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5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2684 Ratings

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  1. Jul 31, 2014
    4
    Being the sequel of one of my favorite military shooters, it fails to do its older brother justice. It throws the good setting and plot of the first out the window, and turns it into Modern Warfare 4. The multiplayer is the same copy- paste thing as last year and years past, and the addictive zombies mode, (my favorite mode from Black Ops 1), is made too easy, and though it is okay, itBeing the sequel of one of my favorite military shooters, it fails to do its older brother justice. It throws the good setting and plot of the first out the window, and turns it into Modern Warfare 4. The multiplayer is the same copy- paste thing as last year and years past, and the addictive zombies mode, (my favorite mode from Black Ops 1), is made too easy, and though it is okay, it still can't justify its original $60 price tag. GET THE FIRST BLACK OPS INSTEAD! Expand
  2. Sep 9, 2014
    9
    This game in multiplayer item is just awful! The game has all the same maps on both sides, the connection is poor, unbalanced life is horrible! The game comes with incomplete mandatory buy the DLCs for those who enjoy the Zombies mode which is the coolest game of this half mouth. The campaign was weak on history but legal in question you can use your own class and have alternate endings,This game in multiplayer item is just awful! The game has all the same maps on both sides, the connection is poor, unbalanced life is horrible! The game comes with incomplete mandatory buy the DLCs for those who enjoy the Zombies mode which is the coolest game of this half mouth. The campaign was weak on history but legal in question you can use your own class and have alternate endings, the rest is a bad COD Expand
  3. Sep 15, 2014
    0
    This game is so bad. I don't get why so many people baught it. The multiyplayer is the best part, but the same every time. The story is total nonsense, and 6 hours campaign. The guys from treyarch have an really big buget, and all that they do with it is copy and paste from the other CoDs.
  4. Sep 22, 2014
    0
    To be honest with you, I have played Call of Duty with my friends from time to time. But, lets face facts here guys, the game's bad now. Can we all show how they can make a game every year and change the graphics of the game? They use the same thing. Same old same old. I'm lucky that I never had interest playing a game like THIS. The Multiplayer is down right awful. Especially that you'reTo be honest with you, I have played Call of Duty with my friends from time to time. But, lets face facts here guys, the game's bad now. Can we all show how they can make a game every year and change the graphics of the game? They use the same thing. Same old same old. I'm lucky that I never had interest playing a game like THIS. The Multiplayer is down right awful. Especially that you're playing with 10 year olds who can shout f*ck or s*it or simply everything racist and sadistic in every way possible. The Single Player Campaign clearly just uses the same old story whatsoever. Same Guns, Same Everything. I gave it a 0 because every Call of Duty game deserves such a rating every year. Expand
  5. Oct 23, 2014
    4
    Call of Duty Black Ops II is another repetitive and uninteresting game released in the COD series, i particularly hate the futuristic theme of these newer games why not go back to World War II so you have a meaning to fight for instead of futuristic fantasy garbage. The Multiplayer is the same repetitive gameplay as prior Call of Dutys and i feel Treyach and Activision are just releasingCall of Duty Black Ops II is another repetitive and uninteresting game released in the COD series, i particularly hate the futuristic theme of these newer games why not go back to World War II so you have a meaning to fight for instead of futuristic fantasy garbage. The Multiplayer is the same repetitive gameplay as prior Call of Dutys and i feel Treyach and Activision are just releasing titles and basically scamming the COD fans with regurgitated garbage, the Zombies game mode is also just awful compared to the World of War Zombies and Black Ops 1. These new Call of Duty games just dont give me the same pleasure of the older Call of Duty's and there marketing strategy is failing and i truly believe the COD series is slowly dieing off if they dont do something drastic soon. Big Disappointment to the guys at Treyach and Activision not good enough. Expand
  6. Jan 20, 2015
    10
    I may not still be super addicted to this game, but it is one of the best games ever made. YOU MUST PURCHASE IT!!

    PROS
    -HD graphics
    -OUTSTANDING zombies
    -Realistic
    -Awesome gameplay

    CONS
    -Poor campain
  7. Feb 25, 2015
    5
    As one of my favorite games of all time (with the season pass), I hate giving it something it deserves, so I'm gonna try my best to give the STANDALONE GAME a rating it deserves.

