The first thing you have to do when loading up the game is to create a profile, from here there are four options on the main menu, single player, multiplayer, options and bonus materials. A lot of the bonus materials are locked, but we were able to view the credits and see a Call of Duty 2 trailer.
Our preview build had one chapter to choose from, and it is chaper eight, which is titled Farewell to Friends. Upon choosing the chapter you're able to choose three difficulty levels, easy normal and hard.
Ready to fight soldier!
We don't know the storyline behind the previous missions, but this mission begins on a tank, with a little bit of dialogue between the soldiers. Whilst the soldiers are speaking an explosion occurs ahead of you and you jump off the tank, armed and ready for battle.
The first thing we noticed was that the controls are fairly simple to pick up. "B" crouches, "Y" jumps or stands up, "X" throws a grande (if you have any) and "X" is used to attack someone with your weapon.
The action begins immediately in a small corridor amongst some bombed out houses. One of the best things about the game (and somethat that continued throughout the entire level) is that there is so much going on at one time. There aren't just enemies down the corridor, but they are above you, to your left and they aren't just shooting, but also throwing sticks of dynamite. It really is extremely daunting and adds more pressure to proceedings.
The game really does a great job of making you feel like you're one main in a team. Whilst you're aiming for enemies in the left, your team-mates may be covering you, or picking off the other soldiers who are attacking you from other directions.
Enemies will shoot from all directions
The health system in the game is to be commended as well, as it seems like it is going to be extremely realistic. Each enemy has their own individual health, shooting them in the head could mean a quick kill, but shooting them in a less sensitive area may take a lot longer to kill them. The same can be said for your own player, who will die quicker according to where he is hit.
The environments in the game range from being larger and expansive, to just little narrow corridors, the draw distance in the game is brilliant, and really keeps the game feeling very atmospheric.
Despite how large the environments are, the path we took in the level was fairly linear. All of the objectives are unveiled one by one, so there doesn't look like there is going to be much choice for the player as to which route they take.
Even with about a month's development time to go, the enemy artificial intelligence was decent. There were a few times when the AI did some silly things, such as glitch near buildings, but we're sure this will be rectified for the final release. Keeping with the tradition of World War II shooters, the sound is incredible, and keeps the atmosphere high.
Our short playtime with the one level has definitely left us wanting more. For preview code, this game seemed really polished and is definitely going to be a game to keep an eye on this christmas. The previous Call of Duty title wasn't the finest hour for the series, but this game may just be.
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