CoD 2 is a WWII game that really transports you into WWII, which few WWII games can say for themselves
Gameplay- The gameplay is nothing extremely innovative for a WWII, however, its sound and visuals really enhance it to something of beauty. You play as either the Americans (In france, among other places), the Russians (in the ruthless defense of Russia), and the British (in the battle against Rommel, among other places). The change of roles is great, though there are no noticeable changes in the way the different armies play, the surroundings, weapons, and people have their own personalities. What a really like is the full scale sense of the game. There are some missions where you really feel like you are about to shoot your way through hell's highway. To be realistic, one must play on either the hard or very hard setting, just because the amount of damage able to be taken in normal difficulty is very unrealistic. Though many seem to criticize this game's lack of a damage meter, I think it creates a healthy gaming enviorment. It actually influences taking cover, rather than allowing you go in for big rushes and then just get a med pack after it.
The AI is relatively good, but they seem to not have much individual thought and most of the action is scripted. However, it is nice to see that they properly utilize their grenades, and even more satisfying to watch one of your comrades throw it back at the Germans. When you enter a large battlefield and you are advancing by way of smoke grenades and support fire, you will suddenly find that you feel like you are really out their on the battlefield. The weapons are realistic and fun to use. There is a lot of variety in the sort of objectives you have too. Sometimes you'll be defending a point, sometimes getting a good angle and picking off Germans rushing up the hill you just overtook. In gameplay respects, it adds nothing really new, but improves on everything all those WWII shooters left out and does them really well.
Graphics- I tried not to infuse them for the review, but for this game, the graphics and gameplay really go hand in hand. The visuals simply make everything look like it's on a tremendous scale. They really wanted to go with a cinematic feel for the game, and i think they achieved it brilliantly. For example, in one mission, you will arrive on the beach while your friends are being shot down one by one, then, just as you exit the boat, a big shell explodes near you and sends you face first on the beach. Your hearing goes out and all you can see is thousands of other Americans rushing out of their boats, being shot down constantly. Suddenly, a face appears above you and drags you to you feet. The guy tells you that you must climb up the cliff and pick off the snipers. This turns into a perilous climb up a hill as your allies fall off, almost knocking you down the rope.
This kind of thing really immerses you into the world. Other than that, the player models look great, however, some of the buildings could look better. A lot of the battlegrounds are very interesting and authentic looking too.
Sound- Well, just like graphics, the sound really enhances the gameplay. It just brings the whole "mayhem" feel to the next level. If you have a good sound card and some surround speakers, the sound is nothing short of spectacular. You'll hear your allies shooting behind you, shouting out things like, "POTATO MASHER, watch out". The sense of mayhem of hearing is enhanced by the German troops screaming in German, Americans and Brits using slang to talk about their enemies. It really just makes you feel like you're on the battlefield. There is also a little section when there is an artiliery strike, as you suddenly go deaf and feel rumblings as the artilery digs up your position. You have to run for cover and once you get there, you'll see the screen shaking and the ground kicking up and the erie rumbling of the strike. This is just another way that the sound and graphics enhance the gameplay.
Value- The battles are so much fun that you'll keep on going back to them for a few runs, taking different routes on the battlefield and trying the endless amount of guns. Other than that though, there aren't many achievements or rewards.
Multiplayer- The multiplayer is a good deal of fun, it has a good pace and it is very active community. I myself would prefer CSS, but that's just me.
All in all, this a great game for just about anyone, though it doesn't really encorporate any other genres, i can say with certainty that this a must have for any FPS fan.