    First of all, I like this game, ok? I really do like it. That doesn't mean it's a good game though. The graphics are pretty bad. The gameplay is quite annoying. The campaign sucks. (seriously though, what did
    As one of my favorite games of all time (with the season pass), I hate giving it something it deserves, so I'm gonna try my best to give the STANDALONE GAME a rating it deserves.

    First of all, I like this game, ok? I really do like it. That doesn't mean it's a good game though. The graphics are pretty bad. The gameplay is quite annoying. The campaign sucks. (seriously though, what did you expect when you clicked on campaign?) The multiplayer is OK, but I don't really like playing it that much. The only thing that makes me like this game is when I bought the season pass, I felt amazing! Yes it was pricey and had pretty crappy multiplayer maps, but the zombies was improved SO MUCH. SO FRICKING MUCH MAN. Since I'm reviewing the standalone and no dlc, the zombies sucks and the game is pretty bad for someone who doesn't like cod that much. If you're a fan like me, then you should like this game a bit.

    I'm glad I got that out of my system. Now if you want to like this game, you have to buy the season pass. sorry ):
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  8. Dec 23, 2014
    0
    I hate this game and unfortunately will always. The graphics are horrific; it is horribly violent and is genuinely rubbish. I think it is a waste of money; I feel sad for those who fell for the trick. Others may oppose to my opinion, but take my advice. It is a bloody disgrace . It's taking the piss. It promotes violence, criminality and much more horrible things. As I said, it's takingI hate this game and unfortunately will always. The graphics are horrific; it is horribly violent and is genuinely rubbish. I think it is a waste of money; I feel sad for those who fell for the trick. Others may oppose to my opinion, but take my advice. It is a bloody disgrace . It's taking the piss. It promotes violence, criminality and much more horrible things. As I said, it's taking the piss :-( Expand
  9. May 7, 2015
    1
    Ill explain the game with 5 words: LMG, Camper, Shotgun, Sniper, Launchers together it forms the word ****
    CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,CAMP,
  10. Nov 27, 2017
    3
    Do not buy this. COD BO2 is beyond awful. It's just not a game. Instead, it's a theoretical illustration of a game. There's so much in COD BO2, and usually, I would praise a game for doing that, but COD BO2's developers put so much into it that they forgot to actually add a game. One minute, you could be riding on a horse through a sandstorm, the next minute you could be in Metal GearDo not buy this. COD BO2 is beyond awful. It's just not a game. Instead, it's a theoretical illustration of a game. There's so much in COD BO2, and usually, I would praise a game for doing that, but COD BO2's developers put so much into it that they forgot to actually add a game. One minute, you could be riding on a horse through a sandstorm, the next minute you could be in Metal Gear Solid. There's no game, and instead it's just ideas for many games. The same applies to its multiplayer and story- it's a mishmash of story and multiplayer from other games, and not something new. The graphics are sub-par, but that's to be expected from a COD game. In other words, do not waste your money on this game. Expand
  11. Nov 7, 2020
    0
    The game was horrible, only liked bcs of the nostalgia, the game got really lucky, bcs of ghosts and aw, the most overrated cod ever.
  12. Dec 29, 2021
    8
    This is a great action packed sequel, with a really good campaign that gives you the possibility to make choices and alter the story.

    Gunplay is fast paced while keeping some realistic elements from the past. The game does a very good job at mixing grounded war with futuristic elements, without going way too far. It also contains the best zombies mode in the series, the maps are iconic
    This is a great action packed sequel, with a really good campaign that gives you the possibility to make choices and alter the story.

    Gunplay is fast paced while keeping some realistic elements from the past. The game does a very good job at mixing grounded war with futuristic elements, without going way too far.

    It also contains the best zombies mode in the series, the maps are iconic and expanded for the better, and the power-ups are rewarding.

