[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/callofduty2/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Call of Duty 2[/i] is one of the few launch titles for the Xbox 360 that I was looking forward to. Besides the sports titles, there are only a handful of games that are actually out right now on the 360. There are a couple of other big-name titles out, such as [i]Quake 4[/i] and [i]Perfect Dark Zero[/i], but I decided to pick up [i]COD 2[/i].

The ‘realistic war’ genre has really blossomed in the past couple of years, and Activison’s [i]Call of Duty[/i] series has really done well. It started back on the PC and now this is the second time around on the consoles. The main point of the game is to defeat the Nazi’s throughout all of World War II. You play as several different characters along the way, including Russians, Brits, and Americans. Playing as different people in different lands breaks up the monotony of playing in the same location and allows the developers to change up the scenery, which is always nice.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/callofduty2/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The game itself is very fast paced with non-stop action. There really isn’t a slowdown at all. When you get thrown into a mission, it is a non-stop firefight from beginning to end. There was never a point when I stopped and wondered what I should be doing. All the missions are clear, and they give you a compass which allows you to always keep track of your objectives.

There are a lot of things I really like about the way this game is set up. There are plenty of different guns throughout the story which keeps it interesting, and there is never a real short supply of ammo. Your character has the ability to jump, crouch, crawl, and get in and out of many different environments. This may seem elementary, but there have been plenty of games out there that lack these basic concepts. The controls are standard for a first-person shooter, so you should have no problem adapting to this game. There is no health bar, which I really like. It is kind of like [i]Halo[/i] to the extent that your health regenerates when you’re not getting shot. It makes the game really worry-free and allows you to play without feeling tied down, worrying about health kits and what not.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/callofduty2/ss08_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]There are, however, a few drawbacks that I really don’t like. When you aim a gun, it really doesn’t ‘feel’ right, which makes it a little tough to pick people off from a distance. Second, it seems that the game is made for the running-around firefight, which can get kind of hectic-especially since the characters look really similar and you sometimes end up shooting your own guys and walking right past the enemies. Also, the main menu setup is a little silly too and really doesn’t make sense.

[i]COD 2[/i] has an Xbox Live feature that I have yet to check out. They have slayer, team slayer, and CTF. The online experience will definitely make me keep this game and not trade it in once I beat it. Overall, I have really enjoyed playing [i]Call of Duty 2[/i]. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed game to pick up for the new Xbox 360, I definitely suggest [i]COD 2[/i]. The graphics and computer AI are great, and there are enough missions to really keep your attention. I’m glad that I decided to pick up this game as my first 360 game.