The Xbox has certainly seem its share of war games. The latest is Call of Duty 2 Big Red One. The problem that I find with war games is how they keep basing them off of actual events. This now makes how many WW II games? And due to the nature, there isn't much flexibility on differences besides graphics and controls. The focus should be on fictional near future battles (a la Ghost Recon). But we will probably be seeing more WW II games in the future so lets see where Big Red One stacks up.
"..You'll need your buddies around you, and they'll need you. That's what war is about, and it's what Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is all about." This is shown in the game by having fellow squad members waiting for you to be in position with them. Unfortunately, you don't really get close to fellow soldiers to care if they get killed. The games main downfall is that it is filled with scripted events. You are very limited on what you can do in the game. And the thing that irritated me right at the first level was that they even used invisible walls keep you from straying off. You'll even get to drive a tank, which is fun and adds some variety. Only this is even more linear.
Big Red One controls very nice and I had no problem with them. Even controlling a tank is smooth and enjoyable. Using L to zoom in while in the tank will turn your third person view to first person in case you need a different view for a certain attack. The one thing that confused me was picking up ammo/health. When passing by/over ammo or health, it will say to press black to pick up. This is usually as I pass it by. So when I move back to go pick it up, it was already picked up automatically. Sometimes I have to press black and sometimes I don't. Just a big of annoyance (and possibly a bug?).
The graphics in Call of Duty 2 Big Red One are very nice looking. The game features a lot of details on the environments. You'll see plenty of things on screen at once without noticeable slow-down. Buildings and environments are all nicely done. That's not to say that they are the best looking as there are some bland and flat graphics. I'd also like to see more destructible environments.
The game's audio is top-notch. All of the sound effects will immerse you into the action. The voice acting in the game is also nicely done. There are a lot of nice small touches. Such as going through a hangar on fire with smoke everywhere, you'll hear soldier's coughing. And of course the big things like bullets and explosions sound great. Playing in surround sound further pushes how great the sound is.
Big Red One has Live multiplayer and system link for 16 players. Apparently the game can't handle split screen since it isn't an option. As far as multiplayer goes, there isn't anything special. The only special thing is a ranking system that allows you to move in ranks. Getting a higher rank can allow you to do things such as call in an air strike. You can also carry more ammo with higher ranks.
In the end, the game is mostly hurt by being pretty much all scripted. Getting past this, Call of Duty 2 Big Red One is a good war game. Great sound, good graphics, and good controls make it an enjoyable experience. I'd like to have seen more emphasis on the multiplayer aspect, though. The only AI problem that I had is a squad member leading the way ignoring an enemy soldier and leaving me to get killed. Call of Duty 2 Big Red One is a good option for those looking for a war game.
