Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a historic first-person shooter video game that takes place during World War II. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One was released on November 1, 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube by Activision and Treyarch.

Story Mode
In Call of Duty 2: Big Red One the player takes the role of American soldier, Pvt. Roland Roger, of the 1st Infantry Division throughout the whole game except for a level where the player takes the role of Roger's brother as a gunner in a bomber mission.

The game starts the player off at a tutorial shooting level that is located somewhere in Maubeuge, France. The next level is a flashback that takes place during the invasion of Algeria in the Battle of Oran called "Baptism By Fire", and soon back to the tutorial.

The character is led by Sgt. Hawkins alongside the other soldiers of Hawkins' squad. The 1st Infantry Division moves on to Kasserine Pass, pressing through the German lines, helping clear a minefield, and recapturing several American howitzers. The squad continues into Kasserine, clearing the region of German troops. The Big Red One continues to press the advantage, and the player takes control a tank in which Pvt. Rogers is firing the main gun. Finishing the Africa campaign, the player takes part in a bomber mission aboard a B-24 Liberator over the Mediterranean.

The Italy campaign opens with Operation Husky with the Battle of Gela during which the squad rescues members of the 82nd Airborne Division. At Piano Lupo, the 1st Infantry once again faces opposition from the Hermann Goering Panzer Division, whom they had defeated in Africa. They fight through Troina to rest and recuperate, consolidating their forces, the Fighting First quickly secures Sicily.

The player now leads part of the squad as a corporal. The 1st Infantry Division then participates in the D-Day invasion. The player directs fire using binoculars, destroying bunkers, warehouses, and pillboxes. The level closes as the player takes control of a FlaK 88 to defeat German counterassault waves. The 1st Infantry moves on to Mons and Eilendorf, moving closer to Germany, fighting through the Hurtgen Forest, they continue to press German soldiers back.

The player now leads the squad as a sergeant during the last two levels. At Bucholz and the Siegfried Line, the player leads the soldiers during the final crossing into Germany in the snowy winter of 1945. After the 1st Infantry crosses the line, the squad destroys several V2 Rockets, as the rest of the division arrives, the game ends.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One tends to focus much more heavily on the character aspect of the player's squadmates. He learns their names and watches them as they age and gain rank over the course of the war and as some are killed in combat. The player also gets promoted, and seems to grow, as other soldiers show him more respect.



Multiplayer
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One features a online play in both the PS2 and Xbox versions with drivable tanks, character classes, and experience gain much like multiplayer in Call of Duty: United Offensive. Multiplayer functionality is handled by highly modified netcode originally licensed from DemonWare.

Collector's Edition
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One also has a Collector's Edition that contains a bonus DVD with:


 * 4 Exclusive character skins for multiplayer gameplay – using Elite soldier models.
 * Interviews, MoCap/VO session footage of the in-game voice actors from the cast of Band of Brothers.
 * Interviews with WWII Veterans of the Big Red One, including memories of in-game events.
 * Multiplayer map fly-thrus with DVD-style developer commentary (tips, interesting facts, etc).
 * Behind the scenes with Treyarch, discussing the development of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.
 * Concept and production art gallery (Art, sketches, storyboards, renders, etc).

Trivia

 * This is the first Call of Duty game to not include a British or Russian campaign.
 * Pvt. Guzzo is the name of a backup character in this game. In Call of Duty 3, Salvatore Guzzo is a main character.
 * This is the first game and only game in the Call of Duty series to feature Italian and French soldiers as enemies to date.
 * This is the first Call of Duty title to feature Vichy France soldiers, and therefore French weapons.
 * This is the first Call of Duty title to feature Italian soldiers, and therefore Italian weapons.
 * This game also is the first to have a weapon/vehicle inventory.
 * Surprisingly, this game does not have any usable pistols.