Call of Duty 2 Hands-On Preview

Conclusion

Throughout most of Call of Duty 2’s development, Activision and Infinity Ward have consulted two combat veterans and historians, former Lt. Col Hank Keirsey of the 82nd Airborne, and Bronze Star recipient John Hillen, both of whom fought in the original Desert Storm. One of the major changes brought on by their participation is the addition of voice communication by everybody.

The battlefield, if loud before, is a complete racket now. When MG42s aren’t stitching red tattoos on your hide, or grenades aren’t making your head ring, you’re going to hear about those MG42s and grenades – and everything else. Call of Duty 2 has a huge stock of voice clips that are pieced together to give information about the battlefield. Of course, it’s all available in English even if you’re fighting alongside comrades in Stalingrad, but if you know German you can also overhear and understand what your enemies are saying.

Germans disembarking of a Sdkfz 251

Tommies and Crusaders

Russian sniper concept

Smoke is another huge factor. While many of the changes that Grey Matter brought on board have been reset – ie, there are no vehicles in multiplayer (as far as we can tell), and there’s no more ranking for special abilities – smoke has been retained. It adds a whole new dimension to the battlefield, being effective even in the singleplayer campaign, with the AI being specifically coded to be blinded by it.

Altogether, Infinity Ward has produced a more intense and visceral Call of Duty. It looks better, sounds better, plays faster and hits harder. There are no stops to pick up health packs, and the player is under constant pressure to keep moving forward to capture every new German strongpoint to prevent them from reinforcing it. You can snipe all day but sooner or later you need feet on the ground to control that ground – and that means moving. Along the way, IW has somehow managed to avoid tinkering with all the parts of Call of Duty that made it great. Years back, during my review of the first title, I commented on the incredible crispness, the smooth yet exact motions of the player, the solid feeling of guns, the predictability in using them. These are intangibles that are difficult to describe and yet so vital to the experience – intangibles that Infinity Ward has somehow brought to a new peak.

GI concept

On location in Tujane