Call of Duty 2: Big Red One [PS2]

Do you suffer from next-gen envy? Through the merged Treyarch and Grey Matter studios, Activision is offering gamers who can't or won't buy the Xbox 360 a compelling intermediary step. Big Red One is a close cousin to the 360's Call of Duty 2, and a brash, immersive war shooter that pushes current hardware about as far as it's going to go.

There are plenty of games in which World War II gets the recreation treatment, but Big Red One, like the best Call of Duty entries, manages to stand out. The reason is pure sensory overload. There isn't a silent moment in this game, though there are a few lulls in the savage barrage of shells and debris. From beginning to end, the air is filled with planes (some of which you'll shoot down) and dirt kicked up from lobbed bombs and grenades.

More than in previous episodes, the air is also thick with human noise. Characters cry out warnings and desperate advice to one another. As part of the storied First Infantry (which bore a makeshift big red '1' insignia) players will have objectives and targets issued audibly more often than not, increasing the immersion factor. Through a good sound system or headphones, it's difficult to surface out of the game's environment once the bullets begin to fly.

From the beginning in North Africa, across Sicily and Europe to the eventual destination in France, players stick with one character and the same squad members, which also buttresses the sense of being stuck in the suck, as Jarhead might put it. It's a new tactic for the series, and one which works extremely well. Seeing squadmates grow and change is something that's been largely untested in a war game and here that change is an essential extra layer of information.

There's a downside to dedicating the game to immersion, however: it requires extensively scripted sequences and a linear path to maintain. More so than before, players are pushed relentlessly along one path from which deviation is impossible. There's a lot of distraction along the way -- manning turrets and riding in vehicles, and taking point on numerous raids. But when it's all cut and dried, there's nothing in Big Red One that we haven't seen before.