Call of Duty: Black Ops II

 Xbox 360
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
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  1. tylerdurden516
    Nov 29, 2012
    9
    I hated MW3. Everytime i heard someone mention COD I proudly explained i was done with that game, and would never buy another. Black Ops 2 made me eat my words. The first black ops was decent, but treyarch was trying to put a different style on the game. Since Infinity Ward lost the creators of COD (along with 2/3 of the studio who followed them to Respawn Studios) treyarch wasn't afraidI hated MW3. Everytime i heard someone mention COD I proudly explained i was done with that game, and would never buy another. Black Ops 2 made me eat my words. The first black ops was decent, but treyarch was trying to put a different style on the game. Since Infinity Ward lost the creators of COD (along with 2/3 of the studio who followed them to Respawn Studios) treyarch wasn't afraid this rime to embrace the good things MW got right, and they knocked it out of the park. They brought it back to the gunplay. The perks are balanced perfectly and never feel like MW2 where there were so many bots flying around that it hurt the gameplay. The maps are all very well designed and interesting, something i think MW3 completely missed. Theres no game-breaking perks like one man army, or the MOAB, and they FINALLY made killstreaks SCOREstreaks, so when I'm running to get objectives i can finally rack up some rewards. Speaking of scorestreaks, there is such a variety in this game that matches never feel the same like previous COD games. In 20 hours of play I've only had dogs called once, and the HK storm once. It's not like MW2 where some 12 year old and a friend are teaming up just so they can cheat-win a nuke every couple games. They didn't reinvent the wheel for black ops 2, they just made the best COD thats come out since the 1st Modern Warfare.… Expand
  2. feliciafan89
    Nov 19, 2012
    2
    Coming this winter, from the folks who just can't take a hint, it's Call of Duty: Black Ops II! The multiplayer is exactly the same as before, yet somehow been made worse than before! The morons over at Activision and Treyarch have somehow taken the laziest kind of FPS on the market, and become the Beavis and Butthead of it. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of being handed the exact same thingComing this winter, from the folks who just can't take a hint, it's Call of Duty: Black Ops II! The multiplayer is exactly the same as before, yet somehow been made worse than before! The morons over at Activision and Treyarch have somehow taken the laziest kind of FPS on the market, and become the Beavis and Butthead of it. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of being handed the exact same thing every year that's somehow progressively worse each time. With Ghost only unlockable at the last level, it's frontline-on-frontline, with little or no chance of flanking or stealth. This is what happens when a game company caters to whiny little kids and those with an IQ lower than 40 who know nothing except the traditional Ulysses S. Grant cavalry charge that's been failing AI enemies since the 90's. But now it's somehow mandated. Run and gun, or die trying. There is no other option now. These are the same people who complain about campers, in a series that already has a wide array of tools for weeding out campers. Flashbangs, grenades, launchers of both kinds, and -- god forbid -- actually CHECKING your corners. I do it all the time. But now, those of us who genuinely want to use flanking and stealth just get left in the dust. The game also feels like it was geared only towards people who've been around long enough, so I can't see how anyone new to the FPS genre would enjoy this game. To its credit, the campaign is somewhat passable, as you can actually pick your loadout before each mission. But once again, the campaign was too short, and I beat it in under a day. This is a series where multiplayer is the main focus. Here's one player who's selling the game back for a full refund before the receipt expires, probably the last chance I'm giving Call of Duty.… Expand
  3. Jhahn505
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    10/10. I have owned every call of duty since the original modern warfare. This is the best cod game to date and ill tell you why.

    Up to black ops 2, the original call of duty modern warfare was the best, modern warfare 3 being the worst. Honestly I was very hesitant in buying black ops 2 because modern warfare 3 was awful. I find it funny people criticize others for jumping on the    10/10. I have owned every call of duty since the original modern warfare. This is the best cod game to date and ill tell you why.

    Up to black ops 2, the original call of duty modern warfare was the best, modern warfare 3 being the worst.

    Honestly I was very hesitant in buying black ops 2 because modern warfare 3 was awful. I find it funny people criticize others for jumping on the cod bandwagon every year but then haters give the game a review without 0 score review without even playing it! You are the one in a bandwagon!

