After playing the original Call of Duty fervently both in single and multiplayer, I eagerly awaited the sequel. The previews also made it look quite tempting so last Saturday (date unimportant), I went out and bought the platinum version and here I am on Tuesday having completely finished the game at two of its three difficulty settings and also put in some time on the multiplayer.
Rather than go into detail about the eye candy or the sound which are admittedly excellent, or to relate the gripping intensity that the COD2 definitely delivers, I want to make the point that games of this sort are just not long enough! Is this the price we pay to have COD2 and games like it appear on multiple platforms? I have a strong feeling that the answer to this is yes and that the decisions for COD2 were based primarily on what would fit onto an Xbox 360 DVD.
Turning now to the single player campaigns where I spent most of the time, there were 3 campaigns - Russian, British and American - each divided into sets of maps. I had finished the Russian campaign on normal difficulty in less than two hours. The British one offered the most variety and was the best for me. It was strange however that they had several sets of British maps for North Africa but only set of in Europe in Caen, Normandy. It felt a little bit like an afterthought, or that the developer had run out of space on the DVD.
After the British maps, I enjoyed the Russian set. In theory, I should have liked the American ones better but by the time I played them - they were the last to be unlocked - some began to look and feel very like the Russian maps. In particular, the Russian and American town maps and their chokepoints could almost have been interchanged without me noticing.
Probably the best jaw-dropping moment for me was during the American campaign when I had to ascend a tower to snipe at enemy who were firing mortars. The actual sniping was not so memorable but I was quite astounded at how realistic the surrounding countryside looked. I also liked the smoke grenade throwing one injected a little variety into how one got past the continual string of the game's chokepoints.
The best gaming moment for me was conducting a British raid on a coastal town in North Africa as it was the most immersive of the entire game. It also made me feel more part of a virtual team than at any other point in the game.
So overall it was a reasonable game but I would very much like have a longer gaming experience. Sure, I have the multiplayer - which is primarily a graphics upgrade of COD maps - but I make a plea to the gaming companies to remember that the best games last long enough to leave an etch not just in our short-term recall but in our long term memory too. Even if it means that they devote a little less resource to producing cinematic eye candy.
I would give COD2 a score of 65% - a score propped up by excellent graphics and sound but dragged down by short game length and deja vu feeling on some maps and their chokepoints. I have not yet looked at the second DVD of my Platinum edition of the game which boasts extras.
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