I’ve officially been MIA when it comes to the Call of Duty series over the past two years. After being blown away by the original Modern Warfare my interest slowly dithered toward other more unique shooters that offered something different. Don’t get me wrong the Call of Duty games are solid shooters year on year, but to me at least they offer little in the way of exciting new changes. Would a two year break give me a new appreciation for the series with Black Ops 2?
The campaign has always been something I’ve tended to find a little dull in previous Call of Duty titles. Sure the original Modern Warfare had a number of “Holy hell, did that just happen?” moments spread throughout, but games afterwards felt simply more of the same and overall had less impact. So I’m surprised and pleased to announce that this year’s attempt is by far the refresh the campaign needed.
It all begins with the newer sense of freedom Black Ops 2 gives you. From allowing you to customise and choose your own load out between stages to less restricting environments we’re so used to seeing from the series. You’ll immediately pick up on this in the game’s first playable scene on an open battlefield. Sure the game punishes you if you stray too far, but just the impression that you’re battling hundreds of enemies in the open rather than a series of narrow corridors is certainly refreshing. You’ll find yourself venturing across Angola, Yemen, Pakistan and many other locales offering a nice variety of scenery and objectives.
Perhaps the campaign’s strongest selling point is in its focus to allow gamers to make their own choices during certain moments which in effect branches the story in numerous directions. What’s even more impressive is how subtle and seamless they can be, finding myself on more than one occasion finishing a level and realising I had just made a decision that will affect where things go next. Sure there are the obvious ones such as choosing to shoot someone or not, but overall it’s all handled far more successfully than expected.
The story is an over-the-top Michael Bay style affair that sees you jumping between flashbacks to Black Ops hero Alex Mason in the 1980s and his son David in 2025 as you attempt to pursue charismatic terrorist leader Raul Menendez across the time periods. The near-future setting is nicely handled with abilities and gadgets such as cloaking armour and flying wingsuits offering some cool looking set pieces. If anything it helps it stand out from previous entries in the series.
A nice addition is the level-specific challenges with ten in each stage to tackle. These could simply require you to survive an entire stage without failing or find all its intel; or eliminate a certain number of enemies with a melee attack. They are entirely optional with the incentive being unlockable perks and rewards. Leaderboards that gauge your score against your friends are also a nice bonus enticing those who want to topple a rival’s achievement.
If there’s one aspect that falters, it’s the Strike Force missions that allow you to control multiple units, vehicles and turrets from an overhead tactical view. While not unplayable, thanks to a mix of poor friendly AI and generally less than interesting ideas, you’ll find yourself wanting to simply get back into the shoes of Alex Mason.
Online multiplayer is just as addictive as it’s always been and also seen a number of changes that at least in my opinion, make for a much more enjoyable experience. Killstreak rewards for one are not based on the number of kills you accumulate in a single life, but rather by earning points meaning even those who prefer to take a supporting role rather than that of a killing machine can receive lightning strikes, guardians and RC bombs. Of course kills are usually your primary source for gathering points, but you’ll also earn them for eliminating enemy planes, capturing flags, earning assists and just generally doing anything that helps you or your team. Finally I feel like I’m actually capable of meeting the requirements for some of the more exciting rewards. You’ll still find the same experience progression along with its steady unlocking of new gadgets and toys as you go meaning every level you climb means a new surprise be it perk, gun, ScoreStreak reward or other. Guns also have their own levels unlocking extra attachments and skins the more you use them.
A new Pick 10 system ditches the previous fixed load out option in favour of giving you the freedom to pick and mix your own specific toys and attachments. Allowing you to choose ten pieces of equipment to take into the field, it’s often a juggling act selecting items that mix well together. For example if you wish to hold three attachments on your primary weapon at the expense of holding a smoke grenade, you can. Likewise if you want to top up on perks you can equip a bare bones assault rifle to balance things out. You don’t even need to hold any firearms if you want focusing purely on sprinting and stabbing people with a hunting knife. It’s a great new addition and one that gives you plenty of freedom in how you tackle your opponents.
Match types offer your standard mix of Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag and so on as well as some rather interesting additions such as Kill Confirmed (a mode where you will only register points for actually picking up dog tags left behind by downed enemies) and a host of Party Games. First introduced in the original Black Ops these offer unique alternatives such as switching guns every 45 seconds on a rotation system, giving you a pistol and just a single bullet or providing you a new gun every time you score a kill starting off with a pistol, moving through a range of machine guns, shotguns and rocket launches before finally finishing on a Ballistic Knife. They good fun and offer a nice varied, range of match types to compete.
Stages deliver a mix between smaller environments and bigger more open ones. Hijack, a level that takes place on a luxury boat for example comes complete with small rooms and plenty of close-quarters opportunities. Meanwhile a stage like Turbine features a much larger arena with multiple levels ideal for snipers and long distance shooting.
The third and final pillar of Black Ops 2 ‘s content comes in the form of an updated Zombies Mode. Sadly this doesn’t feel nearly as fun nor polished as the online multiplayer or campaign. While single stage survival options are available the real meat comes in the form of Tranzit mode. Here you’ll find yourself travelling by fortified bus from one map to the next in a sort of campaign. You have a limited time in each area to seek out items for crafting, steadily opening up new areas as you go. Sadly Transit offers little to no explanation of how the mode works and a general lack of focus means you’ll find yourself getting either bored or frustrated by the endless waves of zombies as you attempt to get your head around your next aim. It’s a nice addition to have but something that really needs to be polished a little more.
The game sounds incredible with a fantastic cast featuring the likes of Michael Rooker, Michael Keaton and Tony Todd. Guns too sound great delivering the intense noises with each firing that with the right sound system are unrivalled. Visually the game looks nice, but perhaps the engine is starting to show its age. We’ve seen this sort of thing for years now, and while it’s obviously an improvement over past games in the series, it seems like we’ve reached the limit of just how much better a Call of Duty game can look.
When all is said and done Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is still very much a Call of Duty game. Amongst the smaller tweaks and additions in its multiplayer as well as a much improved and much more interesting campaign option, you’re still very much shooting dudes, upgrading guns and calling in UAVs and air support. The changes however feel substantial enough and maybe it’s my 2 year break from the series talking, but overall I’m impressed. What was once in my mind an uninspired yearly release has delivered one of the more enjoyable single and multiplayer experiences of the year. And any shooter that can keep me constantly entertained during its single player effort is okay in my book.
8/10
