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Call of Duty 2

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8.1 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 64 critic reviews
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Based on 157 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Infinity Ward

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 32

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: October 25, 2005

Summary

Call of Duty 2 lets players experience four individual soldier stories as they overcome insurmountable odds in multiple campaigns. Players have the freedom to follow each of the four storylines through for the ultimate character-driven experience, or they can engage in the historic battles chronologically for quick hitting action. Infinity Ward has also expanded the scope of combat to deliver a truly realistic battlefield experience. Squads now have the freedom to take on a variety of mission objectives, on expansive battlefields that allow for multiple paths and the ability to utilize actual combat tactics like outflanking and fire and maneuver capabilities. Call of Duty 2's new engine and A.I. technology set the stage for authentic squad combat and astonishing action. Concealment can be key as battlefield smoke or even deployed smoke grenades cloud visibility. Weather effects such as the dusty sandstorms of North Africa and whiteout blizzard conditions of Russia, for example, will keep soldiers glued to their bunkers. The team has also employed a state-of-the-art Battle Chatter System that brings the action to life as squad-mates bark out context-sensitive updates in real-time to players through an advanced A.I. system. [Activision]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Call of Duty Call of Duty: United Offensive

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot Guide

Also On The Web: ActionTrip Preview Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GameSpy

Instead of feeling like a stale retread or losing steam halfway through, it manages to be a blast from start to finish.

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100

GameShark

With familiar and entertaining gameplay, a slick overall presentation and multiplayer that still proves to be a worthwhile distraction Call of Duty 2 may very well be in the running for the 2005 action game of the year.

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Game Informer

Quite simply, this is the best WWII game ever made. [Dec 2005, p.146]

Game Chronicles

With more campaigns and the larger and non-linear missions and objective structure, Call of Duty 2 is easily much more than the original. It is a finely tuned work of art with so much research and attention to detail incorporated into it that action gamers will become totally immersed in the unrelenting experience of brutal combat.

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Gaming Target

With a single player campaign so exciting it should be illegal, combined with an incredibly fun multiplayer, Call of Duty 2 is an absolute must-have for any gamer.

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PGNx Media

Infinity Ward took the bar, threw it up, and jumped over it when it was still in the air.

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GamingTrend

The levels were incredibly balanced and elicited feelings of imminent danger as you are often starting very close to your enemy’s location.

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BonusStage

It’ll push your rigs to its limits, and when it does, you’ll know why Call of Duty 2 is one of the most visceral, exciting, and blisteringly addictive experiences in gaming ever.

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Gamers' Temple

Call of Duty 2 is like a good war movie, it may not be a realistic portrayal of war but it is dramatic, compelling, and epic in scale.

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netjak

Bringing to the table solid gameplay elements, great visuals, and even better sound makes this game the culmination of the World War 2 FPS experience.

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AtomicGamer

The AI is better than ever and the action is the perfect mix of tactics and full-on gunfights - and the regenerating health system means I have to worry less about how much health I have left and more about how to take out the overwhelming numbers of Germans.

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Gaming Illustrated

The graphics are jaw-dropping, the sounds is amazing, and the missions are varied and fun to play.

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Gamezilla!

Detailed textures, weather effects, realistic explosions all put together a solid performance. The only issue I had was some slow down issues when too much was going on.

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Next Level Gaming

You must have this game. This is the front-runner right now for Game of the Year as far as I am concerned.

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Computer and Video Games

Infinity Ward wants screaming, smoke, flying bodies, chaos and you running around with goggle-eyes, jaw-hanging and tongue lolling, wondering where the next hail of bullets is going to come from. It doesn't want to make you feel cool, it wants to pulverise you. [PC Zone]

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Gaming Horizon

Even if gamers have grown tired of World War II, Call of Duty 2 features the largest battles and most detailed environments of any game to date, making it worth a look.

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GameBiz

It may not be the most realistic in terms of solider damage and battlefield strategy, but for bringing across the atmosphere, and pure chaos of World War II, Call of Duty 2 is the still the best around.

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Play.tm

Even the tutorial level at the start of the game is a work of genius in this gem of a game.

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Worth Playing

Call of Duty 2 continually kept me on the edge of my seat. Non-stop adrenaline stretched across a surface tension that’s unmatched in any other first-person shooter.

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Play Magazine

For now, they can bask in the glow of a truly superior achievement. [Dec 2005, p.80]

Games Radar (in-house)

This multiplayer component caps an already stunning single-player campaign and extends the value greatly.

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Computer Games Magazine

Infinity Ward lays claim to the creation of the ultimate WWII shooter with Call of Duty 2. [Jan 2006, p.63]

eToychest

It may not really innovate or move the genre into a new direction, but it offers everything most players want from the genre and it does it with certifiable mastery.

