Call of Duty: Black Ops II — Now Available For Your Personal Computer!

Mat Paget

This article is a look at the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If you haven’t read Christopher’s review, go check it out right now.

My history with Call of Duty started with a few of the WW2-themed games. I skipped World at War and Modern Warfare, played a bit of Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, and then skipped Modern Warfare 3. I’ve mostly been a Battlefield guy, but there’s something about the Black Ops series that just makes me really want to play it; crazy, covert shenanigans always pique my interest. I also grew up playing first-person shooters on the PC, and haven’t played one with a mouse and keyboard in years. Well, I went back to my roots with Black Ops II and, for the most part, I really enjoyed myself.

That’s right. Hunter drones.

Of course, first things first: actually starting the game. If you have a Steam copy, like myself, you’ll notice there are three different executables for the game — Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. At first, I thought that this was an ingenious idea: if you only want to play multiplayer, install that and forget about the other two. Well, I was wrong. Multiplayer and Zombies are actually dependent on the Campaign option to run, so you can’t actually save space on your hard drive that way. Another issue with this is that the settings aren’t universal between the three, forcing you to change them with each mode. This is no doubt frustrating, but thankfully, it’s only a problem the first time.

If you want a more fleshed-out opinion of the campaign, don’t forget to check out our review. I really only want to add that I think the game looks a lot nicer than previous Call of Duty games, and the faces are absolutely astounding. Sam Worthington is still wrestling with his Australian accent, making it really hard to ignore, and Michael Keaton does an awesome job taking over Ed Harris’s role from the first game. I still wish the character actually looked like Michael Keaton, though. The campaign, as a whole, is definitely a step up from previous entries, mostly thanks to the choices that need to be made, and the open areas.

The multiplayer, on the other hand, has been left mostly unchanged. The most notable change is to Create-A-Class, and it’s actually turned into a really awesome system that I absolutely love experimenting with. However, there are quite a few interrupted connections on the PC (it seems to come up fairly often), and you can often find yourself getting shot at as your game comes to. Aside from that issue, the multiplayer is a ton of fun; gaining levels is satisfying as it is, but gaining them for your weapons is even better. If you enjoy the multiplayer in Call of Duty, you will most likely love it.

My own personal Bat-Signal.

Another thing I appreciate is the new Emblem system. You start with the full 32 layers unlocked, making it much more fun to create emblems from the get-go. I have spent quite a bit of time messing around with it, and feel I’ve surpassed the creativity I reached with the first game. It’s definitely a feature that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but I’m more than happy to see it return.

Now, I guess it’s time for Zombies, right? Well, it was hard to find a good match. I honestly spent more time waiting for players to join than actually playing a game. And then there were some connection issues that were further impeding my attempts to play. After finally getting things started, I was underwhelmed; Zombies just doesn’t light my fire. There isn’t a whole lot wrong with the mode, I just feel there are better games where the main focus is shooting the undead until they’re… dead?

This series is often given the title of “shit” by many people. Truth is, the games are well made, they’re just more or less the same every year. Well, Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a game I’ll defend as “not exactly the same as last year.” It’s a step up, but it’s still not going to change any minds. If you’re a fan of the Call of Duty series, buy it. If you’re not, then don’t. It’s really that simple. And if you happen to want to play it on your PC, and can live with a few minor obstacles, then you’ll be happy to know it’s a competent version of the game. So, go shoot guys. Or don’t. You’ll know what to do.

Look at all this crazy sh*t that’s going on!

[REVIEW] Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Christopher Sheridan
(PlayStation 3 [REVIEWED], Xbox 360, PC, Wii U)

There are two ways of looking at Activision’s record-shattering, multi-million unit franchise Call of Duty. On the one side, you have a franchise that does its thing so confidently and sells so well, it can keep recycling the same winning formula and selling new iterations. On the other side, you see a long-running series that has long since been left on autopilot. I’ve long since fallen into the latter camp, but it seems that Treyarch is aware of people like me, and is finally attempting to inject some innovation into the game. Surprisingly, it is mostly effective. 

Treyarch’s latest adventure is a direct sequel to 2010’s Black Ops, and follows several of the main characters. Understandably, you have to have a working knowledge of the events of that game to fully understand the sequel. Characters like Frank Woods and Alex Mason return and are joined by several new members across the Cold War, as well as a futuristic war in 2025. The plot, written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) is, dare I say it, quite good. It paints a dark picture of the state of the world in thirteen years that seems, at a glance, frighteningly plausible. It’s also a very personal revenge story, centered around a terrifying and sympathetic villain.

Bolstered by strong facial capture, the campaign’s story is a compelling one. A new direction for the series is the introduction of branching storylines and multiple endings based on things that happen in the campaign. For example, I took too long to get to a villain and he ended up getting away, leading to ramifications later on down the line. It’s interesting to see how endings will differ based on how the campaign is played and which objectives are fulfilled. From what I can remember, there isn’t really “failure” of a mission unless you die. The game plays for keeps, too; you have to live with the consequences of choices, and sometimes there are some truly upsetting ones.

