‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ perfects perfection
“Call of Duty: Black Ops II” is a massive game this year. Video game retailer GameStop reported that this game was preordered more than any other in the store’s lifetime. According to an IGN poll, about 25 percent of game owners called in sick in order to play the game after it was released.
All in all, this game is huge, and it has lived up to the hype. When it comes to the singleplayer campaign, the story was engaging because it does something not many first-person shooters do: display deep emotion. The well placed cut scenes allow for players to learn much from the world and even stir up some feelings that are atypical of “Call of Duty” and similar games. The introduction of the nonlinear storyline is well done, with subtle choices affecting different elements of the story, as in which characters live and die. Gameplay is also lively in the campaign.
The weapons from the Cold War have a familiar impression to them, and the futuristic weapons for 2025 are not that far from reality. From heat-seeking scopes to the spying spiders, the developers of “Call of Duty” have displayed their knowledge of what might be to come. The greatest downfall of this game, however, is the new Strike Force option. Even though the developers tried to incorporate strategy into the usual campaign, it falls short as the AI of a player’s companions doesn’t live up to the level that is expected of them, and that may leave players to fend for themselves and use their companions for human shields. The multiplayer, however, is a shining achievement in this game.
With the new Pick 10 option, which allots ten points players can spend as they like, players get a high level of customization, especially with the introduction of Wild Cards. These Wild Cards allow people to break some of the usual game modes, such as gaining more perks or mods to their weapons. With the introduction of more game modes, like Hardpoint, the options that players have are great enough to keep boredom away for a long time. Players can also customize these modes where different sets of teams can play, like three sets of four or four sets of three.
Newcomers are also welcome in this multiplayer, with accommodations being made to where they can level up and go up against the likes of gaming champions. Players can also broadcast their matches to others via the Internet and even make movies of the matches to watch. The Zombie Mode has garnered the most attention in this “Black Ops.” Players can play the classic survival mode as before, but may change in favor of the Tranzit mode. Tranzit is not its own separate campaign, but more of an adventure, where players outlast wave after wave of zombies with a bus, taking people from one area to the next. If players feel confident in their abilities, they can challenge other players in the Zombie Mode, Grief, where two teams fend off zombies. The teams interact with each other only by stunning them or by baiting zombies their way, using meat.
The team that survives the longest is the winner. This allows a new variation besides the usual killthe- opponent formula that “Call of Duty” is known for. All in all, “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” is a shining beacon to gamers who play first-person shooters, with only a few blemishes here and there. The campaign is ravishing, with its engaging, unique story and plausible scenarios, although its Strike Force mode hinders the gameplay. The multiplayer is grand, with new multiplayer options welcome and new modes exciting. The Zombies Mode delivers a powerful style that combines all the elements of a “Call of Duty” game in a neat package. The graphics and gameplay are also stellar in this installment.
The game garners 92 out of 100 percent.