Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Nintendo GameCube, 2005)

Though Call of Duty 2: Big Red One shares its name with another game released on the PC--and soon to be released on the Xbox 360--you shouldn't confuse the two. Big Red One for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube is an entirely different game from the PC and Xbox 360 versions. While it's a definite improvement on Activision's last Call of Duty game for consoles, Big Red One still doesn't do quite enough to distinguish itself from numerous other World War II first-person shooters.



No, it's not a brand of chewing gum. Big Red One is the US Army's 1st Division.

The subtitle, Big Red One, refers to the United States' Army's 1st Infantry Division, whose exploits are chronicled in the game's 13-mission campaign. The unit became known as one of America's fiercest and most courageous fighting units in World War II, serving tours of duty in North Africa, sweeping up through Italy, landing on Normandy, and pushing across the European continent into Germany. Big Red One's campaign follows this chronological path, putting you in the shoes of a fresh-faced private in Fox company. Over the course of the campaign, you'll participate in a number of different missions, such as capturing airfields, clearing out villages, and assisting other units in battle.

The game mixes things up a lot, having you at various times driving tanks, manning the mounted guns of marine landing craft, shooting down aircraft from antiaircraft guns, and even operating the turret guns and bomb bay doors of a B-24 Liberator. You'll also use binoculars to help spot for artillery or navy ships so you can rain the hurt down on tanks and other hard targets. Yes, the pathways are linear and scripted, as in all the other Call of Duty games, but the variation in the mission types helps keep the game fresh and interesting, instead of just having you on foot shooting guys with a rifle the whole time. The fun doesn't last long, however, as most people should be able to blow through the campaign in seven or eight hours.

Despite the brevity of the single-player campaign, Big Red One seems to have all the elements of a great shooter. It's got varied mission types that take you across several different settings, from the deserts of North Africa, to house-to-house fighting in the deep snows of Germany in early 1945. You'll use weapons from a wide variety of different national arsenals--including American, of course, German, Italian, and even French ones (as you fight against Vichy France's forces in North Africa). The game even manages to remind you of the grander scale of the war from time to time, as you'll see numerous other craft making the marine landings with you at Sicily and Normandy, in addition to dogfighting aircraft in the sky and other infantry running about. Where Big Red One seems to let you down is just in the basic nuts and bolts of the feel and interface. For one thing, the weapon handling just seems off. It's possible, for example, to snipe from long distance with submachine guns, as the first bullet is always dead-on. If not for the fact that rifles have slightly more power, there would really be no reason to use them because of how abnormally accurate the submachine guns are. More importantly, though, is that the game just seems to lack the visceral intensity that made Call of Duty so popular on the PC.



You don't just get to shoot Germans this time, as French and Italians find the business end of your gun as well.

A lot of that could stem fro

I got this game for Christmas Last year, the original was fun and addictive, and this one looked even better. To my delight, it was an amazing game, taking the player through Operation Torch (North Africa), Operation Husky (Sicily and Italy), and Operation Overlord (Invasion of Normandy) all the way to the Sigfried Line, but sadly it ends there. The missing end of the story (Aachen, Remagen, etc.) was a bit dissapointing, but the prequel (Finest Hour) covers that in the American campaign.
A wide range of weapons to use, including American, French, Italian, and German weapons, as well as various turrets and cannons. Makes for some great multiplayer, especially with no one running and gunning with MG42s (which are all stationary in the game) or blasting from across the field with the G43 Sniper (which is no longer a sniper weapon in the game).
Multiplayer is a great improvement from the original, and features 4 gametypes, Capture the Flag, Team Death Match, Death Match, and Domination. Maps also have a variety of locations an match ups, such as Gela, Italy, featuring Americans Vs. Italians, and Cassino, Italy, featuring French Vs. Germans. Another great feature of multiplayer is ranks (Private, Corporal, Sargeant) which enable different class specific weapons and abilities. For example, Snipers at the Corporal rank get the ability to call in air strikes every 10 minutes or so, and Machine Gunners can throw down ammo for himself or others to collect.

All in all, its a great game, and even better if you have XBox Live.
My only problems with it are:
-No Omaha Beach Multiplayer Map
-No Canadians in the game >:(
-Campaign ends after Sigfried Line

But those arent reasons to toss the game aside, its a great game, and even includes some fun facts!

5/5, get it...

I'm a big fan of first person shooter games and especially world war 2 based fps, and this game is the definition of that sub genre. Call of Duty 2 The Big Red One follows the true story of the American infantry unit and its conquest which resulted in major aid in collapsing the German campaign. I love that aspect of war video games, the all to real feeling the gamer gets in the midst of the explosions, gun fire, and amazing cinematic qualities that really put you as close as you could get, all from your chair. I am speaking passionately about this game, I know, but it is a fantastic game with a quick learning curb, excellent choice of weaponry, as usually, and missions that become so intense at moments that you become completely lost in the gameplay. Not only this but the missions take you all over, the maps all designed beautifully and look scenic and serene at times. And a screen shot later terror and havoc from the war become re-imagined and overwhelm your senses (even touch, lets not forget the rumble in your hands). I love the smell of napalm in the morning, in the early morning hours coming from the call of duty disk. Ownage.

In the WWII genre, this is a good game. The feel of the game brings you into the war. Unfortunately, as many people who are familiar with this genre already know, there are many areas that need improving.

Problems(or room for improvement):
-difficulty is created by making the environments excessively dark. I think this is a cop out.
-multi-player leaves a lot to be desired. Very glitchy. Jumpy. Opponents do not move smoothly.
-many remaining glitches in the game. Try crawling through dead people...it's cool. Some dead people simply float in the air.
-sometimes aggravating AI. Your teammates occasionally block your path or obstruct your view right in the middle of a battle.

Strengths:
-cool cut scenes. Nice ambiance.
-great action. Good variety of weapons with realistic feel.
-great music and ambient sounds.
-controls are simple.

This game is worth a rent and probably a purchase, but future iterations of the call of duty series are likely to improve upon these issues.

If you love a variety of battles, this is the game for you. Get to know your fellow comrades as never before. Experience the chaotic intensities like no other infantry division in every harrowing conflict imaginable. Be prepared to become a member of our allied forces-make the imaginable become reality.