    Here's why Black Ops 2 multiplayer is the best:
    -Best graphics
    -AMAZING gun sound effects
    -Intuitive and easy to use menus/options
    -Best map designs (opposite of MW3's maps)
    -Better gun balance than even MW3
    -Customization (32 layer playercard, camo on knives, ect)
    -Pick 10 system lets you be any type of player you want -Tough restrictions on hackers (permanent IP ban)
    -Zombies mode is a blast. My GF hates video games but plays this with me
    -TONS of new weapons attachments (pick 10 system lets you have 3 on primary)
    -Prestige mode does not reset weapons
    -league play actually ranks you against players of your skill level
    -COD tv gives you way more opportunities to get sponsored
    -in depth stat tracking right from the game

    Overall it's just fun! It's a game that I love playing and honestly don't care if people don't like it    … Expand
  4. tastybowl
    Nov 14, 2012
    0
    just awful! Treyarch seem to mess up whenever they get the chance. I used to really enjoy playing call of duty but Treyarch keep on churning rubbish out. They know people will buy into the call of duty franchise so seem to make little effort to make them even better. Why not change the whole FPS genre again. Mix it up. Using the same engines as years gone by. Come on Treyarch, make somejust awful! Treyarch seem to mess up whenever they get the chance. I used to really enjoy playing call of duty but Treyarch keep on churning rubbish out. They know people will buy into the call of duty franchise so seem to make little effort to make them even better. Why not change the whole FPS genre again. Mix it up. Using the same engines as years gone by. Come on Treyarch, make some effort! At least MW3 was playable.… Expand
  5. PowZee
    Nov 17, 2012
    10
    This time around I believe Treyarch has come out of the shadows of Infinity Ward. They deserve great COD fan respect and the highest accolades ever for the well thought out fine tuning they have brought us with COD Black Ops II. It is incredibly fun to play, most especially the multiplayer. It's the best COD multiplayer experience to date and one big reason why is the refinement of theThis time around I believe Treyarch has come out of the shadows of Infinity Ward. They deserve great COD fan respect and the highest accolades ever for the well thought out fine tuning they have brought us with COD Black Ops II. It is incredibly fun to play, most especially the multiplayer. It's the best COD multiplayer experience to date and one big reason why is the refinement of the perk system and the emphasis on teamwork and it's relation to gaining xp, scoring higher, and winning matches. This makes the objective based mp games better than ever. The realistic graphics beautifully go beyond what I thought was possible for the Xbox 360 to handle. Splendid job Treyarch!… Expand
  6. Virtro
    Apr 29, 2013
    4
    Black Ops 2 is just another copy/paste/edit game. You search for a terrorist, surprise? Not so much. The gunplay is once again the same as it always has been. Just point and shoot and nothing interesting to mix in between. The multiplayer is just as tedious considering its nothing but more hard work for no rewards besides guns and stuff.

    Lets face it, its a bandwagon that is milking the    Black Ops 2 is just another copy/paste/edit game. You search for a terrorist, surprise? Not so much. The gunplay is once again the same as it always has been. Just point and shoot and nothing interesting to mix in between. The multiplayer is just as tedious considering its nothing but more hard work for no rewards besides guns and stuff.

    Lets face it, its a bandwagon that is milking the gamers dry of good money they could be spending on a brighter game. Call of duty isn't worth it anymore people, so why not play something more fresh?    … Expand
  7. Johng4
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    Why the hell is the user score for this game so low, if you guys dont like call of duty anymore then dont buy it. The fact is this game sold millions of copies because it is a good game, and heres why. The campaign in this game is fantsastic and it feels a lot different from the other cod campaigns. Now you make your own decisions that affect the outcome of your story and its a blast toWhy the hell is the user score for this game so low, if you guys dont like call of duty anymore then dont buy it. The fact is this game sold millions of copies because it is a good game, and heres why. The campaign in this game is fantsastic and it feels a lot different from the other cod campaigns. Now you make your own decisions that affect the outcome of your story and its a blast to play. The multiplayer isnt that different but now theres a new pick ten system in which you pick your guns and perks and each item is worth one point and you get up to ten points. I didnt really like it because it does limit you to what you can choose. And zombies is fantastic if you loved in black ops 1 then your going to die when you see what theyve done here im not gonna spoil it youll be shocked to see how much effort theyve put into zombies. This is by far the best cod yet and knock mw3 out of the park(mw3 sucked) do yourself a favor and buy this game its more than worth the price.… Expand
  8. BeAwesomeOne
    Apr 26, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gosh, I hate this game. Never mind the fact that this is same game as the other games and have same multiplayer like other games from this franchise (only with different HUD), my biggest problem is that this game shouldn't be a sequel! I mean sure, you play as Mason half of the game but the other half is a futuristic FPS. WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH FIRST BLACK OPS?! To be fair, future part of this game has some pretty good features such as camouflage, sticky gloves, that let you climb a rock mountain and sky diving section. Sadly this happen only one or two time in this game. Anyway I don't understand a point of playing both Mason's campaign and future campaign, if Black Ops 2 only contains a Mason's campaign then that's will be fine. Only resemblance in future in BO2 is Woods... that's it!

