In the first week of it's release, the Xbox 360 version sold over 250,000 copies and by the next year, it had sold 1.4 million copies.
Plot. World War II, the greatest conflict that the world has ever known. The story is divided by four individual campaigns. Starting with Private Vasili Koslov of the 13th Guards Rifle Division in Soviet Russia, battling the Germans in Stalingrad in 1942-1943. In the British Campaign, Sergeant John Davis of the 7th Armoured Division takes part in destroying Nazi strongholds, defending the towns of Britain to the Second Battle of El Alamein, then it changes to the individual role of British tank commander, David Welsh. Then in the American Campaign, Bill Taylor of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, begins in D-Day destroying various German artillery, battalions, and bases.
A compass on the heads-up display (HUD) shows both friends and enemies, and objective markers to indicate that players must reach, areas to defend, or places where players must plant explosives or disable them. When players take severe damage, the point of view will go red, and after many shots, players will die and war quotes will be displayed on the screen. To avoid death, players are warned when they are severely injured to find cover and recover health when it is low. Players can also take a break from Campaign, and play online with either friends, family or other worldwide people.
Concept. The story is divided in four individual campaigns: Soviet Campaign, British Campaign, American Campaign, and Ending. The Soviet Campaign involves destroying Nazi targets and liberating the city of Stalingrad in the early years of World War II. The British Campaign involves several missions on the trenches, historical battles, and so on. The American Campaign starts in D-Day and also players must destroy Nazi targets, just like in the other campaigns, and in the end, they take a rescue mission.
Design. The graphics of the game were enhanced since the first Call of Duty game. After completing missions, there were some interesting clips in the game, which involved footage of documentaries that were aired in the Military Channel. Characters have real-time facial expressions, and the voice acting is very memorable.
Sound and Music. The sounds of the game have been improved since the first game, and explosions and shooting sound more realistic, like if players were in an actual battlefield. The game's music was composed by Graeme Revell, who is known for composing in movies such as Grindhouse, and so on.
Memories. I first played this game in late Winter 2006 when I moved back to New York City. I played it on my cousin's Xbox 360, and he was the one who introduced me to the game. But one thing he hated about me playing it, was beating the game, before he did. I would tell him: Dude, not everyone can be the first at everything man. But typical him, he would just cut me off.
Tips and Strategies. In Call of Duty, you have to know when to shoot, and when not too. When you're fighting in a battlefield with your platoon, you must be careful in shooting, because sometimes a fellow soldier may get in your way and get killed in the crossfire. And guess what? If you shoot your partner, then a message will be displayed on the screen saying "Friendly fire will not be tolerated", but in the Russian Campaign, it says "You are a traitor to the Motherland". If you're injured and near death, then take cover, otherwise you will die if you fight recklessly.
Rantings. What I hate the most is when your partners get into the crossfire and while you fire, they get in the way, then you are forced to start from the checkpoint, because friendly fire is a penalty. The tank missions in the British Campaign can be very excruciating with the controls.
Good Aspects. What I loved about this game is how deep the storyline of the game is with three different campaign with the Russians, British, and the Americans. My favorite campaign turned out to be the liberation of Stalingrad, to me, it was like an epic scenario as much as D-Day in the game.
Overall. This is one of the best FPS games of the mid-2000's. It has high replay value, and can be played on the Call of Duty Collection on the Xbox 360. This game gets a 9.2 out of 10