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[newsguy]

Vids are here
http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/743/743289/vids_1.html

Holy shit @ the audio in the 2nd video. The chatter, fire, explosions, ricochets. Talk about immersion.

When Infinity Ward started development on Call of Duty 2 they were faced with the challenge of developing a game for hardware that was not yet in existence. They knew that Xbox 360 would us multiple cores, and to best take advantage of an opportunity they began tackling the project of programming the game for this advanced setup. The result is that Call of Duty uses one of 360's cores just for AI while a second processor is devoted to visual effects that can only be described as "next-gen." The team is proud of their accomplishments on the new hardware and we witnessed examples that keenly illustrated the fruits of their labor.

One suggestion that came straight from Activision's battle hardened consultants was the use of smoke as cover. We've seen smoke bombs used in probably hundreds of games over the past year, but this instance deserves some special attention. The particle system in Call of Duty 2 is capable of producing effects that are not simple visual icons, but directly influence gameplay. In previous games a smoke bomb usually releases a wisp of cloudy, polygonal mist that results in a temporary loss of AI for surrounding enemies. The smoke in Call of Duty is a dense, palpable fog that can completely obstruct visibility over a large area. Drop a smoke canister indoors and it becomes difficult to see the muzzle on your rifle.

What really sets COD2 apart from the long line of military shooters that have preceded it, is the behavior of the opposition. The environments have been expanded to include multiple pathways and goals that can be approached in any order. Because of this freedom the AI has to be aware of targets and adjust their tactics to meet players from any direction. They flank, take cover, and know how to keep their heads down after players miss with a pot shot. In the split second it takes to lob a grenade and route out some enemies there were numerous occasions where they had come to the same conclusion about me and plunked down a pineapple at my feet. Their tactics are varied enough to make the game feel like an original WWII experience.

In our time with previous 360 games, our technical observations have been mixed at best. In this case COD was running at a smooth clip in 720p. After playing the PC build, it was difficult to find any major differences between the two versions- a good thing indeed.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

the guys in the trenchcoats look like chocolate easter bunnies.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

it looks so COLD in those pics

 

[newsguy]

it looks so COLD in those pics

Link. unless you mean the 2 pics posted in the other thread.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

they posted a link to his on the other thread. im just harassin you anyways :lol

 

[Willy Wanka]

Nice to read that at least one PC developer is taking advantage of the multiple cores.

 

[raYne]

God damn that's an awful floor texture.

 

[newsguy]

they posted a link to his on the other thread. im just harassin you anyways :lol

Oh, just saw the link. Mine offers instant gratification though ;P

 

[dorio]

Cool, they got Marv Albert to do voice over work.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

you know it says alot about the 360 launch when a great game like COD2 is just the 5th on the list of games i wanna buy.


Or maybe i just have bad taste

 

[Dante]

ewww what happened this was looking pretty decent before.

 

[demon]

Ok, do their trench coats really need to be bump-mapped?

 

[Amadeus]

doesn't really look like nextgen

 

[Kabuki Waq]

WTF? this doesnt impress anyone?

 

[AlphaSnake]

Ok, do their trench coats really need to be bump-mapped?

Well they're wet, so probably yes. But this is a very overachieving looking title. Tries too hard, fails miserably.

 

[Gek54]

That action looks good though.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

this game is gonna be all abouth the ambience of war. if you watch the videos there is so much action going on and the sound is gonna be amazing


its a launch title!!!!!!!!! you guys are way to overly critical

 

[newsguy]

from 1up's impressions:

Essentially, every bullet matters, so you need to do everything you can to hide behind cars, buildings, gun emplacements, sand bags, etc. and then pick out your best shots when the gunfire drops down on the opposing side. Sounds pretty typical, sure, but the way Call of Duty 2 excels in this area is by combining overpowering visual effects with a well-developed sense of being on a team. When you see your allies jumping over walls and propped up against barricades all over, and then you hear them telling you about the situation ahead and even giving you tips on how to get past certain areas, it adds a lot to the feeling of urgency present. While playing, we actually had to lean away from the screen quite a few times because the action was so intense -- it's been a long time since that happened.

