Also available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC Back in the days of my youth before we got obsessed with killing brown people in desert countries to steal their oil, Call of Duty was about two things - explosions and Nazi killing. I’m honestly not sure why this has the “Call of Duty 2” title because it’s not Call of Duty 2. Call of Duty 2 released on Xbox 360 and Windows in November 2005; Call of Duty 2: Big Red One released on Xbox, Gamecube, Playstation 2, and PC in October 2005. This isn’t just a last gen release to make it cross gen at the 360’s launch; this is a totally different game. Despite being a side game, it’s every bit the equal of Call of Duty 2. Big Red One follows the US Army 1st Infantry Division nicknamed “Big Red One” due to the large red 1 on their emblem. Unlike most Call of Duty games, you spend the vast majority of the game playing as one man, Roland Roger. There are a couple levels where you play as a different character in the US Army Air Corps running support missions, but you spend almost the whole game playing as a foot soldier. You play through most of the big moments America’s involvement in Europe - the North African campaign, the invasion of Sicily, Operation Overlord, and the liberation of France and push into Germany. It does focus exclusively on the European front, so if you’re hoping to fight the Japanese, you’ll be disappointed. That does mean, however, you’re looking at like eight hours of non-stop Nazi killing, and that’s always a good thing. Graphically, the game is pretty impressive for 6th generation hardware. I haven’t personally played the PS2 version, but I’ve played the Xbox and Gamecube versions, and I’ve looked at a lot of visual comparisons. All three consoles look pretty similar, but Xbox is definitely the most visually impressive version, and that makes considering that the Xbox was by far the strongest of the four 6th generation consoles (RIP Dreamcast). I would rank Gamecube as the second best looking version, but I could see some argument between Gamecube and PS2. PS2’s visuals are sharper than Gamecube’s, but the Gamecube version seems to use some anti-aliasing that does give the game a slightly smudged look but hides the intense stair stepping and jagged textures seen on the PS2. At the end of the day, Gamecube vs PS2 is largely a personal preference, but I definitively rank Gamecube above PS2. Presentation and sound design are top notch in Big Red One and absolutely the equal of the mainline games. Between most chapters, you have some Military Channel clips showing some of the actual World War II footage. I love this for two reasons. First and foremost, these clips make the game an actually pretty solid history lesson. As one who teaches high school history for a living, that’s a huge plus for me. The other advantage, though, is that it gives some narrative context to the battles you’re playing through. It gives a nice, short break between big levels, and I’m a fan of the mental breaks in games that cut scenes provide. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a fantastic World War II experience. It may not be as nostalgic for most gamers as Call of Duty: World at War is, and it may not be as visually impressive as Call of Duty: WWII, but it is absolutely a great time. If you’re a fan of first person shooters and World War II games, then you definitely need to play this any way that you can. If you aren’t a fan of World War II games, then I’m going to assume you’re a Nazi sympathizer. If you don’t play this game, you love Nazis. I don’t make the rules. My Rating - A |
I'm a teacher.And I like to play video games. I like to collect video games. I like to talk about video games, and I like to write about video games. During the day, I teach high school history; during the night, I spend my spare time gaming. Then I write about it. Archives
April 2024
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