    In other words this game will be better if they focus mostly about Mason storyline rather than on future soldiers one. If Activision wants to make a futuristic FPS in Call Of Duty, that's fine. But please don't put Black Ops name on it. Called it, I don't know, Futuristic War or something.    … Expand
  9. Riflenator1234
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    This game does not deserve the user rating it currently has. Don't listen to the user reviews. They are simply a bunch of angry nerds (I use the term nerd loosely.) that were going to rage no matter how good the game was and haven't actually played the game. This game is very enjoyable and is certainly an improvement upon last year's MW3.
  10. TheKemosabi
    Apr 10, 2013
    0
    If you played a Call of Duty game before, then you've played this game aleady. The creaters seem to have no intrest in taking a few years to invest time and money in order to innovate something that feels fresh. But then again why would they? lol If I knew all I had to do was slap a new skin on an old game in order to make billions upon billions of dollars, I would do the same.
  11. TheLivingVirus
    Nov 17, 2012
    9
    First thing: I bet 1000 bucks that not even the half of all the red reviewers have even played Black Ops 2 and still write that there is nothing new or changed compared to MW2. I played MW3 and Battlefield 3 last year and enjoyed both of them equally. I cant get all the hate on Black Ops 2.
    Everyone shouted out for innovations and new ideas and Treyarch delivered them. A non-linear    First thing: I bet 1000 bucks that not even the half of all the red reviewers have even played Black Ops 2 and still write that there is nothing new or changed compared to MW2. I played MW3 and Battlefield 3 last year and enjoyed both of them equally. I cant get all the hate on Black Ops 2.
    Everyone shouted out for innovations and new ideas and Treyarch delivered them. A non-linear storymode, all-new zombies, completely overhauled multiplayer with new perk- and prestige system and still everyone says that there is nothing new.
    The graphics are not really uptodate but they are far better than in every other CoD with new lightning effects. Why would you need a new engine anyway? Was there such a huge difference beetween the Frostbite 1 and Frostbite 2 engine except the advertisment for new bashing material on CoD? No! The graphics of Battlefield 3 on the consoles were horrible and even MW3 delivered a smoother (if it was better is a matter of opinion) experience with 60 FPS. But MW3 didnt made ANYTHING new. Nothing. It made it even worse with support killstreaks and stuff like this and got ratings way higher than Black Ops 2.

    Black Ops 2 is way more than a simple Call of Duty. Its the (last) try of a great development team to make the Call of Duty franchise fresh and feel good again. MW3 was a shame in playability online with all the Akimbo and Assassin noobs but Black Ops 2 made good with its multiplayer to be fair. The connection may not be the best everytime but its not that bad. Like in every game you have good and bad rounds.

    All I can say is that most of the haters here are just BF fanboys. This ratings should all go to Modern Warfare 3 and even the press bashes on Black Ops 2 for not being original what I cant understand. Its doing the best job possible on making a shooter feel fresh and Treyarch gets spitted in the face like this? I can see Modern Warfare 4 in the future with the same sh**play like Modern Warfare 3 and it will get 90+ again from everyone because it makes everything better and has nice Coop. That's a joke such as all the 0.0 ratings. They don't make any sense at all. If you played (and I mean not only 2 matches online and the first three missions in the story) Black Ops 2 you know that it just can't get 0.0. In my eyes Treyarch did an amazing job on make Call of Duty feel fresh. After disappointments this year like Medal of Honor or some other mediocre games I can just say that Black Ops 2 is with Dishonored and XCOM one of my Game of the Year. Period.    … Expand
  12. InboardPG
    Nov 24, 2012
    2
    This will be an entirely multiplayer-based review! I can't believe I spend 60 bucks on this pile of garbage. Lag returns in the game, worse than ever. I don't remember having this much lag since using Internet Explorer on a Windows XP. Hit detection is just as worse, you can literally be shot around walls! The weapons are all crap except all the SMG's are all overpowered. The maps areThis will be an entirely multiplayer-based review! I can't believe I spend 60 bucks on this pile of garbage. Lag returns in the game, worse than ever. I don't remember having this much lag since using Internet Explorer on a Windows XP. Hit detection is just as worse, you can literally be shot around walls! The weapons are all crap except all the SMG's are all overpowered. The maps are for campers and headglitchers. Killstreaks are overpowered ONCE AGAIN. (eg. Hunter killer drone, A.G.R, Lighting Strike, etc.) The graphics are crap, not so surprising for a 7 year old engine. Zombies is only fun with friends, because solo play is impossible. This game is also very noob-friendly. (MMS, Target Finder, RC-XD, No recoil weapons) I can't stress this enough, this game is garbage. The only good thing in this trash can is the campaign. Good story, good explosions, but you don't really know the enemy you are up against.… Expand
  13. Big-Sweed
    Nov 13, 2012
    6
    Please just hear me out on this, first of, people are overreacting, it's not a terrible game.

