Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One
Developer(s)	Treyarch Gray Matter Interactive
Publisher(s)	Activision
Distributor(s)	‹See Tfd› JP: Konami
Designer(s)	Christian Busic Richard Farrelly Dan Koppel
Composer(s)	Graeme Revell
Series	Call of Duty
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date(s)	NA: November 1, 2005 EU: November 18, 2005
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a 2005 first-person shooter video game. It was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox on November 1, 2005 in North America, November 18, 2005 in Europe, and June 29, 2006 in Japan for the PS2 only.

Big Red One differs from other games in the Call of Duty franchise in that it focuses on a single Allied formation in World War II: the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, which goes by the nickname Big Red One due to their unit patch which features a large red numeral one. The game covers the division's part in the invasion and liberation of North Africa, the invasion into Sicily, the landing on Omaha Beach in Europe and moving east, and eventually crossing the Siegfried Line into Germany. Each chapter is book-ended with period footage from the Military Channel, with voiceovers courtesy of Mark Hamill (who was also in the Sam Fuller film, The Big Red One), imitating a World War II documentary.

The game features several actors from the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, including Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Frank John Hughes, Richard Speight, Jr., Ross McCall, Rick Gomez, and Rene Morono. The box cover features actor Stephen Saux. The story and characters were written by Aaron Ginsburg and Wade McIntyre.

In North America, it was later released as part of a compilation pack entitled Call of Duty: Legacy for the PlayStation 2 only. The pack included Call of Duty: Finest Hour and Big Red One.^[1]

Gameplay

Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One is a first-person shooter that has a single-player story mode and a multiplayer mode. The player takes on the role of a soldier protagonist in specific missions during World War II from the perspective of the American 1st Infantry Division. The player can crouch and lie prone, and is able to scale low walls and other obstacles. Two firearms can be carried, which can be swapped with those left on the battlefield, and both fragmentation and smoke grenades can also be carried. A gun's iron sights can be used to aim more accurately. A compass on the heads-up display (HUD) shows both allies and enemies, and objective markers to indicate locations the player must reach, areas to defend, or enemy cannons or tanks that the player must plant explosives on to disable. Emplaced weapons such as machine guns and flak cannons are available in some locations to take out enemy forces. In addition, some missions place the player in control of a tank. It is also important for scouting, though most of the game takes place in personal, close combat situations reducing the importance of this tactic.

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received "generally favorable" reviews from critics.

References

External links

• Call of Duty 2: Big Red One at the Internet Movie Database