Call of Duty 2 Review

Other improvements include a revamped AI both on friendly and enemy sides. In general your team mates AI is excellent, managing to keep out of your way for the most part, advance forward when you need them too without charging off, and… they even kill people, rather than just shooting at thin air. There were numerous occasions of high tension classically when running out of ammo, or a mistimed reload, when it looked like my days were numbered as a German soldier came charging towards me, only to be saved at the last second as a team mate pulls off a headshot and the German dramatically slumps at my feet as I wipe the sweat from my brow.

The enemy AI isn’t too shoddy either, and acts as required. At closer range enemies will come lunging towards you, and at distance they take cover when met by a hail of bullets and grenades, generally acting as a unit. If you are too timid in your actions, they will keep pressing you back, pinning you into a corner. Sometimes you are forced to lunge forward against the flow of battle if you want to make any progress whatsoever. When losing ground, enemies will pull back. Both sides will shout orders or warnings to their comrades relating the realities of the battlefield to each other, which generally works well at increasing intensity and believability, all though there are some painfully repeated phrases, particularly by the British. The word ‘potato-masher’ cringingly comes into mind here as does the phrase ‘Jerry-rotter’. Really, considering the amount of more dynamic phrases expressed by the AI in relation to situations and environment, it’s surprising that such repetition hadn’t been ironed out almost to the point where it’s un-noticeable. Still, this is a minor blemish overall. In general the single player campaign is compelling and rewarding, with few low points.

The atmosphere and intensity of the game keep you glued to the keyboard, and pushing on to the next objective. Like COD though, it's not the longest game in the history of FPS', so it's recommended to play it on a harder difficulty level. By doing this, not only will the game last longer, but you will gain a ‘truer’ gaming experience in terms of the ‘life on a knifes edge’ feeling the game is meant to create… knowing you are only one step (or bullet) away from deaths door.