    Final Rating: "Great" ~ 8/10.
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  13. Jun 9, 2022
    0
    Really bad. Could have been good. But has too many flaws. It's totally anoying, you can't decide anything. No changing anything once the mission has started. You only have the option to start over the campaign. What kind of monkeys developed this **** game?
  14. Sep 20, 2022
    8
    A decent campaign with some added gameplay improvements, great multiplayer and a disappointing zombies mode aside from 2 maps.
  15. Mar 10, 2013
    5
    finally some improvement to the game. But just not enough all the same with new modes, and the story has been improved a little. They added AI to play against finally so i can just chill out and play the game now and a point to it for almost every area except creativity +3, game-play +2
  16. Jan 2, 2013
    6
    Another year, another Call of Duty game. The multiplayer is still the laggy mess it was last year, the SMG's and Shotguns are the overpowered guns this time, the graphics are still the same low res textures we saw last year.

    The campaign choices were nothing more than take path A,B or C and character deaths had little (or no) impact on the overall story. (Despite them hyping this up to
    Another year, another Call of Duty game. The multiplayer is still the laggy mess it was last year, the SMG's and Shotguns are the overpowered guns this time, the graphics are still the same low res textures we saw last year.

    The campaign choices were nothing more than take path A,B or C and character deaths had little (or no) impact on the overall story. (Despite them hyping this up to the max)

    I will praise the strike force missions and Zombies mode. As they are the only thing keeping the game from getting a lower score.
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  17. Jan 26, 2013
    6
    The campaign story is one of the best COD has recently offered. The one glaring (and frankly, unforgivable) flaw is with the Strike Force missions. If you are not planning on playing on the harder difficulties, they really are not that big of an issue, albeit poorly executed with respect to controls and friendly AI. On the harder settings, these become a gigantic nuisance due to theThe campaign story is one of the best COD has recently offered. The one glaring (and frankly, unforgivable) flaw is with the Strike Force missions. If you are not planning on playing on the harder difficulties, they really are not that big of an issue, albeit poorly executed with respect to controls and friendly AI. On the harder settings, these become a gigantic nuisance due to the terrible friendly AI. The multiplayer is also good, and I think I enjoy it more than the BO1. Overall, above average game that could have been great. Expand
  18. Dec 22, 2012
    3
    Remeber CoD4?? Well if you don't or haven't played it I'm truly sorry. Black Ops 2 brings with it the same things made famous by MW2 with a twist Killstreaks are now scorestreaks nice addition to the game makes things more rewarding to players that go for the objective. Next the weapon selection is by far the best improvement to this game and the series this is however where the Pro's ofRemeber CoD4?? Well if you don't or haven't played it I'm truly sorry. Black Ops 2 brings with it the same things made famous by MW2 with a twist Killstreaks are now scorestreaks nice addition to the game makes things more rewarding to players that go for the objective. Next the weapon selection is by far the best improvement to this game and the series this is however where the Pro's of BO2 MP end. MP is plagued, it makes me yearn for MW2 again. SMG's are the flavor of this game as are 3 Pistols that are overpowered to a large degree. Now why are these overpowered well the recoil on some isn't there okay its the future I get it that, but this is MP level playing field needs to be present currently there damage is to great it needs to be less. Another issue that would help this is the atrocious hitboxe's used in this game, Ever year it gets worse and worse to make lesser players better and make great players greater and more frustrated by the bullet that truly missed you in the killcam but hit you in-game. Quick scoping is still present although not as prevalent thus far It does however need to go fast pace has taken over realism something CoD4 did fairly well to a degree. Lastly my biggest complaint is when a 9mm smg bullet goes through a wall but my .30 cal cannot..........or when I get shot through a metal cargo trailer but can't shoot through a haybarrel. These things add to one at times Fun but utimately frustrating experience that we've come to love and hate about CoD series. I however truly miss the glory days of CoD4 and CoD:UO where things worked properly......before the console generation of xbox live ruined a once great series. Expand
