Call of Duty 2 casts players as ordinary soldiers fighting alongside one another in large World War II conflicts. Its campaigns span the European Theater, from North African desert battles to the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and war-torn Russian streets. Rather than following only one kind of combat, the game shifts between settings and battlefield roles, including a sniper, a tank commander, and a tank hunter.
Squadmates are an active part of the battlefield: they draw enemy fire, provide cover, use foxholes and moving tanks for protection, and warn of approaching threats. Context-sensitive battle chatter communicates how they respond to changing situations. Missions can be played in the order players choose, while open-ended battlefields let them vary their tactics and objective sequence. This combination of squad support and choice gives the campaign a less rigid structure than a single prescribed route through every mission.
The game also includes online, team-based Axis-versus-Allies multiplayer, alongside its single-player mode.
