Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 first-person shooter game created by Infinity Ward and released by Activision in most parts of the world. It is the second game in the Call of Duty series. Activision announced the game on April 7, 2005. It was first released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2005, and for the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005, as one of the first games for that console. Later, versions were also made for OS X, mobile phones, and Pocket PCs.
The game takes place during World War II. Players experience the story through the eyes of four soldiers: one from the Red Army, one from the United States Army, and two from the British Army. The game includes four separate campaigns divided into three stories, with a total of 27 missions. Many changes were made compared to the first Call of Duty game, including health that can be restored and a visual clue that shows when a grenade is nearby.
Critics praised the game for its graphics, sound, and the regenerating health system. The Xbox 360 version sold over 250,000 copies in its first week, more than two million copies by January 2008, and nearly six million copies by November 2013. Reviews over time have been mostly positive, with many praising the improvements and new features that became important parts of the series. Some reviewers noted that the game feels outdated now. It is widely regarded as one of the best games for the Xbox 360 and one of the best video games ever made.
Gameplay
Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter game with a single-player story mode and a multiplayer mode. In the game, the player controls several Allied soldiers during specific missions in World War II. The player can crouch, lie down, and climb low walls or other obstacles.
The player can carry two firearms and switch between them when finding new weapons on the battlefield. Using a gun’s iron sights helps aim more accurately. The player can also carry fragmentation and smoke grenades. In some areas, emplaced weapons like machine guns and flak cannons are available. Some missions let the player control a tank.
A compass on the heads-up display (HUD) shows the locations of allies, enemies, and important markers such as places to reach, areas to defend, or enemy artillery and tanks that need to be disabled with explosives.
The player has binoculars. These are usually not used in missions focused on infantry but are helpful for scouting and essential for using Crusader tanks at long distances or directing artillery fire to protect a town.
If the player takes serious damage, the screen turns red, and the sound of the character’s heartbeat becomes louder, showing low health. Health is restored automatically only when the player is not being attacked. Some attacks, like explosions from grenades or shells, can kill the player instantly. If the player dies, they restart from the last checkpoint.
In April 2006, Infinity Ward released Call of Duty 2 Radiant, a tool that lets players create their own maps for multiplayer or single-player modes. The mapmaker includes support for Maya plugins, an effects editor, and an asset manager that allows custom models and effects to be added to the game.
Call of Duty 2 includes three campaigns, played as four World War II soldiers, for a total of 27 missions. The game has four difficulty levels: Easy, Regular, Hardened, and Veteran.
The game offers several types of gameplay, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Search & Destroy, Capture the Flag, and Headquarters. Maps are set in Normandy, Africa, and Russia. Each team can choose different weapons based on the map. Players can select American, Soviet, or British soldiers for Allied forces, while Axis forces must play as German soldiers.
Each PC multiplayer server can hold up to 64 players, while the Xbox version allows a maximum of eight players. In the Xbox 360 version, players can play online on Xbox Live and download new map packs. There are 13 official maps, including three remakes from the original Call of Duty. Three additional map packs (Bonus Pack, Skirmish Pack, and Invasion Pack) add eight more maps.
Plot
The player controls Private Vasili Koslov of the 13th Guards Rifle Division in December 1941. He is part of the effort to defend Moscow against German forces. The next mission takes place in early December 1942, where the player destroys a German stronghold in Stalingrad. Later, during the middle of December 1942, the player fights to control areas in Stalingrad, including reconnecting broken telephone wires and recapturing a rail yard and train station. The final mission occurs in January 1943, during the Soviet attack on Stalingrad, where the player helps recapture city blocks and the city hall.