  19. Nov 26, 2012
    9
    Underrated dramatically from the core gaming community. Black Ops 2 features some great strides into depth of story, futuristic design and yet a more refined Call of Duty shooter. I am very impressed with this game in terms of Campaign and Multiplayer. The experience is consistently smooth, maps are great, weapons are exciting and distinctive. Both a strong technical and creativeUnderrated dramatically from the core gaming community. Black Ops 2 features some great strides into depth of story, futuristic design and yet a more refined Call of Duty shooter. I am very impressed with this game in terms of Campaign and Multiplayer. The experience is consistently smooth, maps are great, weapons are exciting and distinctive. Both a strong technical and creative achievement, and better than MW3 and the original Black Ops. Expand
  20. Mar 15, 2013
    8
    I can see where fans are coming from in that Black Ops 2 is a rehash of other COD games, and I have to agree that the franchise needs some work and improvisation done to it. Nonetheless Black Ops 2 continues to surprise with its action-packed levels and great variety of weapons. The voice-acting is also still great and it's nice to see the continued character story-arc from BO with Woods,I can see where fans are coming from in that Black Ops 2 is a rehash of other COD games, and I have to agree that the franchise needs some work and improvisation done to it. Nonetheless Black Ops 2 continues to surprise with its action-packed levels and great variety of weapons. The voice-acting is also still great and it's nice to see the continued character story-arc from BO with Woods, Mason, Hudson etc. and now continuing with Mason's son and co. However the story isn't quite up to scratch with the few other COD's I've played and it can be a little confusing when it switches from one level in the past to another in the future and so on, yet it can be forgiven because it ties in with the main villain's life who is definitely one of the best COD has ever seen since he seeks vengeance and you really get understand his motives. Also an addition to the campaign and a change to the series is player-choices in some of the levels which affect the outcome of the game, as well as Strike Force missions which can be slightly annoying and tricky to pull off. The choices however increase the replay value and its nice to see what your actions caused at the end of the campaign. Graphics wise, it's much the same as its always been yet still attractive and gameplay is still simple. For the multiplayer, I have to say I really got stuck into this (although I have hardly played any of the other CODs) and it has great customization for weapons etc, and while I can see zombies is improved I never play it. Overall, a great COD yet with a slightly weaker story, but which it makes up for in its pulse-pounding action and addictive multiplayer. Expand
  21. Nov 22, 2014
    5
    Terrible story, even weaker than Black Ops I
    Gameplay haphazard and desperate.. Some futuristic warfare, some past warfare, a bit of RTS / Tactical mode for no reason, and lots of random gameplay styles, from flight to swimming, to wingsuits.
    Treyarch throws everything at a wall, and nothing sticks. I've played through the whole game, and witnessed all endings, and honestly found
    Terrible story, even weaker than Black Ops I
    Gameplay haphazard and desperate.. Some futuristic warfare, some past warfare, a bit of RTS / Tactical mode for no reason, and lots of random gameplay styles, from flight to swimming, to wingsuits.
    Treyarch throws everything at a wall, and nothing sticks.

