At a time when free-roaming games are the norm, EA has chosen to stick to a more linear format. Gamers have to complete certain tasks in a preset order and there is little opportunity for deviation from the original plot.
Call of Duty: The Big Red One
Publisher: Activision
Platform: X-Box and PS2
Taiwan Release: Now
It seems hardly a week goes by without at least one World War II themed PC/console game hitting the shelves. While many are simply rehashed versions of last year's games the latest in the Call of Duty series is a serious attempt at overhauling the format.
Call of Duty: The Big Red One boasts more entertaining game play and a storyline that is far more engaging than previous games in the series. Like the much-lauded Brothers in Arms series the latest Call of Duty game focuses on a unit as it battles its way from the deserts of North Africa to the hedgerows of France.
The unit is the US' "Fighting First" or The Big Red One. The most compelling games are the Italian missions, which attempt to recreate the chaos of the battle of Troina and Operation Husky. Every mission has the cinematic feel of a good war movie and is packed with incredible audio effects and equally stunning graphic and visual effects.
Gamers get to fight it out with the wily "Bosch" and undertake several special missions. The only annoying mission is when the gamer is required to make it to the gun turret of an allied bomber. Quite what an infantryman is doing there is anyone's guess. But, as Alfred Lord Tennyson used to say, "Theirs is not to reason why: Theirs is but to do and die." And chances are you will be doing quite a bit of dying here.
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: PS2, PC and X-Box
Taiwan Release: Already Available
If you thought last year's Star Wars: Battlefront was a great game then wait until you play Battlefront II, which, thanks to some serious upgrades, is a truly remarkable and addictive game.
Like last year's version, Battlefront II is all about massive battles featuring a heap of characters from the Star Wars series. Gamers not only get to run and gun nasty Death Star storm troopers on the ground, but also get to zip around in space while shooting it up with various enemy factions.
Another first for Battlefront II is the chance to become that lovable hairy space critter, Chewbacca.
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