    The campaign claims to be different, but really these strike force missions that would change the course of your campaign don't, cool idea but poorly executed. The campaign is still a on rails roller-coaster which I'd only recommend dor tasteless "gamers". The story is filled with plot-holes,    Please just hear me out on this, first of, people are overreacting, it's not a terrible game.

    The campaign claims to be different, but really these strike force missions that would change the course of your campaign don't, cool idea but poorly executed. The campaign is still a on rails roller-coaster which I'd only recommend dor tasteless "gamers". The story is filled with plot-holes, brain-dead people won't have a problem with this, but I did.

    Multi-player can be addictive, and although Treyarch actually tried to make it feel a bit fresh, it falls somewhat short. It's no doubt an improvement over previous call of duty games, perhaps the best since WaW, or Cod4, but that doesn't mean much anymore. It basically feels like cod with a new hud, slightly improved graphics, and although there's more game-modes it's not enough to make this worth $60. Zombies have so much potential, but lazy map design, and a refusal to improve, makes the zombie mode (although fun) a half assed experience. Too bad because it really has a potential to be one of the best zombie games with all the revenue and funding over the years.

    The game isn't **** like the nay-sayers call it, but it's not worth it compared to all other great games, and the fact that BO2 will be a forgotten entry full with hackers next year.    … Expand
  14. StarElite
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    BEST GAME EVER! The graphics look incredible, the campaign is the best FPS campaign yet, zombies returns and is better than ever, loved it, the multiplayer is incredibly different in this game with the whole 'pick 10' style which I loved, being set in the future is awesome, I love the new guns/attachments, overall, just the best FPS ever, love it so much
  15. truthaboutgames
    Nov 13, 2012
    8
    One of the best Call of Duties the franchise has ever seen!.

    The story is great , the set pieces are in the right places to keep you interested, the multiple choices you can make during the story really make a huge difference to previous CoD games, the fact you can change your load out for each chapter (which the inventory of choices increases as you progress so if you replay the story    One of the best Call of Duties the franchise has ever seen!.

    The story is great , the set pieces are in the right places to keep you interested, the multiple choices you can make during the story really make a huge difference to previous CoD games, the fact you can change your load out for each chapter (which the inventory of choices increases as you progress so if you replay the story you have more to choose from) makes it even better.Then the intertwined special missions change it up a bit too with squad control kinda like ghost recon games.

    The multi-player is a lot of fun the maps are diverse and have some many paths to take it keeps it interesting, the guns are varied and the customisation of your individual loadouts are good, and one of the things that got me to give this CoD a chance was the fact A.I bots are back so i can play with my son offline and still have a lot of fun.

