Call of Duty 2 not only arms you with the standard frag grenade, but also adds smoke grenades to your kit.  These smoke grenades can be tossed in a similar manner to your typical frag grenades, but there is a major difference (aside for the lack of a lethal punch). If you wait a few moments the grenade will put out a nice and thick cloud of gray-white smoke that is a godsend when you need to cross an open area or advance on a machine gun nest.  Sure, it makes things difficult for you to see as well. but if you drop one in the enemy's face you can use the cover to move into a flanking position as they try to scan the smoke for you and your comrades.

The multiplayer action is packed with excitement.

All of the missions are essentially linear progressions of objectives, but it is a testament to how well the missions are designed that they never really feel that way. In addition, the environments feature a number of large areas so you’re not left feeling like you’re “riding on a rail” through the missions. The missions can be tough at times, but the game autosaves for you quite often and always at key moments so you’re never stuck restarting or replaying long stretches of a mission.

One of the hallmarks of Call of Duty 2 is that you almost never fight alone. You’re often a member of a squad or larger force and are surrounded by fellow soldiers fighting the enemy. In fact, your army always seems to have a ready supply of reserves who step up to fight alongside you as your previous comrades fall in battle. The AI is quite good in the game, and your squad mates do a very capable job of attacking the enemy and doing so with a good degree of coordination. As the battles rage you’ll also here them speak and shout often: calling for help, pointing out enemy locations, or trying to rally each other on. There’s an amazing amount of dialogue in the game, so the chatter never really seems repetitive. It’s a great touch that adds even more depth to the game’s immersion factor.

On the multiplayer side of the coin, Call of Duty 2 comes with a number of team-based games and the ubiquitous deathmatch mode. Of course team deathmatch and capture the flag are here, but you’ll also get search and destroy and headquarters modes. This last mode is unique in that it features constantly shifting headquarters points that the teams must capture and then use to establish a headquarters. Of course, controlling a headquarters earns points for the owning team, but an additional twist is added in that team members can not respawn while the headquarters is being built.

The multiplayer action is pretty exciting and its probably the best of the Xbox 360 launch shooters. One really cool feature of the multiplayer mode is the “Killcam”. This will replay your death for you so you can see just who shot you and how they did it. It’s a great feature and an effective learning tool for those looking to better their game. I also like the way smoke grenades work as a nice counter to snipers, although I’ll bet you sniper players out there will beg to differ. 

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 94%.  Call of Duty 2 is as close as you'll come to starring in an epic war movie.

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