Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Rent it first"

When I heard Black Ops 2 was coming out, I reserved it the day Gamestop took reservations. Picked it up, and brought it home. First, when I plugged it in, there was an update, and the game had been out for two days. I was at work, and didn't have time to play on launch day. The first thing I noticed is the sound. The sound quality is the best of any COD game to date. Period. The visuals are good, but tend to get over loaded during high intensity parts of the campaign and multiplayer. The game plays well, but the online is really why you buy a COD game. If you wanted to play off line campaign...you would be playing Skyrim.

The multiplayer continued to throw me into custom games, on the same map, and the same rules. I could not find the match I wanted, because I was too busy getting thrown into hard core S;D and freggin free for all. When you do find a room, the host migration is insane, and the online play is choppy. The guns do not do appropriate damage. The 1887 problem returns in this one, as the 870MCS has ridiculous range. I unlocked almost every attachment for it in a matter of hours. I usually tacked on over 20 kills and single digit deaths. The assault rifles all seem the same no matter the rating. The same amount of shots kill with all of them. The sub machine guns, although lower caliber than ARs, kill in LESS shots than the ARs in the game. This doesn't make sense since a normal person can get shot five times with a 9mm round before dropping. Also, 9mm rounds can't travel 500 yards. You WILL see people with acogs on MP7s sniping because it only takes three rounds ANYWHERE to kill you. It's stupid. The killstreaks are ridiculous. You won't get them because the game has a tendency of spawning enemy players right on top of you. Literally. Snipers are broken again, and this is getting old. Play style? Really?

So, multiplayer is shot. OH, and did I mention you can only carry ten items? Perks count as "items." SO, that also sucks when you start modding guns. Each attachment is an "item." So, you can deck out your AR, but you might loose your tactical grenades and secondary. WHAT IS THE POINT IN THAT? You mean to tell me I can only carry ten items, yet, this guy can pull a drone without calling it in?

The maps are horrible. They are all very small, or ridiculously huge for the snipers who love to camp. Each map has that "choke point" play to it where if one team grabs that one part of the map....that's game over. The design was not thought out. You will see the same things in different places. The game really feels "hurried."

Final thought, the game is not for me. For the guy who is the typical COD fan. Modern Warfare 3 captures every element of COD to its fullest potential. While it may not look as good as Black Ops 2, MW3 is a MUCH...MUCH better game. The killstreaks are set perfectly. The strike package is a WIN! The guns do realistic damage (for the most part.) Another thing that I thought needed fixing is the hit detection. There are plenty of times the kill cam shows your opponent shooting air. Not just slightly above you. I'm talking three feet above you. It registers a hit, and kills. Save your time. This game is only for those who love playing zombies mode, which, this guy is not one of them. MW3 blows this game right out of the water and wipes it dry with the blanket of features Black Ops 2 couldn't dream of touching.