 

[mrklaw]

those allied soldiers look petrified.

As in organic matter turned to stone.

This looks alternately great and meh. Bit like pulling the petals off a daisy.


I think my decision whether to buy this will be purely down to whether GRAW is out at launch or not. Two FPS/shooters will be enough, and PDZ has one slot purely out of morbid curiosity.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

this game is gonna be all abouth the ambience of war. if you watch the videos there is so much action going on and the sound is gonna be amazing

This game is going to be hawt. So immersive.

 

[dark10x]

Meh.

Looks very "current PC" to me.

Gears of War absolutely crushes this game visually. IF they can pull of a rock solid 60 fps, it might look pretty decent...but if it's anything else, no thanks. Same deal for Quake 4 on 360. 60 fps or bust.

 

[Flo_Evans]

uggg I thought we were done with overly aggresive bumb mapping this gen.

 

[Jack Mehoffer]

Splitscreen multiplayer should die with this gen.

 

[shpankey]

they need to turn on the Anisotropic Filtering asap. kinda looks current gen PC'ish to me, but i still want it for the gameplay!

 

[Alias03]

ewww what happened this was looking pretty decent before.

MGS4 happened

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

Meh.

Looks very "current PC" to me.

Gears of War absolutely crushes this game visually. IF they can pull of a rock solid 60 fps, it might look pretty decent...but if it's anything else, no thanks.

What about how it plays? Chances are CoD2 will be a superior experience than GoW despite the visual gap. Infinity Ward may rely on highly scripted action but they're one of the best in the biz at packaging a visceral and epic assault on the senses that you dont forget. The more I see of GoW the more I think its going to be something akin to an extremely ostentatious Kill.Switch... which should be fun and all but, well...*shrug*

 

[newsguy]

What about how it plays? Chances are CoD2 will be a superior experience than GoW despite the visual gap. Infinity Ward may rely on highly scripted action but they're one of the best in the biz at packaging a visceral and epic assault on the senses that you dont forget.

The irony is that I may end up making this one of the 2 launch titles I buy for this very reason. With so much emphasis on the graphics for next-gen games, I think I may pick this up for the experience rather than the eye candy. Of course it's not like the graphics are crap, cause they're still better than anything this gen. That second video where you hear the guys yelling and the bullets whizzing by makes my mouth water. I can't imagine anyone with a 5.1 audio setup would pass this game up, at the very least as a rental. My main enjoyment from games comes from the immersion so my opinions are probably not shared by all.

 

[HokieJoe]

I still think that this game may turn out looking better than a lot of you expect. Either way it turns out, I've got this bitch pre-ordered!

 

[robo_robo]

Nice clay coats.

 

[Widfara]

These screens aren't too impressive. The atmosphere looks rock solid, however.

 

[Osorio]

I can't wait for this personally. The first one was my 2003 game of the year for just its total ambience and excellent sound design. This sequel looks to improve on that and I love all the chatter between the soldiers and the bullets passing by as if they just missed your ear. Definite launch purchase for me.

Also, I'm wondering whats going on with the online multiplayer? I didn't really buy Call of Duty for its multiplayer but it was still enjoyable for me. The problem was that in United Offensive there were changes I liked but the rank system really ruined it for me. So does anyone have online multiplayer impressions or do we have to wait for reviews?

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Graphics don't look very impressive. Sure the game will be fun though. CoD was a blast.

 

[Rorschach]

I thought it looked meh until I saw it in motion. I can't wait.

 

[siege]

People must really like WW2. This has to be atleast the 80th WW2 themed game in the last 3 years.

It's never anything new either. Some are more polished than others, some with better visuals, but you are going through the same thing over and over. I don't get why they keep selling as well as they do.

