If you’re a gamer and haven’t noticed the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 2, then I welcome you back from the island you were marooned on. The hit sequel hit the shelves on the 13th of November and hit half a billion dollar sales in the first 24 hours. Yes, $500,000,000.00, five hundred million dollars! There’s a reason why BO2 is the biggest entertainment launch for 2012, and there were more than 16,000 midnight launches of the title in shops around the world. This smiling reviewer got to have a go at BO2 last night and due to the sheer magnitude of the release I think it warrants two reviews, the first (you’re reading it) is to discuss the portion of the game I’ve already played, which is multiplayer, and the second (to follow once I’ve gotten the game) will cover the campaign and other modes.
I was invited by the Sector 17 Gaming Legion to attend a BO2 multiplayer night with a team of players who play regularly online against other competitive gamers across South Africa and the world, and believe me, these guys (and girls) are good. The evening started off with a few people coming in and setting up their Xbox’s and Monitors in preparation for an epic evening. Eventually there were approximately 30 people in attendance all sitting amongst a cacophony of exploding Bouncing Betty’s and gunfire. I say approximately because I may have raised my head to look around once between rounds, but I can’t be sure, so engrossing was the gameplay. I had to dig deep to survive amongst the seasoned players, some of which have already risen in the ranks of top players in the country. But even in the company of players of this caliber everyone was welcoming and helpful and it was a great introduction to the world of competitive gaming.
On to the game. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the first Black Ops, and BO2 didn’t disappoint me. There are some major changes in the game modes and class creating system. I will go into more detail about the game modes I played a bit further on, first I’d like to discuss the major changes in class creation and what used to be known as Kill Streaks. In previous games the player had to pick weapons and perks in a designated slot which was fairly rigid in its design. Black Ops 2 allows the player to fill “slots” available, which gives you much more versatility and flexibility to have what you really need on the battlefield. For instance, I barely use a secondary weapon so I was able to equip myself with two Bouncing Betty’s and two attachments on my primary weapon. There is much more to play around with and the player is really able to design a class which will suit his particular gameplay. What used to be known as “kill streaks” has now changed to “score streaks”, which is a great addition as you get awarded rewards even for assists, and not just kills. This certainly helps a player to also be a part of one of the most rewarding aspects of multiplayer which encompasses calling in air support and controlling various missiles, radio controlled vehicles and even calling in a pack of attack dogs. I can’t honestly say that I managed to get many score streak rewards last night, but I did manage to call in a couple of UAV’s and a care package or two, but I am well aware of how rewards like this can pile on the “kills” as you play.
Here are some of the game modes I played last night and a bit of basic info on them:
- Team Deathmatch: The same game mode that most multiplayer gamers love. Two teams battle for kills in a timed match.
- Gun Game: Player starts off with a basic pistol and with every kill they level up their weapons. It’s a frantic dash to get kills to get better weapons; obviously the players with the most skill get better weapons sooner.
- Sticks and Stones: A free-for-all game mode where the player is armed only with a crossbow, ballistic knife and a tomahawk. The winner is the player with the most kills when the time runs out.
- One in the chamber: Players have a weapon with only one bullet and only 3 lives. Once fired the player needs to rely on his knifing skill to get the kill. When a player gets a kill he acquires a bullet.
- Search and Destroy: An elimination based match where one team has to protect an objective while the other has to place a bomb at either of two sites. Once killed, a player sits out until the next round.
- Capture the Flag: Two teams compete in trying to capture the enemy’s flag and return it to their own base while also protecting their flag.
- Free-For-All: Every man for himself!
The game modes mentioned are just the start in what I believe is a much more diverse multiplayer experience, and the six hours playing didn’t quite scratch the surface on what’s on offer, which I will be able to cover once I get the game to play through.
The graphics look good and there are some really well designed maps. Black Ops 2 runs off of the same engine as previous Call of Duty games, which has had an overhaul including an improvement of the lighting, textures, shadows and other changes to enhance the game. Many gamers who don’t enjoy the franchise (usually those that are fans of its opposition series – Battlefield) often remark on how Call of Duty fans are buying the same package with a different wrapper, but in my humble opinion, if something’s this great and works, don’t change it too much. In other words, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. For me, the beauty of that is that no matter what Call of Duty game you jump into you can settle in fairly quickly and get straight to enjoying the action.
As mentioned above there are some really good maps including a modernized version of Nuketown (set in 2025), and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the maps that we played. Nuketown 2025 was only available on pre-order and it would seem that it will be available to buy and download online, nut I’m not sure of the cost yet. Zombie’s mode also returns to BO2 and I watched a bit of the gameplay which was as exciting as ever. The Zombie portion of the game in this excursion is a lot more fleshed out (no pun intended) and it seems as if Treyarch (the games designers) have fully taken advantage of the big market out there for a Zombie shooter.
Based on what I have played thus far I’d say that Call of Duty Black Ops 2 fully lives up to its hype and it is a must for all fans of First Person Shooters. This is one to buy and keep; I don’t think we’ll see a big second hand market for it because those that have it won’t be selling it in a hurry. What I have played so far is completely worth the new release price and I’m sure that when the campaign mode and local multiplayer modes are played and I have given the Zombie mode a play, then BO2 will be well worth the price and then some. This, like its predecessor, is worth every cent, purely because of how much you get out of it.
For more information on how to be involved in the next gaming evening in Port Elizabeth please send me a mail and I’ll put you in contact with the Sector 17 guys.
Dubbel Gee’s Rating: 10/10
Please Note: trailer below may contain material inappropriate for children.
Author: Garth Ginsburg
Website: http://dubbelgeesreview.wordpress.com
Alan Straton
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Good one Garth – you have almost convinced me to try the game ….
This has to be seen in the light of the fact that the last computer game I played was Pacman!
🙂 Pacman was a classic Alan! Can’t go wrong with a classic! If you’re keen to try it out let me know and we can make a plan at the next event.