    For anyone jaded by the franchise after the disappointing MW3, give this game a go its definitely a vast improvement and will get you hooked again.    … Expand
  16. steakosaurrus
    Nov 13, 2012
    8
    So i am not some kind of COD fan boy or anything but i do believe games should be reviewed based on what they are. I cant take any of these people giving this game a 0 seriously because no game unless completely unplayable deserves a 0 regardless of how much you don't like like the franchise as a whole. I was not the biggest MW3 fan but when it comes to modern military shooters BO2 offersSo i am not some kind of COD fan boy or anything but i do believe games should be reviewed based on what they are. I cant take any of these people giving this game a 0 seriously because no game unless completely unplayable deserves a 0 regardless of how much you don't like like the franchise as a whole. I was not the biggest MW3 fan but when it comes to modern military shooters BO2 offers the best story by far and yes i understand the engine and graphics are a bit outdated but the game is still a solid offering with a zombie/ multiplayer experience that rivals any other console shooters at the present. But for all the people blatantly just throwing a 0 at this game because it's COD is a bit sad, grow up and review a game on its pros and cons and not on the title of the franchise.… Expand
  17. Jonex
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    Some seriously delusional people giving user reviews here. I personally really enjoy Black Ops 2. The campaign isn't the strongest, but it's far from the weakest in the COD series. The Zombies and multiplayer more than justify the retail price. You'll be playing this for months, I know I will.
  18. quasar44
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    If there were no other Call of Duty games, gamers would be raving about Black Ops II. DONT LISTEN TO ANYONE WHO GIVES THIS GAME A score of 0. They either wanted BOII to be completely different than all previous Call of Duty games or they're just people who complain about everything in life.
  19. spinbotlv1
    Nov 15, 2012
    1
    the real score and the real quality of this game is around 4. But I give 1 against treyach and activision mentality. well, regarding the quality of the game, what I can say is : the game is outdated with indecent graphycs a boring story, stupid characters and a sp campaign structured on stupid, fast ride and mindless mission on rails that lasts 5 hours. If you are searching for a solid fpsthe real score and the real quality of this game is around 4. But I give 1 against treyach and activision mentality. well, regarding the quality of the game, what I can say is : the game is outdated with indecent graphycs a boring story, stupid characters and a sp campaign structured on stupid, fast ride and mindless mission on rails that lasts 5 hours. If you are searching for a solid fps well structured in single player campaign, with an open world or sandbox missions or freeroaming DON'T BUY COD Blackops2, DON'T waste your money or rent it for a day and wait for farcry3 release or go out and buy the best fps yet available of this year: borderlands 2. The single player campiagn is only an excuse to sell this game at 60 bucks, but in reality the lenght is like a dlc of the previous Cod:black ops. Cod: Blops2 is only for fanboys multiplayer addicted, but warning because the multiplayer mode isn't perfect and has actually connection issues.… Expand
  20. radimarzio
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    This game really surprised me. It's so good to see that the makers didn't sit over the old formula and still work to find new ways to put people on the battlefield and still feel like it's something they didn't pass before. The campaign has a good story, with a high mature level of violence,with a very convincing storytelling that, even with all the future stuff, can make we recognize theThis game really surprised me. It's so good to see that the makers didn't sit over the old formula and still work to find new ways to put people on the battlefield and still feel like it's something they didn't pass before. The campaign has a good story, with a high mature level of violence,with a very convincing storytelling that, even with all the future stuff, can make we recognize the nature of the environment. Multiplayer rocks as always and the zombie mode is even larger than before. Enjoying every moment with friends!… Expand
  21. Generallee109
    Nov 15, 2012
    1
    I'm a 34 y/o guy that is a huge of shooters but if you think this is an improvement, you are nucking futs! The graphics are terrible and they borrowed the color scheme from Serious Sam. Multiplayer is king these days and the pick 10 system does not redefine this title. The levels are small, easily campable and just plain dull and boring. I give it 1 for how smooth it feels but couldI'm a 34 y/o guy that is a huge of shooters but if you think this is an improvement, you are nucking futs! The graphics are terrible and they borrowed the color scheme from Serious Sam. Multiplayer is king these days and the pick 10 system does not redefine this title. The levels are small, easily campable and just plain dull and boring. I give it 1 for how smooth it feels but could not shake the feeling like I was getting killed when I clearly had the upper hand in gun battles. I've already lost interest here after 2 days of trying to give it a chance. I hate HALO but i'm trading in BO2 in for it today.… Expand
  22. JoePeli
    Nov 16, 2012
    8
    It is a really solid COD game. The campaign was really good and not like any other COD game before. Zombies are awesome! The multiplayer could be better, but it is still pretty solid. Many won't agree with me on this, but this is probably the best COD game ever! However, it is still a COD game, same engine, pretty much same graphics etc. Especially the multiplayer still plays the same,It is a really solid COD game. The campaign was really good and not like any other COD game before. Zombies are awesome! The multiplayer could be better, but it is still pretty solid. Many won't agree with me on this, but this is probably the best COD game ever! However, it is still a COD game, same engine, pretty much same graphics etc. Especially the multiplayer still plays the same, which is not exactly a bad thing (for me anyway) and most importantly, the online community is huge!
    I'm really enjoying this game...It's impossible to give this game a negative rating, should be a 6 at the lowest!    … Expand
  23. GrazerMagic
    Nov 17, 2012
    2
    The campaign was terrible, which was what I expected. The multiplayer was terrible, which was what I expected.

    I WAS however looking forward to zombies, with Treyarch's promise of a whole plate of maps, and its own campaign. Unfortunately they didn't seem to want to follow through with that promise, as there is absolutely no campaign to speak of, a sickingly boring 'easter egg', and    The campaign was terrible, which was what I expected. The multiplayer was terrible, which was what I expected.

    I WAS however looking forward to zombies, with Treyarch's promise of a whole plate of maps, and its own campaign.

    Unfortunately they didn't seem to want to follow through with that promise, as there is absolutely no campaign to speak of, a sickingly boring 'easter egg', and only ONE zombie map, not including the day one DLC.

