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Call of Duty 2 xbox360 Game Reviews
Call of Duty 2
Critic Score
Metascore: 89 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.1 out of 10
based on 65 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 109 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

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]

PUBLISHER: Activision
DEVELOPER: Infinity Ward
GENRE(S): First-Person Shooter, Action
PLAYERS: 16
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2005

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
GamePro
A freakin' work of art. It is, without a doubt, the best-looking console game to date, and the most psychotically intense World War II shooter to boot.
Read Full Review
100
G4 TV
It’s by far the best of its kind, and the variable but fair enemy AI keeps the game fresh, especially on higher difficulties.
Read Full Review
100
GameShark
As you play the game you just can’t help dropping your jaw in amazement at what you’re seeing and getting to do.
Read Full Review
100
Detroit Free Press
Something special. It's a war shooter that's both intoxicating yet grisly. From the game's first moments as a young Russian soldier learning the ropes, you'll be sucked in to combat.
Read Full Review
98
Game Informer
Quite simply, this is the best WWII game ever made. [Dec 2005, p.146]
97
PGNx Media
Infinity Ward took the bar, threw it up, and jumped over it when it was still in the air.
Read Full Review
96
My Gamer
A true gamer’s dream. This is a title where every aspect of gaming comes together seamlessly to make an instant classic and quite possibly the best Xbox 360 game on the market right now.
Read Full Review
95
VGPub
Sure the health system is unrealistic and the multiplayer options may be a little drab, but the game itself is phenomenal. This is easily the best WWII shooter on the market and the best FPS on the Xbox 360.
Read Full Review
95
Extreme Gamer
A fantastic effort, and worth the cash to own this one outright.
Read Full Review
95
GameBiz
A must have title. If this is the future of console gaming, I'm sold.
Read Full Review
95
XGP Gaming
Call of Duty 2 is easily one of the best war games I've ever had the chance to play. It features one hell of a campaign as well as a solid online game to boot. Infinity Ward has created a near masterpiece in this amazing sequel. Call of Duty 2 is a must have game, any way you look at it. What are you waiting for? Go buy it now!
Read Full Review
95
GamingTrend
A fantastic PC title that didn't get watered down in the conversion to console. If this is the future of console gaming, I'm sold.
Read Full Review
95
Kombo
It's so pretty that it’s fun to just simply watch it rather than play it.
Read Full Review
94
TotalGames.net
The definitive, most universally appealing WWII title ever made. It's not that the game does anything more or less than its digital brothers in arms, far from it, but instead it strips the genre down to the bare essentials and this turns it into one of the most pure shooters we've seen for some time.
Read Full Review
94
Gamers' Temple
As close as you'll come to starring in an epic war movie.
Read Full Review
93
Game Chronicles
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.
Read Full Review
93
DailyGame
I'm generally the first guy around to make fun of "another WWII-themed game," but Call of Duty 2 not only wiped that smirk off my face but turned it into a teeth-grinding, pulse-quickening, Nazi-shooting grimace. When you have to put down the controller after one mission just to gather your wits about you, you know you’ve found a great game.
Read Full Review
93
Console Gameworld
The environments (indoor and outdoor) all scream for you to search through them all and see the effort put forth to create this fantastic game.
Read Full Review
92
Cheat Code Central
The single mission is definitely worth the full price of admission, compared to games where all of the emphasis is on the online play.
Read Full Review
92
Gaming Target
An amazing single-player experience is put together with a multiplayer section that doesn’t have the features it should, but the game’s quality still shines through, brightly.
Read Full Review
92
Planet Xbox 360
Infinity Ward did a great job of capturing the feel of such an awful and devastating war. It is easy to dedicate hours of your life to playing Call of Duty 2, and when you do, you won’t be disappointed.
Read Full Review
92
GameZone
Stunning graphically, a pleasure to control with the 360 gamepad, Call of Duty 2 is an amazing example of precisely what gamers can expect from the machine.
Read Full Review
92
Next Level Gaming
Both online and offline, this is my frontrunner for Game of the Year until something else shows me otherwise.
Read Full Review
92
Worth Playing
The single-player experience is worth the price of admission alone and must be seen to be believed.
Read Full Review
91
Gaming Age
The fact that you can basically throw a whole bunch of Germans and a whole bunch of Allies into an environment and play out a realistic battle is really quite remarkable.
Read Full Review
91
Gamer's Hell
The impressive presentation and intuitive gameplay make a surprisingly enjoyable WWII adventure despite this being part of a tired genre.
Read Full Review
91
GameBrink
If you like FPS games on consoles, great immersion, true nextgen graphics, variety in single player, fun smooth multiplayer, and everything else good listed above then you’re going to want to at least rent this 15 hour classic.
Read Full Review
91
Gamezilla!
Without multiplayer, this game is great. With multiplayer, it’s amazingly fun. Definitely worth getting.
Read Full Review
90
Boomtown
Probably the best launch title for the Xbox 360, with killer graphics, intense gameplay and a solid, if slightly small multiplayer element.
Read Full Review
90
Game Over Online
If you can look past the thin multiplayer component, the questionable decision to let player's health regenerate, and the fact there's not a lot of replay value in Call of Duty 2, you'll find a very worthy successor to the franchise.
Read Full Review
90
AceGamez
The impressive presentation and intuitive gameplay make a surprisingly enjoyable WWII adventure, despite this being a member of a tired genre.
Read Full Review
90
Deeko
Everything a person can ask for in a war-based first person shooter: Precise control, plenty of action, great visuals and sound, and a musical score that compliments the action throughout.
Read Full Review
90
AtomicGamer
Even if you're getting a little sick of the WW2 shooter genre, I'd suggest you give it a shot, as its gameplay is the right mix of fun and realism and the multiplayer modes are plenty of fun.
Read Full Review
90
Games Radar
This multiplayer component caps an already stunning single-player campaign and extends the value greatly. If you can't get enough of WWII, Call of Duty 2 is the hot ticket.
Read Full Review
