Treyarch Does It Again With Black Ops 2

The Call of Duty franchise has been one of the biggest franchises in the first person shooter genre. The franchise has introduced many ideas that have become commonplace in the genre. Treyarch developed Call of Duty: Black ops in 2010 and it was a big hit among gamers everywhere. Treyarch put their team to work once again, and in 2012, they released a sequel to the hit game, called Call of Duty: Black Ops II, for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U.

Black Ops II takes place in two different time periods, the 1980s and the year 2025. In the single player mode, players take control of Alex Mason, the protagonist of the first Black Ops game, and his son David during the future portions of the game, to take down a terrorist named Raul Menendez. Game play set in the past uses standard military weapons, while future game play uses futuristic technology on the battlefield, such as drones, gliding suits, and jet packs. Different actions made by the player in Strike Force missions, such as choosing to kill a target or letting them live, will cause the game to produce one of multiple endings.

The single player portion of the game is compelling on it’s own, but the multiplayer really stands out. Certain changes have been made to the multiplayer in comparison to previous entries in the franchise. A token system replaces the point system and allows players to unlock weapons and equipment in the order they desire. The loadout system lets players use 10 points to tweak their weapons, equipment, and perks to suit their play style. League play gives players a spin on competitive play by having everything unlocked, and players are placed into divisions based on their skill levels.

Sharing and social features have been added to the game. League play matches can be streamed through YouTube and codcasting allows players to highlight points of action with a selection of tools.

Zombie mode also makes a comeback in Black Ops 2. A co-op mode called Grief lets 8 players divide into teams of four and compete against each other to survive in the zombie infested wastelands. New maps make their debut in the zombie mode, and one even returns from a previous game in the franchise. Nuketown Zombies is a zombie filled version of Nuketown from the first Black Ops game. Four DLC packs add more maps for players to survive against the zombie hoards, and various weapons are usable, including the popular ray gun that has the ability to take down zombies easily.

Treyarch have outdone themselves with this version of Call of Duty. Their efforts have given gamers a game with an interesting single player campaign that splits between two time periods and essentially combines two games into one. They’ve also taken the classic multiplayer formula from previous games in the franchise and taken it to the next level with new systems. This combined with the fun zombie mode make Black Ops 2 a worthwhile purchase. ClickBlack Ops 2 Download here to download this game for free!