The player controls Sergeant John Davis of the 7th Armoured Division in North Africa, led by Captain Price. In early November 1942, the player joins a secret attack on German troops in the Afrika Korps, ending with the destruction of a German supply station. The next mission involves defending a town from German attacks coming from all directions. The player wins by destroying German tanks with artillery. This is followed by the Second Battle of El Alamein, where the player fights through trenches, machine gun nests, and anti-aircraft guns before capturing a German command center. The mission then moves to El Dabaa, where the player stops remaining German forces in Egypt by destroying more anti-aircraft guns, ending the British campaign. Another mission involves a British tank commander, David Welsh, fighting German forces in Libya. In Tunisia, the player starts a mission under fire, holds a house until meeting another squad, and later helps retake Toujane with reinforcements before attacking Matmata. The final British campaign takes place during the Battle for Caen as part of Operation Overlord.
As Corporal Bill Taylor of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, the player participates in D-Day, attacking Pointe du Hoc to destroy a German artillery battery and defending it against a large German counterattack. The player later captures a nearby town and acts as a sniper against enemy mortar crews until help arrives. The next mission focuses on Hill 400, where the player captures Bergstein, faces a failed attack on hill bunkers, and defends against German forces while sniping and destroying enemy tanks. The final mission takes place during the American crossing of the Rhine River into Germany. The player is under fire from the start, provides cover fire against Germans, reaches the riverbanks, and fights through a town. The mission ends with the player defeating two German Tiger I tanks.
After the game ends, the credits show American soldiers rescuing Captain Price from German forces. The words "No cows were harmed in the making of this game" appear, referencing dead cattle seen in Normandy missions from the original Call of Duty game.
Development
On April 7, 2005, Activision announced that Infinity Ward was creating Call of Duty 2. The game was planned to release in fall 2005 for PC. It was believed that Infinity Ward was working on the sequel at the same time that Gray Matter Studios developed Call of Duty: United Offensive. Infinity Ward president Grant Collier said:
The press release stated that players would fight enemies in more open battlefields, complete major battles in order, and use team strategies not found in earlier Call of Duty games. Infinity Ward also confirmed the creation of a "Battle Chatter System," similar to Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, where squad members would talk to help players understand the battlefield.
The game used a special engine called the IW engine, which was based on the id Tech 3 engine from the first Call of Duty game. This new engine allowed developers to create more realistic battles and improve the game's visuals. They added effects like smoke from grenades and weather such as sandstorms and blizzards.
The game let players experience four soldiers' stories as they faced difficult challenges in different campaigns. Players could choose to follow each story individually or complete battles in order for fast action. Teams could now take on various mission goals on large battlefields with many paths and use real combat tactics like surrounding enemies from the side or moving carefully while firing.
Call of Duty 2 was expected to be more immersive than the original Call of Duty. Vince Zampella, Infinity Ward's creative director, said, "We didn’t want to remove anything that made Call of Duty good. But we wanted to improve some areas." A game demo showed more open gameplay and smarter enemy behavior, with enemies actively chasing players. A set number of enemies on the map would react to the player after the first shot, and distant enemies would send scouts to investigate.
Infinity Ward spent time researching World War II battlefields. This led them to change parts of the game set in France because the real locations were different from what they imagined.
The team added effects like dust and smoke that stayed on the battlefield, making it harder to see. The game used a 5.1 surround sound system and had 20,000 lines of dialogue. Soldiers fighting with the player would call out enemy positions, warn of attacks from the side, and help in ways not possible in the first game. Zampella said, "We wanted realistic battle chatter that adds to the gaming experience. Now you’ll hear your teammates tell you that two enemies are hiding behind a car or that people are on a building’s second floor."
A grayed-out grenade icon appears in the center of the screen when a grenade is nearby, with an arrow showing its direction. Sometimes, enemies who seem dead can still shoot players with their sidearms, a feature later called "Last Stand" in multiplayer games.
The game was shown at E3 in 2005 and was announced as a launch title for the upcoming Xbox 360.
The game’s budget was $14.5 million. It took 2 years to develop with 75 people. Even though it was the first game on the new Xbox 360 platform, no overtime or weekend work was required during development.
Reception
Call of Duty 2 received "generally positive" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects and summarizes game reviews. Many reviewers praised the game’s graphics and sound. Most reviewers also liked the regenerating health system, which allows players to heal during combat. GameSpot and GamePro reviewers said this system was an improvement over the previous health bar system used in earlier games.
