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» Game Reviews » Technology Features
| GAME REVIEWS Call of Duty 2 By James Francis
Developer: Infinity Ward War shooters have always had a special place for me. Much like comics fantasizing WW2, novels glorifying it and movies creating heroes out of Eastwood and Wayne. Ironically there is a quote in Call of Duty 2 that says war is entertaining to those who haven't experienced it. Perhaps that why war fields make for such great games- they combine the innocence of entertainment with the intensity of the event. Infinity Ward set a standard for the sub-genre with Call of Duty. Comprising largely out of developers who worked on the acclaimed Medal of Honour series, the team crafted a superior experience, creating perhaps not the most accurate but definitely the most atmospheric entry to the genre. Since then we've seen the release of the creative Brothers in Arms and its focus on tactical squad combat, but CoD had to wait for its sequel to dethrone it. Welcome to the new digital battleground. There is one thing that has to be noted from the start: CoD 2 uses a regenerative health system. Hardcore players might scorn this much as they detest auto-save, but it actually works very well with the game's dynamic. It's still tough, but only at the hardest difficulties. The health system negates the need for any first aid kit scouting and keeps you focused on the game. For that reason I'd elect it as a good mainstream game as well - it's simple and focused enough on its easiest setting to be a very accessible challenge. Get it for the casual gaming family member bugging you for something to play.l But make sure they have the rig for it. CoD 2 is graphically stunning, but it demands its penance in blood. On a Legend 6600 and AMD 2000xp the game looks really good, but the performance gradually caused a system chug. Higher cards give even more impressive results. One could laundry-list them, but just the smoke effects and animations alone make a big impression. You have to see it in action. The same goes for the sound and structure of the title - it makes for a solid, intense package that the health system intensifies to an extreme action level. The sequel takes its queue from CoD with American, English and Russian campaigns. But this title feels more anti-climatic. It lacks the finale missions at the end and comes across as too short if the game isn't set at a proper difficulty. There is a nice Machinima as a reward in the end, but that's about it. Still, there isn't a better war game out there and fans must try it. As must anyone who want a truly beautiful game. The demo is fairly representative of the action, but higher-end card owners will not see the benefit yet. But you'll be cheating yourself if you won't give it a try.
Graphics: 9.5 | | |
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