    I've played through the whole game, and witnessed all endings, and honestly found the plot so incredibly thin and ridiculous that it even seemed less plausible then Homefront, another fps with a crazy plot.

    I'm glad I didn't buy this at launch prices.
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  22. Nov 22, 2012
    3
    ...I really wanted this to be good, I was hoping more black ops was my favorite COD and I wanted to get the same experience I did from black ops with black ops 2 but no, the maps are terrible, hundreds of glitches, bad sound and it takes the game forever to start without freezing. Also, many fans such as myself pre-ordered the game to obtain what they called "nuke town 2025 24/7" but no...I really wanted this to be good, I was hoping more black ops was my favorite COD and I wanted to get the same experience I did from black ops with black ops 2 but no, the maps are terrible, hundreds of glitches, bad sound and it takes the game forever to start without freezing. Also, many fans such as myself pre-ordered the game to obtain what they called "nuke town 2025 24/7" but no they cant even get that right, they lied and only put it on for 2 days but don't worry, to make it up to us they made a gamemode calles "chaos mosh pit" so we can play nuketown but in order to play it we have to play through all the other terrible maps so thanks for deceiving all your fans. treyarch get your game fixed! Expand
  23. EmX
    Sep 23, 2013
    1
    Total Garbage-
    This is the worst programed, most unrealistic multi-fps shooter I've ever played. There are so many issues with it, that instead of writing a 10,000 word negative review why this franchise is dead and most importantly, not worth your money, I'l just top line some of the main issues. The weapons are an absolute joke, and were obviously inspired by the fantasies of a 12 year
    Total Garbage-
    This is the worst programed, most unrealistic multi-fps shooter I've ever played. There are so many issues with it, that instead of writing a 10,000 word negative review why this franchise is dead and most importantly, not worth your money, I'l just top line some of the main issues. The weapons are an absolute joke, and were obviously inspired by the fantasies of a 12 year old instead of the real world. Sniper rifles are basically auto fire, one shot kills and the most supreme weapons, followed by pistols. Light Machine guns need at least 40-50 rounds to kill an opponent in addition to having abysmal range. Nades, claymores, and other incendiary devices don't kill instantly unless a direct hit. And the fantasy continues. There are only 4 controller configurations-FOUR- that's how lazy and thoughtful the developers were creating this game. Want to run? you have to awkwardly press down your left stick and then hope to god you can run more than 5 feet with out it stopping. Hit boxes are abysmal, and really dependent on luck than skill. Bottomline, the COD franchise is a sham, that caters to dumb people who need artificial aids to game and who have no concept of quality games.
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  24. Jun 23, 2014
    9
    Disclaimer: I primarily play Campaign (Single Player), so that's what this review is about. Another disclaimer: though it may sound like it, I'm not into this east coast west coast thing with Battlefield, Its ridiculous, I own them both, who cares?
    This may be my favorite FPS, definitely of the last three years. I had fun, played Ghosts right after it and thought it was good, but black
    Disclaimer: I primarily play Campaign (Single Player), so that's what this review is about. Another disclaimer: though it may sound like it, I'm not into this east coast west coast thing with Battlefield, Its ridiculous, I own them both, who cares?
    This may be my favorite FPS, definitely of the last three years. I had fun, played Ghosts right after it and thought it was good, but black ops 2 is great. then, right after ghosts, i played Battlefield 4 and couldnt even get through it. The graphics are awful on the 360 in comparison, the storyline is atrocious (something apparently Dice and EA have no problem with and refuse to change), BO2 is linear and has great continuity, it flowed and was interesting, it's not perfect but pretty close to it. and as for the COD franchise I prefer my games with a Zombie Mode so the black ops crew get it right in my book.
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  25. Nov 16, 2012
    7