    This is ass.    … Expand
  24. Dreagthe
    Nov 17, 2012
    3
    Well once again, Treyarch refuses to fix even one of the issues that makes anyone that respects and plays any sort of first person shooter cringe. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a disgusting mess of a game. It features a grand total of four different spawn points per game, a shallow thoughtless campaign, rehashed graphics from 2010, and hit markers that are once again dysfunctional. I reallyWell once again, Treyarch refuses to fix even one of the issues that makes anyone that respects and plays any sort of first person shooter cringe. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a disgusting mess of a game. It features a grand total of four different spawn points per game, a shallow thoughtless campaign, rehashed graphics from 2010, and hit markers that are once again dysfunctional. I really need to stop giving this franchise chances, because they don't even try anymore. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME.… Expand
  25. GrimmBro
    Nov 18, 2012
    9
    This is quite simply the best Call of Duty (CoD) yet. With a campaign that has a good storyline with memorable characters; there is a want to play the game to the end not just simply to complete it but to enjoy the experience. Multiplayer is of course just as good as all the predecessors and has a new loadout system which allows for extra customisation. Levelling remains largely the sameThis is quite simply the best Call of Duty (CoD) yet. With a campaign that has a good storyline with memorable characters; there is a want to play the game to the end not just simply to complete it but to enjoy the experience. Multiplayer is of course just as good as all the predecessors and has a new loadout system which allows for extra customisation. Levelling remains largely the same and could maybe do with some sort overhaul. Zombies is a an added extra and gives you something else to do if you are waiting for friends for multiplayer or just fancy a bit of horror. Not sure why people complain about the CoD; it does the games industry wonders.… Expand
  26. Thatuserguy
    Nov 18, 2012
    8
    Black Ops 2 was a rather favorable game. Black Ops' campaign was a sort of short and sweet type of ordeal, while Black Ops 2's is longer and more in depth. Your actions control the outcome of the story, as do missions being failed or completed successfully. You also get to customize your loadout before each mission rather than the game just handing you weapons and expecting you to useBlack Ops 2 was a rather favorable game. Black Ops' campaign was a sort of short and sweet type of ordeal, while Black Ops 2's is longer and more in depth. Your actions control the outcome of the story, as do missions being failed or completed successfully. You also get to customize your loadout before each mission rather than the game just handing you weapons and expecting you to use them, really allowing you to tailor it to the experience in which you wish to play. Small modifiers also exist to help enhance this, such as an ability that lets your bullets do more damage, or an ability that lets you gain access to otherwise unreachable parts of the campaign that give you weapons, ammo, and other such things. There were plenty of surprises and plot twists that were much different than what I expected, and let me tell you, the campaign is hardly one where you're exclusively boots on the ground the entire time: there's plenty of interesting other experiences thrown in there, such as piloting a jet, controlling a drone, or driving a car.

    Multiplayer is the main part that dragged this game's score down. Is it fun to play? Oh yeah, definitely. They brought back all the gamemodes from the original Black Ops, and even added a few, such as kill confirmed. So what's the issue? Mainly, maps and loadout customization. The maps not so much, but there definitely is some reason to complain. The maps don't have any interactable pieces with them, and something about their designs just no longer carries the magic of Black Ops' maps as well as Black Ops did. If you sit and look at some of the maps though, you get an almost deja vu feeling, because some of them seem to be based off of maps from Black Ops in design. As for the loadouts, they just aren't as fulfilling as far as customization as the original Black Ops' loadout system was. Rather than earning money from matches that may be used to buy weapons, attachments, perks, and all that other stuff, you instead now unlock them based on weapon usage and ranking up, sadly similar to the Modern Warfare series' design. Where as in Black Ops you had a main weapon, one or two attachments for it and a skin and custom crosshair, a secondary, one or two attachments for it, equipment, one or two lethal and tactical grenades, and 3 perks that may be pro or not; due to the pick ten system, you can now only have ten or less of those. You might have a primary with two attachments, 3 perks, a modifier allowing you to have two lethal grenades, two lethal grenades, and a single tactical grenade, and that's all you get; you can't have a secondary or second tactical grenade. It was a cool concept on paper, but actually playing with it, it really limits your experience. To add on to that, pro perks no longer even exist, and neither do equipment or crosshair customization. Getting your emblem and clan tag on your weapon also requires "weapon prestiges," which I can only assume means getting rid of every attachment and such for your weapon and starting over. So what happens if after you get them, you don't like that weapon any more? Oh well, all that hard work is down the drain, and you better find a new weapon to get working at to get that same stuff. Generally, the pick ten system and the whole system of customizing your loadout and weapons just does more to ruin the experience, than it does help it; the old system was much better. It's not all bad though. The emblem creator was overhauled, and the game is still fun to play regardless of the previously mentioned issues.

    I haven't touched zombies yet except for a couple of minutes, but they made some radical changes that I can already tell will make things quite fun, especially with a few friends to tag along, so if you were a fan of zombies in the original Black Ops, you'll probably enjoy Black Ops 2's even more.

