capturing the intensity of the single player game. You can play four player splitscreen or up to eight people on Xbox Live, but the splitscreen is pretty limited since the maps are huge and not all that fun with four people and the Xbox Live play, while fun, isn’t as good as the 16 players available on the PC. The multiplayer is still very fun, it just isn’t as good as it could have been. You’ll find deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture-the-flag, search-and-destroy, and a new mode called headquarters. In headquarters, capture points are assigned to the teams and you have to control one and set up a headquarters. It then becomes a game of defend and attack like the single player game where you win by either killing off the defenders if you are the attacking team or holding out a certain period of time if you are the defending team. The defenders do not respawn until a point has been awarded which makes the game even more strategic and more fun. More players would have been better, but what is here is pretty darn good.
Graphics and Sound
What really brings all of the intensity and fun of Call of Duty 2 together is the incredible graphics. The environments are extremely sharp and look great overall. The character models are also startlingly realistic and have great animation. Details such as crumbling walls, destructible objects, and a section where you are sneaking through a rusted pipe and bullet holes allow individual streams of light through add a lot to the overall look and feel of the game. Amazingly, the game runs at a buttery smooth framerate at all times. This is an impressive looking game.
The sound is also really incredible. Sound effects for weapons and explosions are top notch and sound nearly perfect. The voice work is also very well done and it is very cool, but also rather haunting, the hear soldiers screaming at each other during battle. The music is also good and picks up at just the right moments to give the game a nice big epic feel in all of the right places.
Bottom Line
Call of Duty 2 is one of the best, if not THE best game available at the Xbox 360 launch. It does a great job of displaying the power of the system, but it also delivers a gameplay experience that is better than just about anything else out there. Call of Duty 2 is one of the most intense and immersive games available and really is something you have to play to believe. The great single player is complemented by a fun multiplayer mode which means you get a lot of quality gameplay bang for your buck. Call of Duty 2 is a great game that I highly recommend for a purchase for Xbox 360 owners.
