Call of Duty: Black Ops II

 Xbox 360
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
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  1. 4P.de
    Nov 13, 2012
    74
    Right now military shooters share the problem of the WWII action games from about five years ago: Eventually you have seen everything and played everything, over and over, again and again. Sure, the campaign has its moments, but nonetheless Black Ops 2 would love to be Modern Warfare – and that is a five-year-old game. And so it is once again the established multiplayer with its plethora of modes and personalization option (all of which are basically known) that comes to the rescue of this run-of-the-mill shooter.
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    70
    Depending on what you're after, it's either the best or worst CoD ever. If you only play multiplayer, jump in without reservations. [Jan 2013, p.62]
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  3. Gamer.no
    Nov 14, 2012
    70
    Call of Duty: Black Ops II doesn't offer a huge amount of surprises and fits rather neatly in with the rest of the series' later releases. The small changes to the formula ensure that the game is among the more interesting Call of Duty releases in a while. The robust multiplayer is among the best of the best, and will quench trigger-happy gamers' thirst for a while.
  5. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Nov 13, 2012
    70
    Black Ops 2...may very well be the preeminent first-person shooter game on the market – and it will sell well to reflect that – but it definitely suffers from that same boring sameness. There's hardly a moment of the game that doesn't drip with that old, been-there-done-that feeling.
  6. Gamereactor Sweden
    Nov 13, 2012
    70
    Good enough, but after six years in these trenches, Treyarch and Infinity Ward should be getting back to the drawing board.
  7. Guardian
    Nov 16, 2012
    60
    Black Ops II isn't a lazy annual update – it deserves credit for trying to play around with gaming's most winning formula. Yet this engine is showing its age, creaking at times as the jets fly overhead. Its new strategy levels don't need strategy. And the best parts are tweaked copies of what has been before. In the end, Black Ops II doesn't give us meaningful innovation, and it suggests COD's future success will depend on much more than fiddling around with the past.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
10
#10 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2684 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,148 out of 2684
  2. Mixed: 497 out of 2684
  3. Negative: 1,039 out of 2684
  1. dspair
    Nov 13, 2012
    2
    Same game as any other Call of Duty after COD 4, adds absolutely nothing new. Campaign fells like a boring B-movie. What a huge disappointmentSame game as any other Call of Duty after COD 4, adds absolutely nothing new. Campaign fells like a boring B-movie. What a huge disappointment and a waste of money.… Full Review »
  2. VidsRule
    Nov 13, 2012
    4
    Look at my review history. Am I someone who jumps on a bandwagon in any way? Look at my review of mw3, and by the way, BO1 was mt favoriteLook at my review history. Am I someone who jumps on a bandwagon in any way? Look at my review of mw3, and by the way, BO1 was mt favorite COD. BO2 is a compete waste of my money and it makes me happy mw3 was so poorly recieved. Granted, I've only played it for 1 night. But, the campaign is as most basic as possible, and the multiplayer is so steriotyplical that I amost knew what was going to happen next based on a game I played 5 years ago, and that game is blah blah blah. I let mw3 slide even though I knew it was the same as usual but I can't let this slide because now I have to sell this and accept a $30 dollar loss because I didn't listen to a !,000,000,000,000 other gamers.… Full Review »
  3. LoLTheOwl
    Nov 13, 2012
    0
    The game is extremely weak, repetitive. The campaing is awful, the multiplayer is boring, every year a Call of Duty game is release and everyThe game is extremely weak, repetitive. The campaing is awful, the multiplayer is boring, every year a Call of Duty game is release and every year it's basically the same thing: tedious and awful.… Full Review »
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