Black Ops II is said to be the “most anticipated game of 2012,” along with Halo 4. In the story mode, you fight against a man called Menendez. He and his army will stop at nothing to take over. It all starts in Los Angeles where Menendez is destroying the city – all when the President’s Marine One helicopter is shot down. From there, he is captured and then asked questions on board a ship in he ocean. He once again escapes and then is hunted. As I do not want to spoil the entire campaign, I will only tell you that you can choose to take different options as to how you approach something in the story line (i.e. killing somebody – you can choose to let him/her live or die.) Whatever you choose to do will dictate what happens in the end. And the cool thing, you can go back and change your decision once you complete the mission. Just as any other Call of Duty game, you see flashbacks in previous games. So for Black Ops II, you see a few flashbacks from the first Black Ops. You are on the hunt for Menendez to end his run. Black Ops II has a very clear story line. .
Synopsis Rating: 9
Gameplay
Since the game is set in the future (2025) there is a vast new variety of weapons and equipment. Some of which allow you to cling to walls without any rope, shoot though just about any wall with a sniper, see people with invisible camo, and more! I feel that the increased technology has just made the game that much better. This game is kind of like a combination between Halo and Call of Duty – except without the aliens involved. The amount of new gadgets in this game and what they do is just outstanding.
Gameplay Rating: 10
Graphics
The graphics in BO2 are a huge step up from the previous Black Ops game. It’s more detailed and things appear more clear. Even with a sniper, they made it more detailed (when using a thermal scope, it’s so fuzzy but you can see an outline of the person perfectly fine.) These graphics are probably better than Modern Warfare 3’s graphics.
Graphics Rating: 9.5
Online Multiplayer
Nobody likes to be level 1 and have to use a preset class. But unfortunately, that comes with a new Call of Duty game. The guns at the beginning are not the best, but of course they will get the job done if be needed. There are many new guns, but there are also some that make a return from the original Black Ops. There are also tons of new killstreaks, that can really help you and your team out. These killstreaks kill many of people at once, let’s just say that. Of course, not too many people do very good at the beginning of new games because of the guns, but once ranking up, there’s tons better guns. Gun shot sounds sound more realistic as well – same goes for campaign and ZOMBIES!!! The only thing that may upset some people would be the hit marker detection and some weapons strength. Sometimes I’ll shoot at somebody and I don’t get hitmarkers, then end up dying. So for that, I rate it so low.
Online Multiplayer Rating: 3.5
Zombies
Who doesn’t love a game of zombies? I’m sure that’s what was going through Treyarch’s mind when thinking about this game. In BO2, you take a bus around to different zombie maps. I think it’s a pretty cool concept – it’s a change to the already popular zombies mode. And if you ordered the Hardened Edition, you also received the Nuketown Zombies Map. I think zombies mode is the best thing in this game over campaign and online multiplayer. New twists to old things is a great idea and it worked great for BO2. Some people may not like change, but this change is a change for the better.
Zombies Rating: 10
Controls
The controls are as any other Call of Duty game. They are easy to use and can get used to them very quickly.
Controls Rating: 10
Overall Rating: 8.6/10