Want to start with six perks, a single grenade and a combat knife? Go for it. Each item is worth a certain number of units, and up to 10 can go into battle. More significant is how loadouts are constructed: they are now unit-based constructs that allow greater freedom instead of having to fill one of each predetermined slot. These can be cashed in for new guns, attachments, perks and all that jazz. CoD Points and the generally great Wagers are out, replaced with more streamlined unlock tokens awarded as you level up. Treyarch has made some smart tweaks to equipment unlocks and loadouts. However, feature-parity isn't quite there: Call of Duty Elite is not supported on Wii U. Undoubtedly improved is the franchise's immensely popular multiplayer suite, no longer the half-step to which Nintendo players have gotten accustomed: the bolstered 16-player count allows the maps to fill with their intended numbers and not feel so empty, kill cams and customized emblems are in, as are all of the playlists and easier voice chat (you can buy specialized headsets but really any with a mic will do, including Apple buds). It feels as though Treyarch has tapped out what that era can offer at times, made up by the future and its droves of drones. Where can a series go after blowing up the Eiffel Tower? In one odd Cold War moment, the desert, galloping about on horseback firing rocket launchers at tanks, apparently. So too do the signature "Call of Duty moments" of the campaign, situations so over the top that the top looks like an ant from up there. Attempts at emotional weight largely fall flat, and without it the stakes don't feel any more high than cartoonish moments of wartime bro-rage Black Ops II's story builds itself up so seriously that it nearly loops back into parody. The story's concept is intriguing but unfolds all over the place, tenuously linking its beats and never quite managing a clear plot line. The default setup for each mission is more than adequate, but it's nevertheless nice to tweak equipment to your preferred play style.īetween its minor branching paths and the personal tilt of the story, one certainly can't say that Treyarch's offering lacks narrative ambition, even though that ambition may not always pan out. Players may also customize loadouts before heading into a mission, choosing primary and secondary weapons, attachments as well as up to three perks. As actions won't influence events too drastically these forks ultimately feel minor, but they do add a little life back into a campaign structure where the rails were becoming increasingly apparent with each game and adds replay value beyond higher difficulties. Some actions are as simple as recovering evidence before it's destroyed, while others come with more weight as a result, this yields the first Call of Duty game with multiple endings. The common thread running through both eras is Raul Menendez, a man from Alex Mason's and Frank Woods' past whose master plan Alex's son David has to put a stop to in the future.īlack Ops II introduces an element of player choice and consequence, allowing actions in one mission to influence later stages. Splitting its time between the late 1980's and the year 2025, Black Ops II's campaign tries to tell a more personal story centered around vengeance amidst the chaos, or, one might argue, chaos as vengeance. While Black Ops II continues to rock the formula boat in good ways, the sequel dials it up in weird places - and down where it maybe shouldn't - and overall feels less like the bold move forward it hopes to be. It was a breath of fresh air, not afraid to tinker with the formula and inject some much-needed flavour.įollowing it up was never going to be easy. By finally carving out their own vision of the franchise, one steeped in Cold War history and with narrative focus, the studio broke out from under Infinity Ward's imposing shadow and pulled off one of the most compelling games in the series. Black Ops was a remarkable achievement for Treyarch.
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