Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a World War II video game for the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. It was released on November 1, 2005, in Canada and the United States. While developed by Treyarch, personnel from Gray Matter Interactive (who created the award-winning
Call of Duty: United Offensive expansion pack for the PC) also worked with them on the game. Pi Studios contributed work as well.
Big Red One differs from other games in the Call of Duty franchise in that it focuses on a single Allied formation in the War: the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, which also went by the nickname Big Red One due to their unique patch. The game covers the division's part in the invasion and liberation of North Africa, the invasion into Sicily, the landing on Omaha Beach in Europe and moving east, eventually crossing the Siegfried Line into Germany. At the end of each chapter and the beginning of the first, period footage with voiceover (courtesy of Mark Hamill) is seen from the "Military Channel", imitating a WW2 documentary.
The game features several actors from the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, including Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Frank John Hughes, Richard Speight, Jr., Ross McCall, Rick Gomez and Rene Morono.
The box cover features actor Stephen Saux. The story and characters were written by Aaron Ginsburg and Wade McIntyre.
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| GameSpot |
PS2: 7.0 of 10
GCN: 7.0 of 10 Xbox: 7.0 of 10 | |
| IGN |
PS2: 8.0 of 10
GCN: 8.0 of 10 Xbox: 8.5 of 10 | |
| GameSpy | Xbox: 3.5 of 5 | |
| X-Play | Xbox: 3 of 5 | |
| Compilations of multiple reviews | ||
| Game Rankings |
PS2: 80.0% (based on 47 reviews)
GCN: 78.8% (based on 36 reviews) Xbox: 78.8% (based on 59 reviews) | |
| Metacritic |
PS2: 77% (based on 39 reviews)
GCN: 76% (based on 28 reviews) Xbox: 78% (based on 46 reviews) | |