Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One (PS2)

Although this game hits really high notes their are a couple of down notes to it aswell. Firstly the game-span - at only 13 missions the game doesn't take long to complete; however the temptation to go and do it all over again is unbearable as even though it's got all old news, the excitement of each mission is fantastic; whether it's racing past a German ambush on a half-track, landing on Omaha Beach or even flying in a B-24 Liberator (!), every level has it's own interesting twists to make this game replayable.

Next, the AI of your team is quite poor. Mainly because they seem to do crazy things like to be more interested in standing in the doorways of rooms full of enemies getting shot at, than actually go in and do what they're meant to. Also they completely abuse chances to take cover as they seem to stand in the middle of an open space - making an easy target - than scrambling to find a rock, crate, impact hole etc. Now although these are quite minor points it does have an effect on the whole game.

Now for the game itself. You follow the foot steps of one American soldier as him and his squad (really no more than about 5 at any given time) trek through Africa, Italy, France, Belguim and Germany, all the way to Hitlers front door and winning the war. AS in the previous CoD, you can only carry two weapons at a time (I prefer an M1 Garand and a Thompson) but you kept the chance to yield and fire many other weapons through out the game. You build a strong bond for your squad as you fight with them through the hard times and they save you're skin many times. It's actually quite a shock when a couple of them die in cut scenes as its completely unexpected. Overall the surface of this game is actually fantastic.

I got it on Christmas Day and I had completed it by Boxing Day because of the shortness of it but I am still finding it pleasureable to play it over and over again. Unfortunetly, there is no multiplayer which is a slight down side (we all know how satisfying it is to search for your opponent *freind* for ages, before smacking a clunk of lead in his brain).

Overall the game is worth the money and few will probably pick up on these minor downfalls. I'm clearly just fussy hey? Still though, its worth the money if your'e a true war game fanatic.

Hope this has helped you.

The game is quite cinematic in feel and it's almost like watching a classic war film. As the game for the main part tends to focus purely on the American First Infantry Division, you get a real sense of continuity and also empathy with your squad mates.

For the main part it is historically accurate and does convey a believable sense of gritty realism. No one man armies wading in here and winning the war single handed, you need to use cover and your fellow squadmates carefully or you will die very quickly.

The gameplay is intuitive and the levels varied and well thought out. Also the replay value is quite high as you will want to come back to missions time and time again to perfect your technique and also because the game is so enjoyable to play.

I haven't played online yet and so cannot really comment on how good this aspect of the game is.

To summarise, if you like WWII shooters then COD2 - The Big Red One should really be at the top of your Christmas list!