Activision brings an "All-American" Call of Duty to GameCube.
One last time, let me make it clear that Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is an entirely different game from Call of Duty 2 on PC and Xbox 360. I have to do this because I still talk to people who have been confused by Activision's numbering system and think Big Red One is a port of the other title, when in fact it was built from the ground up by a different development team.
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One follows the first infantry division's exploits from Northern Africa to Italy to the D-Day landing in France and finally to busting through the German border. The game gives a greater sense of authenticity than other WWII shooters (whether it's on the money or not is a matter for someone who knows their history a little better), which is gained through both the use of newsreels provided by The Military Channel and attention to detail in the weapons department. Not only did the development teams spend time with the real weapons to get the animation and sounds right, but whenever you zoom in, the cursor will fade away, and you'll need to use the actual sight on the gun to aim.
The title is primarily a first-person shooter, but there are a number of times in which you'll take control of tanks, anti-aircraft guns, or other vehicles. These sections do a lot to break up the standard walking and shooting, and they vary in length from brief periods to entire missions for which have you in control of a vehicle. One of the coolest missions in the game actually places you in the belly of a bomber plane, in which you'll need to crawl between multiple gun turrets to take out enemy aircraft and the bomb sight where you'll have to take careful aim at the targets below.
No matter what you're doing though, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One makes it clear that you'll never do it alone. You're part of a distinct squad of troops (largely voiced by actors from the TV series, Band of Brothers) who fight alongside you and often shout out warnings and directives. You may be told to cover the squad from a second floor or spot targets for your radio operator to call to your air cover, or someone may simply shout to watch the windows when enemies attack in an urban setting.
The graphics are impressive in most respects, and there is so much happening around you that it can be a pretty intense experience. The overall look is crisp and detailed, and the game does a good job showing both bright open fields as well as more foggy battlefields. The camera shakes quite a bit with all the explosions happening around you, and when an explosion happens close by, there is a blurring effect that happens as you fall to the ground in a daze. The particle effects with explosions look very good, and there is usually quite a lot of activity in the background, with large numbers of troops moving or buildings falling apart. However, some textures are a bit weak, especially the water.
The main shooter gameplay is focused on positioning, often making your choice of cover the key factor in whether you'll survive a firefight. Trying to get up in an enemy's face or circle strafing him usually isn't very effective. On the other hand there are a few points towards the end of the game where you'll be forced to find a way behind the enemy line, because otherwise the game will pour out an endless stream of soldiers to replace each one you take out, which seems to contradict the overall design and can be more than a little annoying. Encounters are mostly scripted too, so you'll usually know where to look for enemies after a few attempts.
The real complaint for Call of Duty 2: Big Red One though, is that there isn't much replay value to it. The game doesn't really feel short. There are quite a number of missions spanning a large variety of settings, but it can still be beaten in a weekend. After that, there just isn't anything to do. Sure there are three difficulty settings, but there is no multiplayer on the GameCube (it was tailored for online play on other platforms) and there isn't any means of judging your performance. So while you may have only barely survived most of the missions, chances are you won't go back to do a better job because there's nothing here to tell you that your performance only warranted a "C Rank," for example.
Overall, while the main thrust of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is probably the most polished and enjoyable WWII experience on GameCube, its lack of replay value may still only warrant a rental.
