Review: Call of Duty Black Ops 2
It’s taken us a bit of time to complete this review, but to be honest, we wanted to go through as much of the game as possible to provide a fair review of everything Call of Duty Black Ops 2 has to offer. So jump in and jump into the full review and see what we think of the latest entry to the Call of Duty franchise.
Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first, Activision was kind enough to send us a review copy of Call of Duty Black Ops 2. And wow, we’re thankful that this game has already taken over most of my time from Xbox. and it has even managed to remove Borderlands 2 as my game at the moment. The game is the latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise and the latest from the Treyarch development team.
The game takes clues from the latest Black Ops and takes them to the year 2025 instead of focusing on previous wars or “modern” wars like other entries in the franchise. The initial idea of moving the series into the future put some question marks around this title: how could it work, what would they do, is this just a step towards Terminator? Well, Treyarch jumped in full force at this game and honestly made it one of the best Call of Duty to date, if not the best.
Initial impressions:
Call of Duty Black Ops 2, takes everything you love in these games and takes them further. The flow, the story, the challenges, everything is improved a bit rather than resting on what has already been done. The story absorbs you as you play, you are interested in the characters and the plot, you actually find yourself playing through it quickly like a good book that you cannot leave alone so that you can discover everything about the story.
The online experience is everything we love about Call of Duty, the guns, the action, the intense battles. It can be easily played in 20 minute breaks, or for hours on end and you just don’t get enough. If you get tired of the multitude of game modes in standard online play, you can jump into Zombies for a completely different experience and gameplay that adds hours more fun in a completely different way.
How to Play:
The gameplay is what we’ve come to expect from the Call of Duty franchise – the single player is challenging and engaging, the multiplayer is hectic, hit fast and suck you in, and yes, there are zombies. It has everything you know and love (or hate) about Call of Duty games, and it brings back one thing that after the first Black Ops I felt was sorely lacking in Modern Warfare 2: diving.
Story mode missions may seem familiar at times, but that’s to be expected considering we’ve been playing Call of Duty games for a long time. The story itself is what you’re playing now and this game doesn’t disappoint anyone in that department, it’s probably the most in-depth story yet.
Graphics:
Although there is nothing new behind the scenes in Black Ops 2, Treyarch has done a lot to polish the look of this game. The character models are improved and the levels are more attractive. In fact, you want to be able to get out of the way at these levels and explore more. The weapons are more polished and there are now skins that you can equip your weapons with for a slightly “custom” feel, which is a nice addition but not over the top.
The graphical improvements are not only in the single player mode, you also notice the improvements in the multiplayer mode. The character models are different depending on the weapon options and the factions, obviously. Weapon models are upgraded and look different depending on the accessories you equip, which is nothing new, but they do look better and smoother.
Single player campaign:
The story puts you in the shoes of David Mason, the son of the protagonist Alex Mason from the first Black Ops game. Treyarch has done a great job reaching into the future in a way that invests you in it, rather than just throwing yourself into it. The story line draws you in, the characters pull you in, and makes you want to play the next mission so you can better understand what brought us here.
The campaign is played in a similar way to other Call of Duty games, with jumps between stages and events. You play learning different story points through each mission and encountering different challenges and enemies. An interesting twist between this game and previous installments is time; the game is set in the future, but the events that set everything in motion occurred in the past. This means that you play through different acts at different times using different weapons and types of play. It certainly adds to the gameplay because in the “future” missions you have better technology and equipment at your disposal so that you can play differently in those missions.
During your game, you still have to find “intelligence” and do small challenges that do not necessarily change the outcome of the game, but you get more points for completing them all and you can compare your game with your friends’ score to see who did the best. It’s nice that Treyarch has included a stats screen so you can look at it and see how many pieces of “information” you missed or other items you can try to achieve during future matches to get more points, but in all honesty this is for finalists only and it doesn’t really change your game.
Multiplayer:
Call of Duty multiplayer is loved or hated by gamers and sometimes hated by people who love it. It feels like coming home, but like coming home after someone has made some improvements to the place. The game is faster than before and everything feels better than in the previous entries.
You have your standard game modes, both core and hardcore. There are also league games now, which is an added bonus for having purchased the season pass. You have your standard games, demolition, capture the flag, deathmatch, there are also the individual modes like the gun game, one in the breech and sticks and stones. There’s something for everyone – whether you want larger-scale battles or fast-paced, frantic combat, you can find what you’re looking for.
Right now the servers still seem to be struggling to keep up, if you are in a larger party you may drop or lose your party. There are also times when you wait for a lobby to fill up or get left out of a game. You also have to deal with host migration during games, which can be annoying, but is to be expected with the influx of players hammering the game day after day.
The only thing missing are maps of larger areas. Everything is narrow and confined, each map has the normally annoying corners for camping, and there are trap corridors that you will never get through alive. There really is no way to “shoot” because there are a lot of tight areas so you better be ready to run and shoot. Hopefully this will be resolved with future maps, but at launch, prepare to fight up close.
Zombies:
One of the main selling points of Black Ops 2 was the return of Zombies and we were not disappointed. Initially, there was some concern (at least from me) that this would be a lighter version of Left 4 Dead, but it isn’t, it’s a completely different experience. The zombies get tougher with each wave, and if you don’t work with your team, you’re certainly not going to survive. Now there is also the zombie bus, which takes you from one area to another on the map to open different weapons. If you’re not on the bus when it leaves town, you’re in for a tough time because your teammates probably won’t be staying with you.
The weakest side of zombies, even with the new introductions, is that the zombies come from reliable locations, and you can do the standard circle kill routine to rack up a lot of points. It can get very repetitive and lose its appeal, especially when there are people in the game who are just doing the circle kill point grab. The best option is to play with friends and turn it into a fun game through zombie mayhem and turn it into a close match so you don’t have to deal with this negative side.
This little downside doesn’t take away from the fun of Zombies, but it does make you long for the challenge and gameplay of Left 4 Dead, but hey, one game can’t be everything, can it?
Summary:
All in all, this is the best version of Call of Duty to date and it really makes you remember why you love this franchise. There are games that appeal to different types of games and players, but this game reminds you why Call of Duty is the king of them all. The story is the most evolved, the mechanics are the most refined, and the game itself makes you wonder if there is anywhere this franchise can go without new hardware for the developers to push it forward.
Recommendation:
Buy and get the season pass too!
Thanks again to Activision for sending us a review copy, we’re still enjoying it!