    Single player is a 10, multiplayer is a 0. Graphics and sounds is a 5. Clearly, all the money went into the story, which is the best COD story yet, but from the lousy multiplayer to the 3D ready graphics (which means most of us are delivered lacklustre poly detail and textures) to the weapon sounds where the reload "click" of the weapon is noticeably louder than the sound of the weaponSingle player is a 10, multiplayer is a 0. Graphics and sounds is a 5. Clearly, all the money went into the story, which is the best COD story yet, but from the lousy multiplayer to the 3D ready graphics (which means most of us are delivered lacklustre poly detail and textures) to the weapon sounds where the reload "click" of the weapon is noticeably louder than the sound of the weapon being shot, the graphics, sound, and multiplayer game-play are a bust. Some areas of BO2 look amazing in SP, too bad they couldn't apply that effort to the MP maps, which all look blurry and simplistic. The multiplayer is the lame level climb against vastly superiorly armed players that BO was. It won't grab you and hold your attention; first of all, that formula has been done before, done better and done with more effort focused on the multiplayer maps. If you were looking for a worthy successor to MW3, this ain't it. If what you want is a more balanced level climber, try Halo 4. If you want a more simulation of military combat, try the updated version of MOH:Warfighter. Black ops 2 multiplayer is just plain boring; and while the SP is worth the cost of admission, it's not what the majority of it's casual audience (those who don't hide penis size insecurity behind which game they prefer) expected or deserved. Warfighter and Halo 4 are out. Have a fun BO2 SP ride and then go back to whatever game it was you were doing. Expand
  26. Dec 29, 2012
    3
    I am SO glad i did not pay for this game. YES! I went and instead i rent it. I AM GLAD I DID. Saved money. This game is an ABOMINATION. The Graphics are as good as a Free-To-Play Shooter on PC, they are WAY OUT-DATED, ALOT of graphical Bugs, the Campaign Story is absolutely HORRIBLE. The Gameplay is ordinary at best. Nothing fresh, nothing new. The same crap Activision tried to sell toI am SO glad i did not pay for this game. YES! I went and instead i rent it. I AM GLAD I DID. Saved money. This game is an ABOMINATION. The Graphics are as good as a Free-To-Play Shooter on PC, they are WAY OUT-DATED, ALOT of graphical Bugs, the Campaign Story is absolutely HORRIBLE. The Gameplay is ordinary at best. Nothing fresh, nothing new. The same crap Activision tried to sell to Kids each year. The Multiplayer is SO MUCH uncomplete, it's even more horrible. This game is like an Add-On Pack (Or Map Pack) for Call of Duty: Black Ops, i do not know why Treyarch are called Game Developpers, because they are horrible. Want Ideas on Good Shooter Games? Go check out Far Cry 3, Battlefield 3, Rainbow Six: Patriots (Coming in 2013) and even better... Wait for Battlefield 4. DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF CRAP SOFTWARE, you've been warned. COD is NOT what it USED TO BE anymore. Expand
  27. Dec 29, 2012
    5
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the net Cod by Activision, so is it the next great Cod? No it is not! Campaign was good but boring story and Strike missions, god Strike missions were pointless and annoyin g and made me give the campaign a 5/10. But the campaign had some cool stuff like flying a jet and the first campaign were you have to make who lives or who dies. Multiplayer is by far theCall of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the net Cod by Activision, so is it the next great Cod? No it is not! Campaign was good but boring story and Strike missions, god Strike missions were pointless and annoyin g and made me give the campaign a 5/10. But the campaign had some cool stuff like flying a jet and the first campaign were you have to make who lives or who dies. Multiplayer is by far the worst thing in Cod BO 2. Nice new create a class system but terrible maps and still unbalanced witch now I have giving up all hope about the multiplayer coming back as it was in Cod 4 and WaW. Zombies I got to admit was amazing and I never had so much fun with zombies since WaW. The new tranzet mode is awesome and survival is great on 3 different maps, but grief is an okay mode but i just dont see the point in playing it. Overall, bad campaign, terrible multiplayer, amazing zombies. Call of Duty: Back Ops 2 5.3/10 Expand
  28. Jul 5, 2020
    7
    Cliff notes for people that don't want to hear the same old "OMG COD IS THE SAME GAME EVERY YEAR WAH WAH" ****