For the Xbox 360 version, IGN editor Douglass C. Perry said the game’s presentation was "classy and well-produced" and that the graphics were among the best on the Xbox 360 at its launch. He called the sound effects "unbelievable" and described the gameplay as having "a lot of action." GameSpot reviewer Bob Colayco said the game had "smooth, detailed graphics and great sound" and praised the artificial intelligence, realism, and variety in the story mode. GamePro called the game "breathtaking" and noted the game’s realistic details, such as weapons and walls, which were enhanced by advanced visual effects. GameSpy editor Will Tuttle said the game was "one of the finest FPSs ever created" and praised its visuals, sound effects, and enemy AI.
For the PC version, IGN editor Tom McNamara said the game’s presentation and graphics were "excellent" and "smooth." He noted that the graphics were not affected by the game also being developed for the Xbox 360. McNamara also praised the sound, including music, battle noises, and voice acting. Bob Colayco of GameSpot reviewed the PC version and again praised the sound and presentation. He said the artificial intelligence was aggressive and noted that the multiplayer mode was "fun" on the PC version. However, he mentioned that the game’s performance could sometimes slow down. GameSpy editor Sal Accardo said the game was enjoyable from start to finish, unlike some other games that felt repetitive. GamesRadar editor Joshua Latendresse called the story mode "stunning" and said the multiplayer was even better.
Despite these positive reviews, IGN’s Tom McNamara said the regenerating health system made the game feel less realistic, comparing it to a fictional style of combat. GameSpot’s Bob Colayco said the game cost more than the PC version and noted that the Xbox 360 version’s multiplayer only supported eight players, which was less than the PC version’s multiplayer mode in Call of Duty: United Offensive.
Call of Duty 2 was the most popular game released with the Xbox 360. It sold 200,000 copies in its first week, and 77% of people who bought an Xbox 360 also bought the game. By July 2006, 1.4 million copies had been sold on the Xbox 360. By January 2008, sales reached 2 million copies. By November 2013, sales had reached 5.9 million copies.
Computer Games Magazine editors named Call of Duty 2 the seventh-best computer game of 2005, calling it "the ultimate WWII shooter." At the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the game was nominated for "Overall Game of the Year," "Console Game of the Year," "First-Person Action Game of the Year," "Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay," and "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering."
Later reviews of Call of Duty 2 were mostly positive. Critics praised the story, set pieces, gameplay, multiplayer, and features like regenerating health, smoke grenades, and a grenade damage indicator, which became common in later games. Sam Loveridge of GamesRadar+ said the game helped the series become successful. Some critics called it one of the best games for the Xbox 360, showing the console’s technical abilities. However, others said the game felt outdated and noted that the Xbox 360 version’s multiplayer only supported eight players. In rankings of the series, Call of Duty 2 usually placed between 10th and 15th, though some lists placed it in the top five, with NME’s staff ranking it second, behind Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007).
Advertisement controversy
In 2006, a television advertisement for Call of Duty 2 caused some controversy. The ad, made by an animation studio in Los Angeles called Rhythm and Hues Studios, showed a first-person view of events that would happen in the game, rather than scenes from the game itself. Some people believed the ad was misleading because it looked too similar to actual gameplay. In February 2006, the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told networks to remove the ad after three people complained about false advertising. ASA spokesperson Donna Mitchell said, "Viewers felt the ad was misleading because the graphics looked better than the game's." Activision, the company that made the game, said in a press release that the footage was meant to explain the game's story, not to show real gameplay.
Other versions
A collector's edition of the game was released for Windows on October 25, 2005, and for the Xbox 360, called the "Special Edition." This version includes the game and a bonus disc with interviews, a making-of-the-movie video, and two mission walkthroughs. On May 17, 2006, Activision announced a Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox 360. This edition includes content from the Special Edition and a token to download the Skirmish Map Pack. In January 2006, MFORMA (now Hands-On Mobile) released Call of Duty 2 for mobile phones. The mobile version is a 2D shooter where players view the action from above. It received a positive review from IGN, which praised the game's length and story.