One problem I had with the campaign was the amount of non-interactive cutscenes. It’s jarring to have direct control over your character in a level, then be forced to simply sit back and watch as your character partakes in a first-person brawl with a bad guy. Other times, you get to follow button prompts from something as random as using a holograph interface to locate a weapon. It seemed too inconsistent, and was a little alienating.

I really didn’t like the new Strike Force missions, which attempts to merge the game’s existing first-person action with a strategy element. In theory, the mode is great: you can keep a tactical view above the action and direct units to go to different areas of the small map to complete the objective. Alternatively, you can go down and directly control any of your units to lead the charge. The problem is that the AI-controlled friendly units are so stupid it’s usually more effective to simply take control of one soldier and go lone-wolf to clear the battlefield. This basically turned the missions into very boring shooting galleries.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with multiplayer. I’m not particularly good at it, being unable to sink the literal days of practice that some players are able to do. Still, it’s hard to argue with the mode’s tantalizing RPG-esque leveling system with rewards and customizable loadouts. It’s still satisfying to discover that perfect loadout, or to finally unlock the holographic sight you found on a gun taken off an enemy. And, of course, there’s always that feeling of panic and exhilaration when you walk into a room filled with opponents.

As you advance through the ranks, you receive “unlock tokens” in the place of actual weapon unlocks. Through this system, weapons are not actually unlocked until purchased. That way, if you absolutely hate sniper rifles you never have to use them, and instead you have an unlock token to spend on that new SMG. Additionally, the new “Pick 10” system allows players to mix and match elements of their loadout. I, for example, rarely use grenades, so I decided to forgo carrying a grenade and claimed an extra attachment for my primary weapon instead.

The maps are, for the most part, as good as they’ve ever been. I love several of them, enjoy a few, and only dislike one. For the most part, they are complex and filled with obstacles, though in the first few days of playing, I encountered a large number of camping players. Luckily, the maps are designed in such a way that you can easily flank those players if you’re careful and have an innate understanding of the map layout. As far as modes, there is everything you’ve come to expect from Black Ops (including the great Gun Game), but wager matches are sorely missed. Matchmaking is, at long last, absolutely smooth and clean with no dropped games or closed lobbies in the several dozen games I’ve played.

Zombies is back and still mostly great, though the time I spend with it was curiously plagued with several connectivity issues. The most major new addition is a mode called Tranzit, which links each of the levels in the mode with a bus. Players fight through the areas, then climb on the bus to the next one. The cool thing about this mode is that new areas are always available to be unlocked if you have the points, and every time you get a bit farther in the mode, you learn something new for next time. Gadgets can be constructed from odds and ends around the world to get through doorways and dispatch enemies. Grief mode is great: two teams of four each face off against the zombies, and it’s a matter of impairing the other team as much as possible. While the teams cannot directly damage each other, they can block doorways or slow down the revival process when an opponent is attempting to save a downed teammate. And playing with friends is an absolute blast.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is an extremely well-designed game, packed with features, and impressively devoid of noticeable bugs. Matchmaking is smooth and easy, and there’s a lot of game here with an already-admirable stable of post-release content planned. Best of all, Treyarch has actively made strides to improve the game as a whole and evolve the core set of gameplay options. This makes Black Ops II one of the best Call of Duty titles yet, though at its core it’s still pure CoD. Look at it like this: if you love the series, Black Ops II may make you love it even more. If you’ve been away for a while and are looking to get back onto the bandwagon, now’s a good time to do so. However, if you still hate the series, or just don’t care, there’s not much here to change your mind. It’s a game for the fans, and while that doesn’t include me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

[NEWS] There’s a New Call of Duty Coming Out This Year, In Case You Didn’t Know

Nate Andrews

Surely you didn’t think for just a second that 2012 would fly by without another addition to Activision’s long-running first-person shooter franchise. If for some reason this misconception entered your mind, you’ll likely be disappointed by the new splash page on callofduty.com, which proudly displays the date for the reveal of the next Call of Duty game and also provides a handy countdown timer for your convenience. If you’re a fan of Call of Duty, then this is probably great news for you!

Specifically, the world reveal will occur on May 1 during the NBA playoffs, continuing the running theme of Call of Duty things being revealed during a major basketball event. Part of me wishes these reveals would occur during a sport I’m actually inclined to watch (like baseball), though playoff season is without a doubt more popular and exciting than watching the Red Sox lose yet another game.

But I digress, although you probably already know most of what you need to know about the next Call of Duty game based on how the series has progressed over the years. Treyarch is handling the reins this year, which likely means we’ll be seeing something along the lines of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Anything could happen though!