Review by Jaz
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Date: 2006-01-23
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Xbox 360 Review – Call of Duty 2

Arguably one of the main selling points of the original Xbox was the groundbreaking Halo 2, and now alongside Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2 (COD2) has become one of the pioneer shooters for the Xbox 360.

COD2 follows the life of a Second World War veteran – putting you in the shoes of a different officer from each of the allied countries. The battlefield is about as atmospheric as you could hope for – especially when coupled with a decent surround sound set-up. The AI of your allies is superb; they break ranks when needed, carefully place a smoke grenade, or hang back and snipe from a distance. They always seem to make the right decision, and sometimes you have to remind yourself that you’re not actually playing with real people.

When played on a High Definition TV, COD2 really comes alive. The visuals are stunning, with each battle-scarred city looking as real as if you could reach out and touch it. Your colleagues in the front line also look superbly realistic – as is their animation with every movement they make.

However, if the single-player campaign is a perfect example of how to create a first class gaming experience, the online multiplayer modes are a perfect example of how to get it all wrong. The lobbies are muddled and confusing, and for some unknown reason there is no apparent way to invite those on your friends list to play with you. Even when you do get going in an online match, the extreme lag often makes it a forgettable experience.

With that in mind, a downloadable patch to fix these issues has been promised from the developer, so it will be interesting to re-visit this part of the game in a few weeks time.

Despite its online issues, COD2 remains a fantastic addition to your Xbox 360 game collection. It boasts some of the best visuals yet seen on the console, and the campaign mode will keep you heavily involved for quite a few weeks, or months if you decide to tackle it on veteran difficulty.

Call of Duty 2 is available from retailers now, priced around £49.