90
ZTGameDomain
The pure adrenaline rush that you get from any level in this game is amazing, the mission structure actually keeps you entertained, and the presentation and top-notch AI really draw the player into the game world.
Read Full Review
90
Xbox World Australia
An exceptional game no matter which way you cut it: intense singleplayer with stunning graphics and audio, and a rock solid multiplayer component.
Read Full Review
90
Game Power Australia
It outguns just about every other console shooter currently on the market.
Read Full Review
90
Computer and Video Games
This is an enthralling shooter, with some fantastic setpieces we're aching to get back to. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
Read Full Review
90
XboxAddict
This is the best game on the Xbox 360 right now in my humble opinion, but I fear that another game might quickly take its place that offers some of the things that this game is lacking, i.e. co-op, both online and split-screen, in addition to a more controllable Xbox Live experience through the ability to host your own games and invite only your chums.
Read Full Review
90
Play Magazine
It's one of the best games of the year. [Dec 2005, p.56]
90
Talk Xbox
It couples some extremely well executed facets such as its great sense of realism and lovely visual effects, with its rock solid presentation.
Read Full Review
90
Gamer 2.0
The mix of spectacular graphics, marvelous sound, and solid gameplay easily make CoD2 one of the Xbox 306’s must have launch titles.
Read Full Review
90
IGN
It succeeds graphically, over-achieves in the audio department, and plays with such deft design and implementation that the linear paths and lack of freedom won't even matter. Your ears will be rattling and your senses bombarded with such force, you’ll actually be happy to be directed through these levels.
Read Full Review
90
Yahoo! Games
Yes, it's a World War II shooter, but it's not just any WWII shooter -- until there's a revolutionary leap in the genre, this stands as the most polished, intense, and atmospheric war shooter for the living room, bar none.
Read Full Review
90
1UP
The comfortable 360 controller is actually better for this game than the trusty old mouse and keyboard. Movement with the analog sticks is natural, intuitively transitioning from walk to run without having to hold down a special key.
Read Full Review
90
Team Xbox
Infinity Ward has created a PC game for the 360 (with better graphics than the PC version to boot) and managed to include not only next-gen sounds and graphics, but also gameplay features that were basically impossible on the old hardware.
Read Full Review
90
Official Xbox Magazine
A nine-hour, tension-filled rollercoaster ride. [Holiday 2005, p.66]
90
GamerFeed
The environments are fantastic and smooth, the gameplay is refined, and the aggressive AI could very well have you for lunch.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
One of the finest FPSs ever created. Thanks to a combination of sharp visuals, teeth-rattling sound effects, and tricky enemy AI, you'll be on the edge of your seat from the moment you're dropped into combat until your dying breath.
Read Full Review
89
Xbox Evolved
It allows up to sixteen players to take the battle online and delivers on all accounts a satisfying WWII shooter. If you do happen to have Xbox Live (which I hope every Xbox 360 owner at least attempts to get), go immediately to the ‘headquarters’ mode and play that to death.
Read Full Review
88
GameSpot
Almost everything that makes the PC version one of the year's best shooters remains intact on the Xbox 360 version of the game, which looks just as good and actually runs smoother than all but the most beastly of gaming PCs.
Read Full Review
88
Electronic Gaming Monthly
What makes Duty so special is the A.I. Enemies make great use of cover; they charge when it's to their advantage and give up positions when they know they're beat; they actually seem to understand grenades, running from them or tossing them at the perfect spot to draw you out of hiding.
Read Full Review
88
Jolt Online Gaming UK
Admittedly the game’s next-gen appeal is questionable since it shuns flashy graphical effects in favour of immense detail and smooth action, but the fact alone that it can stand alongside the PC version looking none-the-worse for it speaks volumes about how far console gaming has come.
Read Full Review
85
MS Xbox World
Although the game could probably be completed in a rental period on easier settings I have no doubts that this game is one title that many players will want to replay over and over.
Read Full Review
85
Gaming Nexus
Easily one of the most cinematic games released on any platform. The graphics and sound grab you from the first mission and carry you through to the end of the game. The only thing that is really holding the game back is the buggy/laggy multiplayer which will hopefully be fixed soon.
Read Full Review
85
PALGN
A launch game all 360 owners should consider. An unforgettable single player experience that gets better the further you go.
Read Full Review
85
Armchair Empire
A very solid launch title for the Xbox 360 but there’s still room for improvement, like some kind of enveloping physics engine.
Read Full Review
80
Xboxic
As far as sound goes, the game is loud. The rattling of chain guns, explosions, Nazi screams, the shouting of your teammates telling you to “throw some grenades in those windows!”, there’s quite a bit going on, and it’s all good.
Read Full Review
80
360 Gamer Magazine UK
It's so gritty and intense that at times you can suspend your disbelief to such an extent that the couch, TV and controller simply melt away. [Issue #2]
80
Gamestyle
The single player is a phenomenal first-person shooter, standing firmly shoulder to soldier (sorry) with the best of the genre. However, its sorely under-developed multiplayer aspect has definitely let the side down, like a soldier who's lost his big toe in the war.
Read Full Review
80
Gamenikki
It will give you a ton of value as a single player game. It's also a great first effort for the genre on the next gen system.
Read Full Review
80
games(TM)
The sense of mortality, tension and sheer scale makes for a truly stunning experience. [Christmas 2005, p.110]
75
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.
Read Full Review
70
EuroGamer
Of the shooters available on the 360 at launch, Call of Duty 2 is easily the most accessible and consistently entertaining single player offering, but if online is your thing you're better off considering what Rare has to offer ["Perfect Dark Zero"].
Read Full Review
70
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]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 109 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Hagen M. gave it a9:
Good game. New games simply leave it in the dust however. But, this will remain an Xbox/ps3 classic for years to come.

