Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Review

All new single player. All new multiplayer. All new zombies.

This is my second review, here on Trinity Titan News (my little corner of the internet), having chosen to review Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 as I am a huge fan of the game, still playing its multiplayer to this very day. Released on November 13, 2012, CoD: Black Ops 2 was everything everyone wanted from Treyarch, and more...

The Black Ops 'Sequel'

Treyarch played it safe with this title, as they worked-off the success of "Black Ops"(2010) creating this game, the sequel. Not a bad idea, considering "Black Ops" was a great game, having moved forward in time from World War II, heading into a more modern era, set during the Vietnam war, now, in "Black Ops 2", the battles take place in both the future (21st Century, cold war) and during the 80's in a cold war. 

An interesting setting for gamers, taking fans away from their comfort zone and into a futuristic gameplay setting that would surprise and ultimately win-over fans attention, for the better.

This sequel is firmly shocking, as it strays away from what we all remember seeing and playing in "Black Ops", trying to create a whole new experience which is unfamiliar to the CoD fans. I was amongst those surprised by the futuristic edge brought into "Black Ops 2", as like most, I was expecting a modern warfare (only) set game. 

The futuristic side to the game is barely noticeable however, unless you take a better look at the game which you are playing, as there are of course, the drones, the 'Nuketown 2025' map and other futuristic aspects to the game, but to me it still felt like a modern warfare set game, in all.

Single Player Campaign

Treyarch are known for creating great single player campaigns and this is no exception, as it was entertaining with a butt-load of new and exciting missions, you'll want to play over-and-over. All of the same characters make a return from "Black Ops", carrying on from where they left-off, so those who took the campaign mode seriously will be happy.

The general idea to mix modern day warfare (1980's) and futuristic warfare (21st Century) was an ingenious idea, as it was extremely refreshing to feel like the CoD franchise is moving forward, as opposed to backwards.

The element of surprise is always there whilst playing the single player campaign in "Black Ops 2", as you never know quite how they are going to end the story. A fun campaign, anyone into first-person shooters will enjoy, as it isn't anything short of amazing and the gameplay is the best I have ever encountered (as all of the CoD games have been).

Multiplayer

"Black Ops 2" has one of the best multiplayer game modes in the CoD franchise, having been gripping from every possible angle. It feels as though they have created the perfect sized maps (small to medium) which make full use of themselves, helping to add to the fun of the game mode.

The guns in "Black Ops 2" multiplayer are amazing, as my personal favourites are the MTAR, SCAR-H and the AN-94, as they can be used with ease and get you those must-have kills.

The perks are brilliant as per usual of a CoD title, offering some personal favourite perks of mine, as I like to use the lightweight, scavenger and extreme conditioning perks which prove to be handy with my style of gameplay on CoD.

The gun attachments are again, up-to-scratch on "Black Ops 2", as all the must-haves are there, including a few I personally like to use, including; red dot sight, grip and the silencer.

Moving around the "Black Ops 2" maps is brilliant, as they are not that big, allowing the gun battles to only ever be a short distance away. Although, I like to have the upper-hand when coming up against enemies, so it is apart of my gameplay tactics, that I move around the edges of the maps to make my attempt at getting the enemy either from the side or the back. Certainly makes playing multiplayer that bit easier and that bit more fun for me to play.

The more obstacles and the more hiding places, the better, as "Black Ops 2" provides just this, as lets be honest, when playing multiplayer, to ensure the match works in your favour, it is never a bad idea to find a key hiding spot to swiftly eliminate the enemy. This sometimes works, but it can sometimes back-fire, causing myself to get more than a couple of deaths, as I attempt to hide but the enemy catch-wind of my plan and hunt me down, inevitably killing me.

'Zombies' Co-Op Mode Returns for its Third Time

A glorious arrival, as always, when Treyarch announced that there will be another 'zombies' co-op mode to anticipate. "Black Ops 2" offers a different kind of 'zombies' co-op mode to the ones we have seen in the past, as it allows the player more options. As players can choose to play survival (within a restricted area, players must kill endless waves of zombies until all players die), or, tranzit mode, allowing players to wonder around a map on a travelling bus, stopping at various locations.

Survival mode is fun, that's for sure, but the restriction in being in one area is a little boring as you are unable to get perks on the bus station map. Although, great for pro-players looking to prove their skills as zombie killers on CoD: Black Ops 2, or for those starting for the first time on the 'zombies' co-op mode, looking to get a bit of practice, killing zombies.