    The Good: Incredible class customization; pick 10 is the best thing to happen to COD in ages. Very fast paced compared to older CODs. Consistently high frame rate. Multiple endings in campaign is a nice change. RTS vets like myself will like the Strike Force Missions. Creating
    Cliff notes for people that don't want to hear the same old "OMG COD IS THE SAME GAME EVERY YEAR WAH WAH" ****

    The Good: Incredible class customization; pick 10 is the best thing to happen to COD in ages. Very fast paced compared to older CODs. Consistently high frame rate. Multiple endings in campaign is a nice change. RTS vets like myself will like the Strike Force Missions. Creating your own emblem is even better than before and far outshines MW series. Melee kills require you to be closer (thank god). Quick scoping hasn't been eliminated, but is harder than before. Also great call on creating bullet clouds to trace back to camping snipers. First zombie maps are the same old stuff, but newer ones are very exciting.

    The Bad: Movement feels more..... "floaty," for lack of a better word, very different from other CODs. Maps are too SMG friendly.

    Overall: Single player is a bit muddled, but definitely better than most CODs. Multiplayer feels different, but has breathed new life in what would be stagnating gameplay. It's not TOTALLY new, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Worth buying.
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  29. Jan 18, 2013
    7
    Treyarch has managed to come out of its shell from the release of CoD:Blops 2. now after looking through all the controversial bullish that is given stating that its like all the others there's nothing different. (keep in mind a developer can only go so far under the arms of a publisher [especially in a "triple A franchise"]). after peeling all that off you have a game that has a largeTreyarch has managed to come out of its shell from the release of CoD:Blops 2. now after looking through all the controversial bullish that is given stating that its like all the others there's nothing different. (keep in mind a developer can only go so far under the arms of a publisher [especially in a "triple A franchise"]). after peeling all that off you have a game that has a large amount of potential that strikes very hard key selling points. The stellar campaign given felt a lot (not completely though,) different. It gave players a little more freedom and choice throughout the game as well as a slight sense of emotional awareness within the choices they made as a character. From mission load screens to in-game non-avoidable choices. These things made me fall in love with the sometimes drooling campaign. Zombies of course makes its large return and greater than ever, with new maps and a long sought after theater mode. This combined with 4v4 chaos in grief mode ends up resulting in countless hours of play time (not including future DLC and modes). Of course as every CoD game has been in the past the multiplayer is EXTREMELY addictive, but repetitive in its level system. But to fix this Treyarch has added several things to keep the players busy and happy longer. With the inclusion of a "league mode" which allows for PvP action within certain skill levels makes any and every gamer feel like a professional in there own world while enjoying the game. Theater mode also returns as expected and feels a little easier to use and less task heavy. The greatest thing that makes the games multiplayer fall short is its poorly created and managed servers. this results in a lag compensation and the case where in the right game mode the winner (9 times out of ten) is the host. This makes the newest installment of CoD:Blops 2 a game that i would buy in a heart beat but with a lack of polish and finesse in certain cases Expand
  30. Nov 18, 2012
    7
    this is a review for the campaign only as I haven't had the chance yet to try out the multiplayer.

    Graphics: I realize that it is an older engine but the game still looks great and easily on par with warfigher but not with BF3. The lighting, clarity and detail in the foliage in the jungle type areas is great. the indoor environments though are pretty basic. overall, i give the
    this is a review for the campaign only as I haven't had the chance yet to try out the multiplayer.

    Graphics: I realize that it is an older engine but the game still looks great and easily on par with warfigher but not with BF3. The lighting, clarity and detail in the foliage in the jungle type areas is great. the indoor environments though are pretty basic. overall, i give the graphics an eight. i suppose Infinity ward or the publisher? is waitng for the next generation consoles before they develop a new engine. the Guns: this is arguably the most important part of any first person shooter. The guns were a big let down. gunfire seems muted and lacked punch. In addition, the guns all sound very similar to eachother. the first black ops had much better sound. these days warfighter carries the torch for realistc gun sounds with ghost recon close behind. Only two of the modern weapons were really innovative namely the flechette gun and one of the sniper rifles that could penetrate through walls The one standout feature of this game was the new overhead tactical viewpoint for one modern set where you could control individual men or machines. I hope they turn this type of warfare into a stand alone strategy game. It worked incredibly well.

    The biggest let down is that none of the missions seemed very black ops. they are more like missions you would expect the marines to do. Black ops missions should rely on a bit of stealth (ghost recon), silenced weapons, and special goggles with night vision, infiltration, assasination.

    further, I think the story back arc to the 80's was uncessary. they should have kept the story confined to the modern era. It was uncessary to tie the current events into what happened in Afghanistan for instance or Africa for that matter.

    The weakest part of the game was the story. the main villian was completely unbelievable. This was a perfect opportunity to set up China as the main protaganist. they could have used teh korean or vietnam wars as backdrops if they really wanted to provide some context to the future events. Further, chinese soliders would actually have advanced and interesting weaponry to provide some sort of challenge. It is totally unbelievable that a former drug runner would turn into a terrorist and be able to finance technological innovations for weaponry and software which be capable of challenging established governments. His background and so called rise to power was really boring too. Not as boring as the warfighter drama with that guy's wife and kid, but pretty close.

    My harshest criticism for the game though it lacked what I call an "air of reality" which some shooters achieve. It's that feeling that the people on the screen could be actual soldiers out there, doing this incredible sh#t and you feel a part of that. the first modern warfare had heaps and heaps of that feeling. even modern warfare 3 had it to a certain extent.

    this game did not have it at all. It's like it was missing its shooter mojo or something. Warfighter did a much better job with shooter mojo than this in the campaign, even though the campaign itself wasn't as good. So, in summary, the game had one brilliant moment with respect to the tactical view and control system. that was ingenious. Otherwise, the game was pretty average. I'm looking forward to the multiplayer to see how it compares with warfighter. to my mind warfighter, with the exception of BF3, has the best multiplayer going at the moment. Cheers,
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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 73
  2. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. 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.
  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. 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.