 

[MrPing1000]

Glad they haven't stereotyped us Brits!

 

[Truelize]

Looks awesome except for a couple of wierd clothing textures and the Zelda ground textures. Everything else is so money baby.

 

[GitarooMan]

What about how it plays? Chances are CoD2 will be a superior experience than GoW despite the visual gap. Infinity Ward may rely on highly scripted action but they're one of the best in the biz at packaging a visceral and epic assault on the senses that you dont forget. The more I see of GoW the more I think its going to be something akin to an extremely ostentatious Kill.Switch... which should be fun and all but, well...*shrug*

I agree with this. Anyone who played CoD on the PC knows how immersive and compelling it was. Playing the sequal on x360 on a large TV with 5.1 and 720p is going to be sweet, sweet candy.

 

[n3mo_toad]

Doesn't look next gen? show me a current gen game that even compares. Some of you people are borderline idiotic, seriously. :lol

 

[Hydro_Alexis]

Medal Of Honour?

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Check out the developer's interview (long - 15 minutes) and listen to what he says about working with the 360 at the end. COD2 just shot to the top of my must-have launch list.

http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/2472/Call-of-Duty-2-Grant-Collier-Video-Interview/

 

[Gek54]

Doesn't look next gen? show me a current gen game that even compares. Some of you people are borderline idiotic, seriously. :lol

More like year old PC quality?

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I currently own a p4 3.4, with 2 gigs of RAM, and an X800XT PE and I have played every top FPS on the market and COD2's game design combined with its graphics, sounds. and physics distinguishes it from everything out there, including Half-Life 2. Half-Life 2 is the bar by which most evry FPS is measured today. Having said that, it is a very linear game despite its amazing physics, story, and yes, graphics. COD2 has eliminated the linearity, eliminated health packs, and eliminated any doubts that it is NOT next-gen.

 

[The Bookerman]

Looks too much like an Xbox 1.5 game.


Not next gen enough for me.

 

[Chittagong]

This was the best looking playable game in TGS for Xbox 360, in my opinion. If everybody is disappointed with this, I can't imagine the reaction seeing Ridge Racer 6, Kameo, NFS MW etc. will have.

The levels are very uneven, some look very bland with little detail, then again some, like the daytime city sequence, have a pretty nice level of detail. Something that can't be seen on screen are camera effects, like a cool blurring when you are shot.

Definately in my top three expectations for good graphics, among PGR3 and ... don't laugh ... Perfect Dark Zero.

 

[hgplayer1]

holy shit @ the part in the 2nd vid where they are at that small wall shooting at guys on the roof tops and an explosion sends smoke billowing up right in front of them. also the tanks coming through the wall was pretty cool.

if this game has some nice long drawn out battles where you have to move over miles of terrain then sign me up.

gameplay looks kinda meh but Id be willing to pick it up at launch if the immersion is like that in every battle.

 

[Slo]

God I need this game.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Honestly, for those naysayers who have PC's that come close to what X360 has to offer, can you honestly think of one game that supersedes X360's COD2, PGR3, or Madden 2006 (the recent screens) graphically? Because what really irks me about these 1.5 comments is that they are all based on graphics. World of Warcraft is probably the elite game globally right now that all companies would love to have, but the artistry in their graphics AND gameplay are what distinguish it despite it having a cartoonish appearance and very limited animations. So, it is fair to acknowledge that COD2, Madden, PGR3 could all be stinkers because of gameplay problems, but based on graphics and the comments of one of Infinity Ward's main producers about X360, I think we should at least wait til launch before we dismiss a system's potential.

 

[newsguy]

:lol it's like the Madden league guys will finish playing our 360 league games and pop in CoD2.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

You can add me to the Madden league if you like, but COD2 will get all my attention on launch day. Or shall I say launch week.....

 

[RiZ III]

This game looks amazing in motion with the sound and everything.