A look into Call of Duty Black Ops 2

Hello, today I'm going to give a run down of Call of Duty Black Ops 2. There is a lot to cover so I'd like to keep it simple and get right to it.

The Campaign
The Campaign of Black Ops 2 plays very similarly to the previous games. And honestly I quite enjoyed it. The story is the classic tale of a foreign man, Raul Menendez, causing trouble for America, and you follow Black Op's 1's protagonist Alex Mason in the 1980s, and his son David Mason in the year 2025. The storyline is connected as both men find themselves in a fight against Menendez. The story is woven together well, missions play out as tales told from Frank Woods (of Black Ops 1) to David Mason to help in his hunt for Menendez, as David learns new information needed for his next mission, from a flashback mission where you play as Alex Mason.

Combat is much the same as previous Call of Duty games. You, move through rooms slowly, picking off the dozens and dozens of enemies trying to kill you. The pacing of the game is changed very often, as you will find yourself doing something new a few times a mission. You will be manning a machine gun turret, flying a helicopter, and getting hunted down by enemy missiles on one mission, while the next mission you may be flying down a mountain in a winged jumpsuit, or jumping on a horse to destroy enemy tanks with a rocket laucher the next (I'm not making that up), and it keeps the game exciting an intersting, while never letting you get stuck in a routine of the same thing over and over again.

It also has optional levels called Strike Force missions, where you switch between having a tactical view of the battlefield while giving orders, and playing in first person mode on the ground. These missions are optional but do play parallel to the story.

One more thing I'd like to give recognition to is actually the endings. Yes that's right there are multiple endings. There are a few dozen acts through the game that alter the events leading up to, and the ending itself. Some so small you might not even realize you're doing it. It's really cool and it makes replaying the game more appleaing.

Multiplayer
Ah the multiplayer. One of the big draws of the Call of Duty series. Most of the things that made the previous Call of Duty games fun, like the custom classes, the killstreak rewards, and the addicting leveling and prestiege system, are all back, and if you're a long time Call of Duty player you will feel right at home. In Black Ops 2, you Leveling System returns, rewarding you with experience for kills, getting objectives, and finishing games. As you gain experience, you go up in levels, unlocking new weapons, perks, and other equipment.

Custom Classes
The customization in this game is actually the greatest in any Call of Duty game so far. It allows you to have a lot of flexibility in being able to sacrifice some areas of your class, to gain various things like double red perks, getting extra grenades, or getting a bunch of attachments for your gun. It gives you the options of picking 10 things you want. Want another attachement for your gun? That's one. A side weapon? That's one more. By picking and choosing, it allows for a staggering amount of customization, and to style your class exactly how you like it.

Perks
Perks are small bonuses you can select to change your playstyle for a certain class, such as being able to run farther, or stay hidden from enemy radar. I think some of the previous imbalanced things from the last few Call of Duty games have been touched on, and it should make multiplayer more interesting. Things like the Ghost perk, which removes you from enemy radar, but only as long as you are moving, help remove stale gameplay, and reward aggressive playing.

Equipment and gadgets
There are a bunch of interesting gadgets and equipment you can have for each class, such as a Tactical Insertion to choose where you will respawn next, and a bunch of fun explosives and grenades. Many of the favorites from Black Ops 1 will be making a comeback with things like the thrown Combat Axe, the Bouncing Betty and the Claymore, along with a few new toys such as the Sensor Grenade, which will reveal enemys on your near where the grenade is thrown. There are some really fun cominations that lead to exciting ways to take down your enemies.

Weapons
The weapon customization options in Black Ops 2 are vast. With most guns having at least 10 attachment options, and the ability to pick a bunch of attachments if you'd like, there are dozens of different combinations open for each gun. With so much customization, you can tweak your gun to be exactly to your liking, right down to the Weapon Camouflage. The more you use a gun, the more attachments and camouflage become unlocked, allowing you more and more options the more you use a gun.

Zombies
The beloved Zombies mode is back. For newcomers to the game, Zombies mode is a co-op game mode where you and three other players work together to defend yourselves from an onslaught of zombies. Killing zombies earns you points which you can spend to buy new guns, upgrade guns, and unlock new areas of the map. And one of the more exciting parts of the Zombies mode is the Mystery Box, which you can spend your points to get a random weapon from the box, with a small chance of a very strong weapon such as the Ray Gun, which will kill zombies in one shot.

Black Ops 2 adds a new game mode called Grief, which allows there to be two teams of four playing at the same time. While you cannot directly hurt the enemy team, there are various ways you can hinder the enemy team. For example knifing, while it doesn't hurt them, will slow them down. Also there is a new power up that when thrown at an enemy, will attract the hordes of zombies at any player you hit, and any helpful power up picked up will only help your own team, making them important to grab for your time. The goal of this mode is to see which team can survive the longest. This mode is very chaotic, fun, and it brings a really refreshing way to play Zombies.

Wrapping Up
So if you were a big fan of the previous Call of Duty games, you're in luck, because the all of the great things about the Call of Duty games are still here, and expanded on. If you are new to the Call of Duty series, Black Ops 2 is a good place to start, and I recommend checking it out.