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RewiredMind

The atmosphere is as thick as ever, the battles are tougher and grittier, the highs higher, the lows lower, the enemy more cunning.

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GamePro

Multiplayer-wise, Call of Duty 2 supports a whopping 32 online players with general FPS game types, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, and CTF, and Call of Duty 2's own brand of Headquarters and Search and Destroy--all wonderfully smooth via online.

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GameZone

This is a very satisfying and enjoyable game, full of tension, chaos and war’s horror, but with an intelligent AI and terrific visual elements.

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ActionTrip

Little things like how you need to hold your breath to shoot a sniper rifle and the use of smoke grenades, as well as the much more significant improvements that deal with the technology and the level design in general, show that Infinity Ward has invested a lot of time and effort into this project.

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Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Nothing radically new but 30 missions of the most furious, vibrant, relentless, utterly insane war your can imagine. [PC Gamer UK]

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PC Format

Unbelievably intense and absolutely beautiful on a high-end PC. [Christmas 2005, p.93]

GameSpot

It doesn't really break any new ground, but the game nails the core aspects of first-person-shooter gameplay so well that it doesn't need to.

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FiringSquad

Compelling is barely adequate to describe the feeling as you’re gritting your teeth and trying to find a new way to assault that strongpoint at the highest difficulty levels – grenades gone, no squadmates in sight and an MG42 trained on you. The visuals, the sound, the yelling and screaming and the rain or dust storms just suck you right back in.

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2404.org

You get a real sense of claustrophobia in the middle of the mess trying to figure out which direction to go and who to shoot in the haze.

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Game Over Online

The fast paced action is still the centerpiece of the game, and the action is engaging enough to capture even the most jaded first person shooter vet who’s probably tired of the numerous WWII titles that’ve been released.

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PC Gameworld

Provides a great single-player experience that immerses the player completely in the experience. If not for the lacking multiplayer, this game would be nearly perfect.

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Game Power Australia

To stick so closely to the first game was probably a mistake that is bound to hit sales. It almost feels like an expansion pack, sort of a follow-up to "United Offensive."

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Da Gameboyz

It's by far the greatest WW2 game to date and it will be so for a long time.

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IGN

I find implementing regenerating health to be a little troublesome. It allows you to experience a kind of combat only a mythical super-soldier could withstand, and in so doing, propels the game from gritty authenticity to John Woo fantasy.

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Digital Entertainment News

A technically accomplished and truly involving first-person shooter.

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Armchair Empire

There are many great World War II games but in my mind Call of Duty 2 is the best of the bunch.

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Pelit (Finland)

Call of Duty 2 has near-perfect visuals and great gameplay, but suffers from a serious case of same old, same old. Where is the innovation? [Nov 2005]

PC Gamer

If you're looking for a pure action game, I can recommend no better, at least not for single-player. If you're looking for the bleeding edge of digital storytelling, however, you'll find it at Valve and Monolith. [Holiday 2005, p.60]

My Gamer

The most realistic WWII-inspired game in the market.

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Eurogamer

Justified cynicism aside, Infinity Ward's latest effort unquestionably refines the cinematic World War II shooter genre to new giddy heights of bombastic brilliance.

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Total Video Games

It makes no attempt to move the genre forwards and is largely a routine run and gun shooter from start-to-finish, albeit an intense one at that.

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Yahoo! Games

When something is this well done, just because you've seen it all before doesn't mean it's not worth seeing again.

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1UP

Pulling its trigger condenses everything that's right about Call of Duty 2 into a single moment. Online or off it is the epitome of visceral thrill seeking.

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Cheat Code Central

This attention to realism is actually disturbing. It reminds you that war isn't a party.

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AceGamez

It's not going to impress anyone who's grown to loathe games based in this era, but action fans and those desperate for more since the original Call of Duty burst onto the scene will be hard pressed to find a bad thing to say about it.

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NTSC-uk

An exhausting, exhilarating ride which will hold you captivated 'til the very last second of the last mission.

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Sydney Morning Herald

This exhilarating and atmospheric World War II action game does little to advance the run-and-gun genre, but it is a memorable experience.

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Thunderbolt

Maybe I was a victim of my own expectations, but I really think it comes down to the fact that this game is essentially Call of Duty with a few bells-and-whistles.

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3DAvenue

While some areas could have used more polish, particularly the AI which is a tad disappointing, the experience the game has to offer is unmatched.

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G4 TV

There’s no feature bloat, and there are no dud missions--just quality gaming from start to finish. That’s just about all we can ask for.

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Computer Gaming World

Like a good meatloaf, it expertly scratches that comfort food itch, leaving you well-satisfied until the craving hits you again, months later - just in time for the inevitable expansion. [Jan 2005, p.94]

GamerFeed

The AI has been fixed up a little bit so that they react and take cover quite often, and will even act aggressively to encourage you to push forward.