    Overall, Treyarch took some interesting design choices that makes Black Ops 2 feel both familiar, and different. If you liked Black Ops and weren't particularly a major fan of MW3, you're more than likely to enjoy this game quite thoroughly, at least for a little while anyways.    … Expand
  27. Vandral007
    Nov 25, 2012
    7
    I can't help but laugh at half of these reviews for this game. They are either "Call of Duty Sucks Trolololol" or "Call of Duty is bestest game evah for 1337 haxorz like me!" Ignore both these schools of thought, and try to judge the game under your own merits. Black Ops 2 does what it does very well. All of the CoD's since Modern Warfare have. Is it the best game ever, or even in theI can't help but laugh at half of these reviews for this game. They are either "Call of Duty Sucks Trolololol" or "Call of Duty is bestest game evah for 1337 haxorz like me!" Ignore both these schools of thought, and try to judge the game under your own merits. Black Ops 2 does what it does very well. All of the CoD's since Modern Warfare have. Is it the best game ever, or even in the franchise? No, it isn't, but that doesn't make it a terrible game. What the game actually is is slightly above average. Complaints from both lovers and haters are valid. The campaign is woefully short, but lets be honest, few people actually buy this game for the singleplayer campaign. I'll still mention it though, because with all of the talent behind it, it feels kind of like a let down. I was far more engrossed by Black Ops 1's story than I was with this poor man's Red Dawn. The jarring cuts from past/present/future really hurt the narrative flow, leaving the story feeling disjointed, and really doesn't allow you to actually care about any of the characters you're controlling. The zombie feature has been improved, but not to the point where I see myself playing it again in a week or so (I never really cared for the zombie features in any of the CoD's. They're not bad, just not my cup of tea.) So the real reason people buy CoD: Multiplayer. And it works. The formula still has the magic first inspired by the original Modern Warfare, albiet a formula thats beggining to grow a little tired. The maps are for the most part well designed, if a little small and stifiling to guy who's been playing a lot of BF3 and Halo 4 online. But these smaller maps are designed with close quarters combat in mind. If you think the maps are to small, simply adjust your loadout. Graphically (and here's where I sound like a hater) the game is an abysmal mess. Four years ago these graphics would have been jaw dropping, but minor enhancements to an aging game engine can only do so much. The complaints about the sound design seem to be legit for the most part, and I will say that I never experienced any performance issues online or off. The graphics are just... aged. Not what you'd expect for a game in a series that makes more money than God. Overall, Black Ops 2 is a good game, if tired and stilted. I think this is the last time Activision should be allowed to charge $60 for it until they do something groundbreaking and radical. Worth the money (moreso than MW3), but it's hard to say how long it will keep you.… Expand
  28. RSiNNAL999
    Dec 1, 2012
    3
    There are so many FUNDAMENTAL COD multi-player mainstays that treyarch has just thrown out the window it's unbelievable! The problem is that they messed around with things that did NOT need to be touched. Here are some examples. Assault rifles are basically useless now, sub machine guns and pistols are RIDICULOUSLY Overpowered!! Ballistic knives have taken the place of the regular knife,There are so many FUNDAMENTAL COD multi-player mainstays that treyarch has just thrown out the window it's unbelievable! The problem is that they messed around with things that did NOT need to be touched. Here are some examples. Assault rifles are basically useless now, sub machine guns and pistols are RIDICULOUSLY Overpowered!! Ballistic knives have taken the place of the regular knife, as in when you use them they have a kill radius that the regular knife used to have. It's almost laughable how bad the regular knife is now, numerous times I've been DIRECTLY behind an enemy and pressed knife, and I somehow fly right past them, ending up right in front of them... Anyone that's played COD is used to the knife reacting a certian way, up close and personal, when you turn a corner and there's an enemy right there, we've both flown past eachother where one or the other would have gotten the kill in previous games. It's just annoying that something as SIMPLE as the knife, treyarch HAD to screw up! The pick 10 is good in theory, my problem with it is that it taxes you for EVERYTHING you would normally just get, and creates this false illusion of juggling. Perks, have been comletely destroyed, no upgrading your perks, I do like the fact that those that use Ghost have to be moving for it to work, but it DOES NOT work! I've been running with it, and enemies will spin around and kill me the second a UAV goes up. The rest of the perks have been dumbed down to laughable levels, some are completely pointless, as in the one that makes you immune to EMP and Counter UAV. I get that they're trying to make things a bit more even, but to just junk a lot of what made COD fun, is just disapointing. To top it off, there are times when Perks just don't work at all!!! I've been running Engineer, and run into a Claymore, been shot by a stealth chopper when using Blind eye, saw myself in a kill camera with my name and red redicle when running Cold blooded MW3 introduced Kill Confirmed, you got 50 points for a kill and 100 for collecting the tag, and if your teammate collected it, you both got 100, this was a little unfair, but treyarch has completely RUINED this mode! In their infinite wisdom, they decided that the teammate still gets 100 but you only get 25, well this