Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Activision returns to the European Theater with the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise.The First Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One, was one of the most decorated outfits in World War II. Now, relive the division's most harrowing moments against Axis forces through the eyes of common soldiers. You'll get to know your squadmates and strategize with them to successfully complete missions in the deserts of North Africa, the island of Sicily, Omaha Beach and deep into occupied Europe.Activision hasn't merely produced another first-person shooter, but an immersive combat experience which takes you as close to the emotional turmoil and chaos of war as possible on the console.Features* Your squad is fully aware of their environment, instinctively reacting to battle conditions and reporting back with verbal cues * Intelligent enemies use fortifications to surround and overwhelm your squad * Over three dozen authentic U.S., German, French, and Italian weapons * A wide variety of missions across land, sea, and air

The missions are highly unpredictable and reveal the developer's attention to historical accuracy, detail, even esotery; few remember that short period in the war when U.S. forces fought against the French in North Africa. The result of the mission is both unnerving and captivating.Bottom LineAlthough Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One is a little short, its compelling animation, excellent hit detection, smart enemies, and challenging missions make it a worthy sequel and a must-have for your Nintendo Gamecube library. Activision has launched a great franchise.

Source:

www.nintendo.com - GameCube

Activision Taps DemonWare's State Engine Multi-Player TechnologyFor Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One Console Game

Santa Monica, CA - Sept. 30, 2005 - Activision, Inc.'s highly-anticipated console game Call of Duty®2: Big Red One will utilize DemonWare's State Engine middleware to deliver seamless, state-of-the art, 16-player, cross-platform, multiplayer online gaming to players worldwide. Developed by Treyarch/Gray Matter LLC, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One will deploy this fall for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube™ and carries a "T" (for "Teen") rating by the ESRB.

"By utilizing DemonWare's middleware, the development team is able to focus on creating great gameplay experiences while knowing that the technical aspects of the multiplayer component are managed," said Chuck Huebner, Head of Activision's Worldwide Studios. "When Call of Duty 2: Big Red One ships this Fall, 16 players will be able to engage in explosive Local Area Network (LAN) and Internet multi-player action on their Xbox or PlayStation 2 gaming systems, quickly and seamlessly."

DemonWare's State Engine is a high-performance programming framework that eliminates the need to re-invent netcode for multi-player games, saving time and resources that can be focused on game development.

Source:

Press release (30th September 2005)

War Revisited

Experience the adrenaline rush and harsh realities of war as never before, get to know your squadmates, and fight alongside them through an epic story during the most harrowing moments of WWII. As a part of America's most decorated and heroic fighting unit, the Big Red One, you'll work together with your squad to accomplish a variety of combat missions spanning North Africa, Italy and Nazi-occupied Western Europe.

Source:

Nintendo Winter Catalog 2005 - GameCube

"Nothing in Hell must stop the First Division!" Experience the adrenaline rush and harsh realities of war as never before, get to know your squadmates, and fight alongside them through an epic story during the most harrowing moments of WWII in Call of Duty® 2:Big Red One. As a part of America's most decorated and heroic fighting unit, The Big Red One, you'll work together with your squad to accomplish a variety of combat missions spanning North Africa, Italy, and Nazi-occupied Western Europe.

• Dive into unprecedented realism: The hallmark cinematic intensity of Call of Duty™ returns with a more complete gameplay experience than ever before. Experience a wide variety of missions on land, on sea, and in the air, with the aid of more than three dozen authentic American, Italian, French, and German weapons. Charge into battle together as Allied and Axis planes duel overhead, artillery explosions shake the ground and choke the air, and bullets and shrapnel streak past you and your squadmates. Experience war-torn Europe and Africa, from the blistering desert expanses of Tunisia and Libya to the beautiful yet deadly countrysides of Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany.
• Live a soldier's story: You are thrust into the role and story of a member of The Big Red One, America's most heroic and decorated infantry division. Experience the camaraderie of a single tight-knit army squad, bound together through the chaos of battle over the course of the entire game. Yes, you suffer casualties; you must not suffer defeat.
• Know your squad like never before: Through all-new A.I. and animation, your allies (and your enemies) just got a lot smarter. Your squad now makes better use of environmental cover and tactical manoeuvres, such as flanking, envelopment, and fire-and-manoeuvre behaviours. Hear your allies reacting to the events on the battlefield with contextually accurate battle chatter.
• Take the action online: Go online for intense Axis vs. Allies team-based multiplayer action on Xbox Live®.

Source:

www.xbox.com