World War II has long been a pop setting for first - person shooter , from the gonzo land of zombie spirit and leather Valkyrie in Return to Castle Wolfenstein to the sports stadium - concentrate gameplay of Battlefield 1942 . But it ’s Call of Duty ( ) that set the high - body of water marker for its combination of mettlesome realism , challenging gameplay and full-bodied multiplayer capability . Now it ’s been trump out by its own successor , Call of Duty 2 .
Call of Duty 2 builds on the strengths of its forbear , and also erases some of the original secret plan ’s weaknesses . It dress a in high spirits legal profession when it comes to system requirements , needing a G5 or Intel - based Mac to act as , but if your car makes the ground level , you ’ll be rewarded with a wild biz .
The setup is similar to the first game . In Call of Duty 2 , you ’re required to take the identity of several unlike Allied soldiers fighting back the Nazi war machine during World War II . First , you ’ll witness yourself in the brake shoe of a Russian secret pushing back the Germans as they intrude on Moscow and Stalingrad . Then you switch fronts to become a British soldier , hold off Rommel ’s Panzer tanks in North Africa . Then you encounter as an America corporal who bring in Europe on D - Day .
Each mission is divided up into stages that assist vary the game play dramatically . Some missions punctuate stealth ; others may need more strategic thinking ; some require more aggression ; some make you sit back and watch what unfold before represent .
One thing that really carve up Call of Duty 2 apart from the original secret plan is the dramatically improved artificial intelligence operation , or AI . reckoner - manipulate soldiers are almost always around you , both enemies and booster , and they act passably realistically .
Call of Duty 2 has a unexampled graphics engine that produce some amazing - looking visuals . That ’s one of the reasons why the system requirement for Call of Duty 2 are so much high than before ( more on this below ) . active conditions and lighting conditions also go a long way toward creating a realistic surroundings — you could use smoke grenades , for example , to obscure the field of battle . That ’s a ready to hand trick if you have to move yourself or your troops while foeman gunners are aiming for you .
Call of Duty features a save system that automatically saves your procession at checkpoints along the way — typically at the start of young missions or at sealed key points during commission where fresh objectives are represent . I enjoyed not have to remember to salvage every few minutes , but the system of rules certainly is n’t universally popular , particularly for gamers that opt to keep track of their progress themselves .
The drug user port in Call of Duty 2 is different than the original biz — in place of a health barroom , the CRT screen ’s borders glow red and you ’ll notice that you have to exercise more effort . You have to obscure or determine cover to recuperate , which economise you the worry of have to look for aesculapian kit to now advance yourself back to tip - top shape . It ’s an interesting variation .
Multiplayer gaming is cross - platform in Call of Duty 2 , so you may square off against Windows - using players , if you wish . The multiplayer capabilities include the modes of the original game , Deathmatch , Team Deathmatch , Capture the Flag . There ’s also a “ Headquarters ” mode that ask your squad to set up an HQ somewhere on the map , accruing points the longer you hold the position .
Music is , predictably , gorgeous and cinematic in scope . Voice performing is top - notch as well , and even the interstitial sequences are very well done , pulled documentary - expressive style to facilitate give you a sense of time , place , and role before the action starts and the missionary post objectives are bring out .
Although Call of Duty 2 realistically portray the European theater of the second World War in all of its unnumbered facets , it ’s not a gruesome game . In fact , it ’s rated T for Teen by the ESRB .
If there are any downside to Call of Duty 2 , it ’s the extraordinary system resources needed to get the game flow — you’ll need a G5 or better ( the game ships as a Universal Binary ) and a graphics card with at least 64 Bachelor of Medicine of VRAM , as well as 4 GB of uncommitted hard phonograph recording space . Mac mini and MacBooks are debar from Aspyr ’s minimum arrangement requirements , by the way , because of their pokey structured graphics processors .
The bottom line
Call of Duty 2 sets a newfangled high water fool for World War II - earned run average hitman on the Mac . Just plan to have the HP to run it .