Joey G. gave it a7:
While the graphics and gameplay seemed other-worldy when it was launched, they just do not stack up against current titles. That being said, the story works. The action is intense and rewarding on Veteran Difficulty, much more so than on Normal. The sense of accomplishment is immense, IF you can make it to the end without losing your mind.

Fred B. gave it a0:
This game has poor graphics for a XBOX360 game and poor taste. It appeals to little teenagers though.

David W. gave it a10:
An amazing World War 2 game with so much care and detail. This is a must buy in my books!

Alex D gave it a1:
Perhaps good for it's time, CoD2 is now quite a tedious, repetitive and boring experience. The visuals are no longer appealing. The sound is dated as you'd expect. The AI is terrible, especially the friendly AI. The level design is boring and bland. On the 360 this game also suffers from horrendous framerate problems, even when there is little going on. All in all, a very sub-mediocre and mindless experience. Undoubtedly one of the worst shooters on 360.

Pekka K. gave it a10:
Best FPS on X360. Still, 2008, it remains to be the best. Even Call of Duty 4 doesn't match its greatness. Multiplayer sucks though, 8 players per match is not enough.

Rick R. gave it a7:
While probably good for it's time this game is quickly showing it's age when stacked up against newer games. The fragmented story and respawning enemies turn what should have been an exhilarating interactive trip through history into a chore.

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