Easily the best of the X-Box 360's Launch titles but multiplayer issues prevent this from being a classic.
Along the way, you will notice little details that help to bring you into the Call of Duty World. Sometimes your headshots will end up hitting helmets and you will see your enemies go into a shocked animation as if they realized they were so close to dying.
The storyline & scenarios are varied enough to never seem dull or repetitive.
The voice talent is excellent. I think I will forever hear Col. Price yelling at MacGregor in my head.
I would say that my favorite part is the challenge. PLAY THIS GAME ON VETERAN OR HARDENED DIFFICULTY. It will be hard at first but eventually an extreme sense of accomplishment will fill you as you complete levels you previously thought were impossible.
Although the game is linear, it doesn't feel that way. This is something I noticed on my second play through (yup, it's that good). Searching for alternate routes and using different weapons completely alter your chances of survival.
I must admit I was disappointed at the ending though. Like a lot of other people, I felt the ending came out of nowhere and felt abrupt. I really think I just didn't want the game to be over. I mean don't get me wrong, the game is a good length. It's just the ending just felt out of place. You'll see once you beat it.
The biggest disappointment is the multiplayer aspect. Unfortunately the game suffers from severe lag online. This isn't your connection but unfortunately a fault with the game. At the time of this wrting (2/5/06), a patch is being worked on to address this issue.
It's really surprising considering how well the single player campaign shines, that this game was allowed to ship with the multiplayer in its current state. Well there's always room for improvement in the next COD installment.
WWII shooters......been there......done that...right? Well, not quite. With Call of Duty 2, Infinity Ward proves that there is still life left in the genre.