Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Pros:

• -Epic campaign between two different time periods that features player choice and a good storyline
• -New additions to gameplay
• -3 great zombie modes: Survival, Grief, and Tranzit
• -Feature rich multiplayer experience
• -Gameplay is solid
• -Lot's of replay value
• -Good visuals
• -Stike missions are fun
• -Sandbox moments provide a good change of pace
• -10 point class system is a good addition

Cons:

• -Highly addictive

Black Ops 2 is a bold sequel, it expands on every aspect of past COD games and perfects them, and best of all is that Treyarch has introduced some big changes to the series, and it works out beautifully. Black Ops 2 is a shooter you do not want to miss, whether you are a big COD fan or someone who felt burnt out on the series, Black Ops 2 will make you very happy.

The campaign takes place after the events in the first Black Ops, but is told through two different time periods. It revolves around trying to stop a terrorist by the name of Raul Menendez, and the course of actions that have driven him to do the terrible things he does. The storyline is well done, with intense dialog exchanges and plot twists that will hit you hard, the characters are not generic army guys, and the villain is not evil just for the sake of being evil, each person has their own individual reasons for being involved in the conflict. Black Ops 2 manages to provide a storyline that is engaging and deep, something that very games attempt.

The storyline is also a bit more personal as Black Ops 2 often gives you the choice of how you want it to unfold, and these decisions are not always easy. Each choice you are forced to make will have consequences, so choose wisely. The campaign it's self is very well done, it bounces back and forth between past and future settings in a very good manner all the while delivering great gameplay with variety. One mission will have you fighting for your life in a massive Arfican field with a large army, while another has you fighting through the desert on horse back, and another puts you in a heavily flooded city street in the future. There is great variety in Black Ops 2' campaign, and with multiple endings and great set pieces, you will want to replay it again and again.

Black Ops 2 also features a first for the series; sand box gameplay. At certain points in the game, Black Ops 2 allows you to have the freedom to play the game your way. Such as choosing which objectives to go after, or how to get to a target, and more. These segments offer a good change of pace for Black Ops 2, and are a welcomed addition.

The campaign is of pretty decent length, but thanks to it's great moments and player choice, you will find plenty of reason to replay it again and again. The campaign also offers optional side missions known as Strike Missions. These put you in an ariel view similar to an RTS and it allows you to command various troops and send them to secure locations or take down targets, however you can also "jump in" and play as any individual troop if you want. Strike Missions provide good strategic gameplay and offer a good alternative style to Black Ops 2, but as I said these are entirely optional and you are not forced to play them if you don't enjoy the experience.

And of course it wouldn't be a Call of Duty game without the multiplayer, and Black Ops 2 offers one of the most feature rich multiplayer experiences around. From classic modes such as free for all and team deathmatch, to party modes such as sticks and stones and sharp shooter, Black Ops 2 will keep you very busy.

A welcomed new addition to the series is the new class system, you now have a 10-point system that allows you to fully customize your classes as you see fit. You can make a class with a variety of different gear, or a perk only class, or grenades only, or anything else you can imagine. This new class system puts the control directly in your hands, and you'll have a great time unlocking and tweaking and coming up with new class ideas.

The kill streak system has also been changed, it's now called Score Streaks. Instead of having to earn a certain amount of kills to get a streak, you now simply have to fill up enough points. This can be done in a variety of different ways such as capturing flags, staying alive, or simply getting kills. This gives a fair chance for everyone to get a streak by playing how they want. It's a good change to the series.

Black Ops 2 also features a first for the series, League Matches. These are ranked matches that tracks your gameplay and pits you up with players of similar skill level, and in League Matches everything is unlocked from the get go, so you can pick your equipment and customize your classes fully and then hit the ground running.

Zombies also make their return in Black Ops 2, and this time there are three different ways to play! You have your classic survival that you are used to in World at War and the first Black Ops where players bunker down in areas and defend them from waves. There is also a new Grief mode where 8 players are divided into two-teams of 4 and compete against each other, players in grief cannot directly harm each other but they can do interfere with them such as trapping them in a room and opening up areas for zombies to overwhelm them. And finally there is Tranzit, a sandbox type zombie mode where players are free to wander from town to town and fight for survival together, all the while exploring and completing various tasks. All of these modes are great and they make zombies all the more addictive than ever before, you'll have a great time playing zombies into the late hours with your friends.

Visually Black Ops 2 is quite nice. It's not going to necessarily "wow" you as there are better looking games out there, but you can certainly tell that Treyarch went to great lengths to improve the graphical quality, they are detailed and have great lighting effects, the character models are also well done as well. It's quite a pleasing site for the eyes.

The core gameplay of Black Ops 2 is solid, it's the same great gameplay that is similar to past COD installments but due to the changes that Treyarch has made, it feels like a fresh experience.

There are no real complaints to be made about Black Ops 2, other than that it's a highly addictive game as it offers such a robust experience all around. Treyarch has taken steps forward to improve and even change aspects of the COD series, and it shines. It shines so bright in fact that it's nigh impossible to see future COD games topping Black Ops 2.

Final Verdict:

Treyarch has delivered a truly memorable and great experience, not only have they succeeded in making the best COD game, they succeeded in making one of the best first person shooters to date.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 get's a 5/5