Tranzit mode is awesome, as up to 4 players can wonder around on a travelling bus, getting off at various locations to collect weapons, perks and gathering points by killing zombies along the way. Again, there will be waves of zombies all over the place, attempting to kill you and your team, so make sure to get the juggernaut perk (extra health) and a descent weapon, if you want to survive to a high round.

DLC Packs for "Black Ops 2" (Must Be Bought Separately)

• Revolution DLC

Includes all new multiplayer maps: Downhill, Hydro, Mirage and Grind.

Includes all new 'zombies' co-op mode map: Die Rise

• Uprising DLC

Includes all new multiplayer maps: Magma, Encore, Vertigo and Studio.

Includes all new 'zombies' co-op mode map: Mob of the Dead

• Vengeance DLC

Includes all new multiplayer maps: Cove, Detour, Rush and Uplink.

Includes all new 'zombies' co-op mode map: Buried

• Apocalypse DLC

Includes all new multiplayer maps: Frost, Pod, Dig and Takeoff.

Includes all new 'zombies' co-op mode map: Origins

I'll just say that the DLC packs for "Black Ops 2" are worth buying as they enhance the experience on multiplayer and on the 'zombies' co-op mode, however I wouldn't advise purchasing any of them unless you play "Black Ops 2" a lot, as you will have more than enough fun playing the game as it is, without the extras.

Conclusion

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the perfect sequel for "Black Ops", as it was adventurous in its aims, moving the CoD franchise into a new direction, most would agree the franchise needed to do, in order to keep the CoD fans attention.

The simple fact that I still play the game today, a good two years after its release, should say it all, as since then we have seen the release of Infinity Ward's, Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013) and are soon to see the release of Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014). 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was released on November 13, 2012 and is available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii U and PC.

Do you agree that "Black Ops 2" was the perfect sequel to "Black Ops"? Or, do you think that Treyarch could have done better in delivering a sequel and which aspect of the "Black Ops 2" game bothered you the most; single player, multiplayer, or zombies? ...Leave your answer in the comments section below.

Call of Duty: World at War Review

Back when Call of Duty's multiplayer experience hit a new high

After making the decision today to include reviews on my blog website: Trinity Titan News, I knew the first review had to be for the classic, Call of Duty: World at War, as I have been playing the game a lot lately and its still one of my favourite games of all time. Released on November 14, 2008, this was a game, all CoD (Call of Duty) fans will remember playing, as it was the first Call of Duty game to have the 'zombies' co-op game mode.

Different is Better

Treyarch have been loved ever since the release of Call of Duty: World at War, as they proved they could compete with Infinity Ward's (CoD developer) CoD: Modern Warfare series.

After the excitement CoD fans (including myself) received after playing CoD: Modern Warfare (aka Call of Duty 4) I knew it would be difficult for Treyarch (other CoD developer) to follow, but they have certainly shown they can compete, as "World at War" offers CoD fans a whole new experience.

Even today, "World at War" is looked at by fans of the CoD series as being one of the best CoD games and even first-person shooters ever made. Treyarch certainly offered that bit more than Infinity Ward were offering at the time, since Treyarch added the iconic 'zombies' co-op mode, still being used in Treyarch CoD titles today, including; World at War (of course), Black Ops and Black Ops 2. 

Treyarch had a strong era on their hands, being that of World War II, having been the most spoken about and best-known war to ever happen, making this an important title to get right. This adding more pressure to the titles success, especially since Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4 raised the bar so high.

Single Player Campaign

Treyarch's "World at War" shocked gamers everywhere on its release, as most CoD fans (at least I believe, most fans) will have set foot onto the single player campaign first and it was a super-fun experience and still is to this very day a great experience playing on the solo campaign.

For the first time, "World at War" allowed gamers to join their friends in playing the campaign, as Treyarch introduced the co-op campaign, enabling up to 4 players to join and play the campaign co-operatively.

The single player campaign really feels like you are in an all-out war, as explosions are going off all around you in the environment, from close and far distances. The authenticity of the single player campaigns environment, was, and still is ground-breaking, feeling so life-like, adding to the fun playing the campaign.

Playing alone, or with friends, the fun to be had playing the campaign is immense. No matter how many times you repeat playing the campaign, the excitement is always the same, emerging you into the gameplay and the cut-scenes which were all-but too entertaining.

The changes in the environment is always a pleasure as the missions change from fighting in the jungle, to suddenly fighting in an open field in a tank, armed to the teeth with explosions. The fun is truly endless, as the experience just gets better and better, the more you play the campaign.

