Join the Fighting First

With all the excitement surrounding the Xbox 360™ launch, it's easy to forget about current-gen games. But if you take a look at the solid lineup of titles being released this holiday season, you'll quickly find that there's still plenty of action to be had on the big black box.

Activision's Call of Duty® 2: Big Red One is the sequel to the 2004 hit Call of Duty®: Finest Hour. Unlike previous World War II adventures, you aren't a one-man army single-handedly winning the war. Instead, fight alongside your squad members as a rookie Private and take part in massive raids and hectic firefights against the Vichy French, Italian, and German armies on a variety of land, sea, and air missions.

Intense firefights make you duck in your seat.

Harnessing sophisticated squad-based artificial intelligence, some of the most impressive smoke and particle effects possible on current-gen hardware, and a cast of Hollywood voice actors, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is not to be missed.

Distinguished History
The story of the First Infantry Division (also known as the Fighting First, or the Big Red One) dates back to June 8, 1917. Initial units were assembled and shipped out to Europe as America's first deployed infantry in World War I. The first American shells fired in the war were from the guns of the Big Red One. They were also among the first U.S. casualties.

Fight the good fight with the Big Red One.

The notorious division squared off against the most war-hardened Axis fighters of World War II, including Rommel's Afrika Korps, Mussolini's Italian Corps, and the Herman Göring Panzer Division, among others. In a tribute to the brave men who fought on our behalf, developer Treyarch has taken great pains to ensure accuracy and authenticity in recreating the spirit of the Big Red One. Though Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is an action game, it takes the source material very seriously going so far as to utilize combat footage and news reels graciously supplied by the Military Channel.

Frenzied Fighting
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One represents a major jump in graphical fidelity and sheer mayhem for World War II first-person shooters. Nearly every altercation you encounter throughout the game's solid single-player campaign is a non-stop barrage of action.

Seemingly endless swarms of enemy troops flood your position as gunfire erupts from every angle. Rocket-propelled grenades, aircraft machinegun fire, and tank shells whiz past your head as your fellow squad mates shout orders over the chaos of battle.

Develop a bond with your squadmates.

To say that this game puts you in the action is an understatement. Simply put, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One features the most frantic World War II combat to grace the original Xbox® since its debut. Flashy graphics are only part of the differentiating factors of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One that set it apart from its contemporaries.

The sheer variety of combat activity you take part in keeps you guessing about what's around the corner. You fight on foot, from the backs of trucks, inside tanks, and in the belly of aircraft throughout your tour of duty. You never know what to expect until it happens—it's the element of surprise that keeps you engrossed in the fighting from start to finish.

Article by Franklin Beans