Call of Duty 2: Big Red One looks to recapture what made the PC version so successful. While the console versions suffered from what may have been considered a somewhat dull and by-the-numbers campaign, the sequel looks to bring an intense and action-filled atmosphere. And from what we saw, it looks like the developers are on the road to succeeding.
The game allows you to play as a squad member of the title, Big Red One. Though you only play as the one character, you play with the squad over a time-span that lasts three years. You work your way from the sands of Northern Africa into the heart of Germany.
Into the trenches
A big part of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One that is being touted is the relationship that you will have with the soldiers on your side. During the demonstration, we heard a lot of the non-playable character’s and soldiers often shouting advice and directions. While there is no incremental effect on the overall gameplay and it may have been somewhat scripted, it certainly made for a great atmosphere. In one situation, where our character had mounted the gun-turret, our soldiers were shouting at us that he should get off it. Seconds later the gun-turret was hit by a tank shot.
Since the game is being played with the same squad over a three-year period, you will find that the squadmates change over time. This won’t be just in physical appearance but in the way they behave as well. When you start out, they’ll be nervous and prone to mistakes. But as you progress, you are supposed to find that they are much calmer and war-hardened in tough situations. Hopefully this will go someway to help the AI complaints from the previous versions.
Even though the version that we viewed was the PS2 version, it didn’t fail to amaze us. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is looking to be one of the best looking and most atmospheric shooters of the time. Expect to see effects like cannon fodder exploding next to you, bullet shots kicking up puffs of sand - and if you look to your left, you'll see some tanks roll by and even planes dropping out of the sky just above your head. Sure, most of these moments are scripted but they look fantastic and create an atmosphere like no other.
Looks pretty good
Though the atmosphere of the game looks to be spot-on, we couldn’t help but feel that the controls and general first-person mechanics still require a little fine-tuning. Often there was a disorientating feeling whenever the character entered into closed spaces and it was difficult to tell which guy who’s firing the gun was the bad guy. It seemed that that gameplay heavily revolved around duck-and-cover gunfights and many scenarios where you were shooting to the spot where the last shot was fired.
Another matter is that the game is based in the 1940’s, so the rifle’s scope isn’t going to reach as far as some may like and there certainly aren’t going to be any reticules to help you out. It will probably help add to the realism, though.
In all, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One doesn’t look like it is likely to reinvent the FPS genre. However, given the disappointing outing on the consoles last time around, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is looking to make amends for that with a game that is on track to be one of the most atmospheric World War II shooters. But will it be able to convince us that we are in need of another World War shooter II? Come November, we’ll know.
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