Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Best in series"

Call of Duty – Black Ops 2

Whats up Gamers and Gamettes?

It's like this: Call of Duty gets A LOT flack for not only being one of the biggest (if not THE) brands in the First Person Shooter Genre. It also has to deal with fanboys of Battlefield 3 griping away about which is better. I personally don't have a personal investment in either franchise. Both are excellent games with excellent gameplay and stories. I actually like both for their own unique reasons. That being said, I have been a fan of Call of Duty since Modern Warfare 1 and especially of the Black Ops sub (story arc / Title??) However you say it, I like the Black Ops story line the most and I find Black Ops 2 the best story and game in the series of ALL the Call of Duty titles.

Bold statement you say? Well here's why.


For my take on the game, I'll break it down into six parts that I personally take into consideration:

Graphics (the look of the game) : Black Ops 2 seems to have jumped leaps and bounds as far as graphics are concerned. It's the best looking in the series on any platform. I did start to get a little bored with every COD game looking the same (including BOPS1 looking so similar to Modern Warfare) but BOPS 2 is just beautiful. Its still recognizable as a COD game but the detail and crispness of this game is much better. I dare say that I feel it would be on par with some of PS4's first releases. (My theory is that PS3 games are leaning more toward PS4 level capabilities to mold our consumer driven mind to want to buy a PS4 on release day. AND ITS WORKIN ON ME! I mean if PS4 has backwards compatibility and a decent roster and free online access still! But that's another article for another day) The multiplayer looks just as great and smooth as the campaign.

Gameplay: If you have ever played any COD games the controls in BOPS 2 are standard fare. I don't count frame rates and all that stuff geek squad so you can find that info in another review thank you much. All I can say is that the game play is very smooth and transitions into action quite well. There are moments where the cut scene cinematic's take a bit long and you find yourself wanting to skip it despite all the great art in it but that's after you've died and are looking to start the level again so basically it's your fault. HAHAHA. The moral choices offered in the game make for some diverse game outcomes but its nowhere near something like Deus Ex: Human Revolution in that sens. Its still a pretty linear FPS game.


Sound Design: This is where I find BOPS 2 stands out the most in the series. I usually wear my stereo headset so I don't bug the bejesus out of my neighbors and its sounds great! The gunfire sounds authentic, the explosions have the proper amount of concussion in them so much so that you can imagine it deafening you had you actually been there. When I do crank my stereo I get complaints right way (and that in my book is a sign of a great sound design hahahaha)

Connectivity (multiplayer) : BOPS 2 really does out do itself on the multiplayer scene. I actually started the game on multiplayer before ever touching the solo campaign. What with all the options and game modes available through multiplayer I was busy for quite sometime. With the added connectivity of the free COD: ELITE application to keep track of your stats, the ability to connect your ELITE account to your youtube account and upload videos directly therein, even within the new Zombies mode, multiplayer is a game within itself. Well worth the price of admission I say.

Replayability: The solo campaign offers such a great story and looks so cool, that you will find some real replay value in it, but with all that the multiplayer scene has to offer, you will spend so much time there that you might even forget the story arch in the solo campaign. This is a good thing to me.
Replayability is off the charts. (I still play multiplayer on COD: MW1 for goodness sakes)

Bugs (ARRRGH) There are some bugs (Im not even gonna mention stuff like hidden walls and the like coz after all it IS A GAME. Things like that happen) Bugs that are game breakers are what kills me and tthis really doesn't have many if at all. The only bugs really happen when your internet connection is at a crawl coz your downloading porn while playing. (or so Ive heard) But no real sever issues. By now I think Activision has gotten their act together on that. (pardon the pun)


My Verdict – Black Ops 2 is a must play for any FPS game fan and a must have addition to a game library for any true COD fan.

Note: With the addition of the new DLC and maps, BOPS 2 is expanding all the more! Get to shooting something!

You want to challenge my marksmanship chump?

Here's my PSN ID: THCNLTS7

BRING IT!

Cy Da Mavericc

1!