Usually I stray away from doing the highest difficulty setting in story modes and on CoD campaigns, but in "World at War", I felt the strange urge to complete the game on the hardest difficulty, called veteran. Sounds difficult? Well, the name was accurate, as you need to be a veteran CoD player to complete the campaign on veteran difficulty.

I still remember doing the veteran difficulty for the first time and it was a dreadful experience, as it was, and still is extremely easy to be killed. As enemies endlessly throw grenades and put a bombardment of gunfire in your direction, making it a tedious task to achieve each and every mission.

There were, and still are simple tricks to achieve the CoD campaigns (including "World at War's"), which generally includes using cover (i.e. walls, buildings, cars, and even trees, etc.), laying down when the screen goes red after being shot one-too many times and taking it slow around corners, as to not get shot. There are other minor tricks to remember, but that covered the obvious ones.

Another trick to achieving the "World at War" campaign on veteran difficulty would be to do it with 1, 2, or 3 other friends, as this will increase your chances of clearing out the enemy quicker without dying.

Multiplayer

The spotlight for CoD games, ever since Call of Duty 4's multiplayer mode, as this presents hours upon hours of endless fun, as you can play with friends, against friends and other players around the world to complete objectives, all with the simple objective to kill the enemy.

"World at War's" multiplayer allows players on certain, larger maps to access tanks, yes tanks, to kill enemies from close and far, being a whole new function, players had never been able to do before.

Treyarch's prestiges and ranks (levels) for "World at War" are typically expected prestiges, having a total of 10, along with 65 levels until the player is able to prestige.

The levels at the time were the highest we had seen in CoD multiplayer, as Call of Duty 4 only had 55 levels until the player was able to prestige. The prestiges however, were still the same as always, at the standard 10.

The multiplayer experience took on a whole new meaning in "World at War" as players were able to wonder endlessly around small, medium and large maps, rather than the usual small to medium maps we still see today in CoD games.

This was the perfect time for a World War II game, as we had just been exposed to the awesomeness of Call of Duty 4, playing in the modern warfare era, leaving us all craving something different and the World War II era was just what CoD fans needed. 

The guns were all new and exciting, including the MP40 and the Thompson assault rifles, being my two favourite guns in the game and probably your favourites as well, I'd imagine.

The perks were all-new and interesting, benefiting players in the multiplayer experience, making it blissfully simple to journey around each multiplayer map, getting those easy and not-so easy kills.

The kill-streaks for the multiplayer game mode were out-of-this-world good at the time of "World at War's" release, as they enabled players to have the recon plane (3 kills), artillery (5 kills) and attack dogs (7 kills), which were extremely satisfying to receive. Although, today's CoD games offer far more choice in kill-streaks (aka score-streaks), providing CoD players a more personal experience, best fitting their style of gameplay.

There are countless reasons why "World at War" had one of the best (if not, the best) multiplayer experience, any CoD game has ever given us before. Another great usable weapon on "World at Wars" multiplayer was the 'flame-thrower' which stands out in my mind whenever I think of "World at War's" multiplayer.

'Zombies' Co-Op Mode

It is impossible to forget the iconic 'zombies' co-op mode which was first put on "World at War", which started the fan following for the 'zombies' co-op game mode on Treyarch's CoD titles.

It all started with the original CoD map, Nacht der Untoten (German for Night of the Undead), playing Nazi zombies, based on the idea of the Nazi army rising up from the dead as mindless 'flesh eating' zombies trying to kill you. It is the job of the player/players to kill wave-after-wave of zombies until the zombies kill all of the players and theoretically the game could last forever if someone is left alive on the map.

Other maps soon followed, as apart of DLC packs, offering new zombie killing experiences there-on allowing players on 'zombies' co-op mode to receive perks, more guns and enter onto larger maps to take on the endless hoards of zombies.

This is an extremely addictive game mode, as certain CoD fans specifically buy CoD games, due to them having the 'zombies' game mode, although sadly only Treyarch currently offer the 'zombies' game mode in their CoD titles.

Conclusion

Call of Duty: World at War is a hard-hitting game, offering a superb single player, multiplayer and 'zombies' co-op mode which have helped reshape the CoD franchise.

I remember "World at War" as being one of the best experiences I have ever had playing a first-person shooter, allowing players to do more than any other CoD game which had come before it. Even today's CoD games seem less enticing to play than "World at War", proving just how great the game was, and still is.

Call of Duty: World at War was released on November 14th, 2008 and is available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and PC.

Do you agree that Call of Duty: World at War was one of the best CoD games ever created? Or, would you go a step further and say that Call of Duty: World at War was the best CoD game ever created? ...Leave your answer in the comments section below.