Back to the future: Call of Duty Black Ops 2 review
This explosive sci-fi shooter is one of the year's best games.
4 / 5 stars
Treyarch Studios’ Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 marks the series’ first venture into the future, packed with slick sci-fi weaponry and Hollywood action. It has just the right amount of innovation, action and “edge of your seat” moments to make it one of the best games of 2012.
Black Ops 2’s story weaves in and out of different eras, taking the viewpoint of CIA agents in the 1980s before visiting the year 2025 as a new Cold War rages between the US and China.
The plot rarely takes a break from the explosive action the Call Of Duty series is renowned for. Missions are broken up by dramatic interrogation scenes that tie the two eras together, offering a fascinating look behind the game’s main conflict.
The gunplay is accessible and smooth, and the added bonus of customised weapon loadouts provides flexibility previously only seen in the series’ online multiplayer offering.
The bread and butter of any Call Of Duty experience is the online multiplayer, and Black Ops 2 certainly delivers on that front.
A slew of new changes gives gamers more flexibility to alter their weapon choices, and the map design allows for quick and explosive action against players from around the globe.
Online leaderboards and statistics, which are viewable in the game and via the Call Of Duty Elite social network, keep the community thriving with competitiveness.
The many different team and solo matches offer plenty of variety, ensuring you never grow bored of the game’s multiplayer modes.
Cooperative play makes for an interesting break away from the more recognisable Call Of Duty features. The added 'Zombies' survival mode packs plenty of punch with quirky dialogue, outrageous weapons and challenging survival gameplay. Teaming up with friends to tackle waves of brain dead zombies never grows old.
Although its release comes only 12 months after the last Call Of Duty game, Black Ops 2 has just the right amount of innovation, action and edge of your seat moments to make it one of the best games of 2012.
