Publisher: Aspyr Media Inc.
Price: $29.99/£20.99
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Fullscreen Support |
Mouse Support |
File Size |
Launch Date |
Required Specifications |
Yes |
Mouse Recommended |
3.57 GB——- |
31st March 2012 |
Mac OS X 10.6.6 CPU Processor: Intel chipset CPU Speed: 1.8 GHz Memory: 512 MB or higher Hard Disk Space: 4.0 GB free disk space Video Card (ATI): Radeon X1600 Video Card (NVidia): GeForce 7300 Video Memory (VRam) : 128 MB or higher |
Rating
Pros: A perfect port of an old classic, multiplayer included, great voice work, some spectacular moments.
Cons: Predictably outdated in just about everything, repetitive environments, lack of an emotional tie.
Review
Call of Duty 2 was hailed as one of the best first-person shooters of 2005 and was the most popular launch title of the Xbox 360. In fact, 77% of people who bought an Xbox, also bought Call of Duty 2. It was a seriously big deal back then, and now you have the opportunity to experience the full game on the Mac.
Call of Duty 2 is a WW2 FPS (back when the World War 2 setting wasn’t so clichéd), and includes three campaigns; Soviet, British and American. Each campaign is inspired by real-world events. The Soviet campaign features the 13th Guard Rifle Division defending Moscow from the German forces, the British Campaign follows one Sergeant John Davis in the 7th Armoured Division in North Africa, and the American Campaign starts off at D-Day and follows the American offensive. The scale of each battle is done quite remarkably in some instances, with levels expansing over huge expanses of hard fought over land.
It is obvious why Call of Duty 2 broke so many records with its first-person shooter gameplay; it just feels right. Advance, crouch, aim, fire, advance. The first-person shooter mechanics are fluid and well honed.
Whilst it may have been hard to criticise Call of Duty 2 back in 2005, 7 years later its flaws become much more apparent. The graphics are no longer top notch, obviously, and it becomes tiresome gunning down endless waves of German clones every level. The environments are bland so it’s easy to get bogged down when your enter yet another African town or overgrown French village that seem like rehashes of every other environment you have been shooting in for the past hour.
What’s more, the level design is linear, and rarely does the game throw something new into the mix. You may have to shoot out of a jeep or blow up a tank at certain stages of the game, but none of it feels new or exciting. Once your mission is completed, you’re quickly whisked away to another battleground to fight once more. It may be the harsh reality of war, but it doesn’t let the player get emotionally attached to anything or anyone. Your team mates are generally characterless (apart from maybe the beret-wearing Captain Price) and seem to spawn out of nowhere when your numbers are down.
All that being said, Call of Duty 2 does have its moments. The tank scene for one. Here you join a wave of British Crusader tanks as they advance towards the superior German Panzers as they rain pellets down upon you. The frantic rush for the cliffs on D-Day really captures the overwhelming odds that faced the terrified American troops in 1944. All of these key scenes still have an impact today.
As well as the campaign, Call of Duty 2 for Mac includes a multiplayer component. And yes, there are still people playing Call of Duty 2 online. I can’t quite believe it myself. Whilst its numbers are few, the chances are you are going to get a good online game going at some point.
If you’re looking for a cinematic and awe-inspiring first-person shooter, don’t go for Call of Duty 2. Whilst this relic may have been the bee’s knees in its hay day, I can’t say it’ll get close to the sky-high expectations of today’s gamer generation. But for those of you who love a retro relapse, Call of Duty 2 have been expertly ported by Aspyr to run everything from its issues to its then-revolutionary achievements like butter.
Trailer