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games(TM)

The sense of mortality, tension and sheer scale makes for a truly stunning experience. [Christmas 2005, p.110]

Boomtown

It's perhaps a bit too frenetic, but on this showing at least, I know I'll be playing this through a few more times until a welcome sequel arrives.

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Gamenikki

I would have liked to see a little more variety in the level design, and just a bit more of the “over the top” craziness of the original, but I still enjoyed the single player missions enough to rate the game highly.

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Maxim Online

Call of Duty 2 isn't a bold new game, but subtle improvements and new historical battles deliver a good reason to keep fighting.

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IC-Games

Infinity Ward/Activision have certainly shot themselves in the foot with this one. They will be very lucky if it can maintain online playability for as long as its predecessors in its current state.

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Gamer 2.0

Essentially, the game is missing the refinements that all good multiplayer shooters have. You get the feeling that Infinity rather pushed this game out for the mad Christmas rush.

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Game Revolution

It delivers unbelievable graphics and more cathartic chaos than you can shoot a luger at, but has something of a dumb head on its shoulders, an overly simple control scheme and busies itself providing greater densities of the same old content without doing anything new.

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Edge Magazine

For those who can tolerate having their brain beaten numb by it, the game entails often enthralling, occasionally awe-inspiring sights and sounds. But little is there that’s new compared to much that needs renewal. [Christmas 2005, p.96]

GamerNode

You won't be disappointed about how great it looks or how much fun and full-on the game can be. If you frequent LAN's or enjoy slaughtering your mates (or strangers), online multiplayer is just as entertaining as the original and furthers longevity to the game once you've finished the single player campaign.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 157 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Danneh gave it a10:
This is the only game i have rated a 10/10. I love this game so much. Here is the rundown of my rating Graphics: "Holy crap these are nice graphics!" after 2 years of not playing this game. Call of Duty 2 may have the best 2005, maybe even up to 2007 graphics. 10/10 Single Player: The best single player i have ever played. No more. 10/10 Multiplayer: Amazing. There are full games even now. You can buy this game just for the multiplayer 10/10 Sound: Fitting. 10/10 Well, this is my review of Call of Duty 2. BTW Jag has awful spelling. The game developer is Infinity WARD. Second, it is British, no 2 T's. Third, Its battalion, not bentallion. NO, call of duty is NOT the best history lesson. Last, it's recommendations, not recamendations.

Mike R. gave it a5:
If you've played Medal of Honor or the first COD, you'll find nothing new here. The single player campaign feels identical to the first COD with better graphics. It's simply a rehash of the first game, except rifles are now so weak they're irritating to use (2 to 3 shots to kill with even bolt action rifles makes them next to useless). The missions in Africa were a nice change, but seriously, enough of Stalingrad already. The multiplayer took a huge step back as well, as it is essentially the same bland multiplayer from COD without the anything from the expansion that made it actually worth playing. This game is certainly not a classic.

Jag gave it an8:
Call of duty 2 is a world war2 shooter developed by infinity word. As always in call of duty games you see the war from differant perspectives. first you'll be trying to retake you homeland when you play as a russian soldier Vasili Koslov. Then you take part in the Brittish Commonwelth forces in the African campain and Normandy. Than you land at Piont Du Hock with the second ranger bentallion. The single player campain is intence and engrossing however it lacked an indepth story and charicters. The game kind of seemed like a wicked insane history lesson. While I apressiate the nolage it has given me it still would've been nice to see some well developed charicters thatwould actualy have personallitys. But with of without story or charicters this game rocks. The weapons were satisfyingly authentic and a delight to use. The single player was good. But its only half the fun. The multi-player is very well done. It is fair and very fun. One thing that I'v only seen in this game is killcam. Killcam lets you see how someone killed you from a first person perspective. So now things arn't going to be as frusterating and people have second thoughts about cheating. The modes are deathmatch, team deathmatch, search and destroy, HQ.and my personal favorite capture the flag. All these modes are great and overall this game is one of my personal recamendations for world war 2 shooters.

Cangaceiro gave it a10:
This game have good graphics and is nice for multiplayer game with a lot of servers and is the best game action for me.

Wildsnail gave it an8:
Graphically quite nice and relentless action from start to finish but it does get a bit repetitive and I miss the quieter exploration sections of story-based FPSs. If you just want stripped-down linear action without the boring bits, this one's for you!

Blake L. gave it a10:
Awesome multiplayer and intricate campaign. Definately going to be classic.

Your Mom gave it a10:
Nice really good game the multiplayer is awesome and the single player has a really good story. Best WWII game!

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Call of Duty 2

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