is just great for NO SKILL, CAN'T BUY A KILL BUMS that wait for you to do all the work, then run out in front of you to collect your kill tags, just to obstruct your view, then get both of you killed so the enemy gets 2 kill tags unstead of a 25 point kill deny. It doesn't matter anymore what your kill to death is, or how much you help out your team, these No talent D-bags have 6 kills and 25 deaths but are at the very top of the leaderboard, In points per minute. It's a real shame, it just takes the fun out of it. At least with MW3, there was incentive to get the tags, but in BO2, team work goes right out the window! They could fix this by making it fair, as in 50 points each for a collected kill, would balance this, or even make it so another teammate can only collect your kill tags IF YOU'RE DEAD. Very simple for a game that pulls in 500 MILLION dollars on it's FIRST DAY!!! Spawns have NOT been fixed, they're just as bad, and maybe Worse than ever. NUMEROUS times I spawn only to immediately be knifed in the back by some douche running around with ballistic knives, or sniped, or shot. Sometimes this happens a few times a match. And this brings me to the one of the biggest problems with this game, BLOWOUTS, there's very few games I play where it's close and it's competative! It's either my team's blowingout the other, or vice versa. It's Frustrating, when the spawns work against you constantly, where I spawn into a lightning strike, or a hellstorm missle, then I spawn into a group of enemies, then I spawin into a hunterkiller drone or rxd! It's enough to make ANYBODY want to break something! The balance is GONE! In MW3, nearly Every game was close! It was fun, and even though there where a few cheap deaths, it made up for it by giving you a cheap kill every now and again. Black Ops 2 is like a refferee that makes bad call after bad call for one side, I'll admit, I don't have a problem with it when it's my team that's benifiting from it, but it takes the wind out of the sails RIGHT QUICK when you have to deal with this Garbage, match after match after match!!! Also I have noticed that the more I've prestiged, the worse my spawns are, I'm now level 30 prestige 3, well ahead of most players, but it just keeps getting worse, a lot of the above mentioned cheap deaths are recent. Maybe this is Treyarchs way of "Balancing" the fact I'm ahead and have unlocked some better weapons, I don't know for sure, but it's pretty Lame!… Expand
  29. zakster01
    Dec 2, 2012
    3
    A singleplayer campaign so nonsensical that it almost feels like it was developed by Hideo Kojima. The difference being that none of the Metal Gear Solid games were as lack luster as this. There's nothing new in terms of game play mechanics. The whole thing is essentially a rehash of the previous games. Did you enjoy the multiplayer in the first Black Ops? Then you'll enjoy the multiplayerA singleplayer campaign so nonsensical that it almost feels like it was developed by Hideo Kojima. The difference being that none of the Metal Gear Solid games were as lack luster as this. There's nothing new in terms of game play mechanics. The whole thing is essentially a rehash of the previous games. Did you enjoy the multiplayer in the first Black Ops? Then you'll enjoy the multiplayer in this, because nothing of major significance has changed. In fact, it's so similar that it suffers from some of the same bugs as the old Black Ops (e.g. texture popin at the beginning of a match), and it looks like they may have reused a bunch of the textures. This isn't worth $60. Save your money.… Expand
  30. Iceman9725
    Dec 13, 2012
    3
    Horrible spawn system in multiplayer has ruined any chance at this game being good for me. I only play for the multiplayer and the spawning was tolerable in other games, but it is just abysmal in this one. There are some great new additions to multiplayer, but they are not enjoyable when you are spawning and getting shot in the back after taking 2 steps. I have always been a fan of DutyHorrible spawn system in multiplayer has ruined any chance at this game being good for me. I only play for the multiplayer and the spawning was tolerable in other games, but it is just abysmal in this one. There are some great new additions to multiplayer, but they are not enjoyable when you are spawning and getting shot in the back after taking 2 steps. I have always been a fan of Duty and the first one to step up and defend it, but this year's game is very disappointing for me. Hopefully these bugs can be worked out next year or in a future patch, until then, 3/10.… Expand
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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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Xbox World Australia
    Jan 22, 2013
    80
    This is not to say it's a bad game, it's just not different enough from previous Call of Duty titles. The story isn't memorable, the maps and weapons aren't any different to what we've previously experienced, the gameplay is near identical to previous games, and when it's not identical it falls flat and fails to impress.
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  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jan 19, 2013
    80
    It's fun, and an indication that Treyarch is willing to explore ideas that Infinity Ward has thus far ignored. [Issue#93, p.74]
  3. DailyGame
    Jan 7, 2013
    95
    If the original Black Ops was Treyarch's coming-out party, then Black Ops 2 is the studio's affirmation that their COD expertise was no flash in the pan. If you're one of the 16 people who hasn't played this gem yet, go buy it now. Conversely, if you're among those who bought the game but hasn't ventured into the single-player campaign (yes, it happens), there's a great narrative and divergent gameplay awaiting your experimentation, so check it out.
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