[Jason Vines]

I played this game over Christmas break, and IMO, it's one of the best FPS games in years. Not only does it look good, but it immerses one in his role as a soldier in World War II, with authentic locations and believable squadmates. In the first Call of Duty, one felt like a lone ranger fighting side battles with the occasional assistance of computer allies. The sequel, though, makes one feel as if he's actually in a war, assaulting the Nazi blitzkrieg machine with his fellow troops.

Reinforcing the feeling is Call of Duty 2's innovative health system. Instead of forcing players to hunt around for medpacks after they've been hurt, the game recharges their health as they rest. This lets one duck out of the action for a moment to heal and then charge right back into combat. Such dispenses with one of the annoying quirks of the FPS genre, while by no means making players invincible. (You can still die... a lot.)

These components incite excitement and awe as players wield rifles in Normandy and command tanks in North Africa, amongst other thrilling set pieces.

One of the best things about Call of Duty 2 is, it has no bosses. It uses enemy placement, level design, and scripted events to impose difficulty instead, which satisfies this player far more.

Has anyone else here played Call of Duty 2?

[Cymro]

No, it's one of those games I always have on hold, but never acctually buy.

Did you ever try the BiA games? The level of authenticity in those games are Amazing. The levels are designed to resemble D-Day Normandy as much as humanly possible, and the gameplay is excellent, very dependant on group tactics.

[Jason Vines]

Cymro, on Feb 3 2006, 07:24 PM, said:

No, it's one of those games I always have on hold, but never acctually buy.

CoD 2 would be worth changing that modus operandi.

Cymro said:

Did you ever try the BiA games? The level of authenticity in those games are Amazing. The levels are designed to resemble D-Day Normandy as much as humanly possible, and the gameplay is excellent, very dependant on group tactics.

I tried a demo of the latest Brothers in Arms game, but I abandoned it before getting into the game because the binding system sucked. I thought, if the creators couldn't design this properly, that doesn't well for the actual game.

[Cymro]

binding?

[Jason Vines]

Cymro, on Feb 3 2006, 09:52 PM, said:

binding?

In other words, mapping actions to keys. I use custom configurations for FPS's, and I had a hell of a time trying to set one up in Brothers in Arms. I'd set one key to execute a certain action, but that same key would also remain binded to another action.

[Cymro]

Wow. I've never judged a game based on contols before. I'm usually pretty comfortable with the standard WASD config you get with most FPSes. I never had any problems with the interface, in fact what you lacked in fancy right click alternate fires on your guns you got in troop deployment. it's pretty much point 'n' click and the team AI was superior to HL2.

[Jason Vines]

Cymro, on Feb 3 2006, 11:40 PM, said:

Wow. I've never judged a game based on contols before.

I figure, since I have quite finite time and money, I'm not going to waste time with games that prove uncooperative, especially if they can't tout big fat Editor's Choice awards from the review pages.

[Sim]

I have not played Call of Duty 2 so far, because my computer is too slow for running the game on settings high enough to actually appreciate the game. I don't feel like spoiling the experience by setting the graphics to "low".

So I better wait until I get a better machine, probably by the end of the year, before I'm going to join the battle against my grandfathers!

[iamspen]

Jason Vines, on Feb 4 2006, 12:10 AM, said:

Cymro, on Feb 3 2006, 11:40 PM, said:

Wow. I've never judged a game based on contols before.

I figure, since I have quite finite time and money, I'm not going to waste time with games that prove uncooperative, especially if they can't tout big fat Editor's Choice awards from the review pages.

BiA is probably one of the best "FPS's" I've ever played (though I wouldn't actually call it a shooter). The control scheme can be frustrating at first, but it becomes quite intuitive over time.

That and any flaws the game may have are quickly forgotten as you marvel at the incredible level of detail in the game. There are several extras that show a seamless transition from an authentic WW2 photograph and an in-game screenshot. It's really quite breathtaking.

Cym, I haven't played the most recent BiA game, how does it compare to the original?

[Cymro]

Earned in Blood? It's more or less exactly the same. There are a few new options, including a much needed skirmish mode and some WW2 weapons that didn't appear in the first, and I found it a lot more challenging. The only issue was that I didn't find the characters and the story as compelling as in the first. It's told from the eyes of Sgt. "Red" Harstock, who appeared as your subordinate in the original.

The realism and attention to detail is still breathtaking.

[iamspen]

It's tough to imagine a BiA game tougher than the first. I mean, Jesus, it's probably the hardest game I've ever played in my life.

[Cymro]

This one was. Basically, imagine how frustratingly hard the last few missions were in the original, except that the game gets that hard a lot earlier. I also forgot to mention. Also, in the first, if you lost a man but beat the mission, you'd go straight onto the next and he'd be alive again, in this one it makes you feel guilty about it and offers you the chance to either replay and try not to lose the man, or bring him back to life and continue. I hated picking the "continue" option because it felt like cheating. But on the plus side, your team mates offer you additional ammo when you're running low.

The only thing it lacked was some of the more unusual missions like that "Asparagus" one in the first.

I'm pretty sure they've enhanced the graphics, but I can't tell since I have to run it with medium low settings anyway, but my PC struggled with it a little more than the first.

Authentic mode is still a super bitch.

The thing I love about the series is that it isn't your traditional gun n run, you acctually have stop, anylise the situation, and plan your attack, and you're really limited for health and weapons.