Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Great multiplayer"

I bought Black Ops II expecting that it would be just like all of the other Call of Duty games that have ever released. Black Ops was a bit original, had a more interesting way of approaching things then the Modern Warfare games.. Zombies was a huge success, and was quite fun for a little while.

But like pretty much all first-person shooters, you can expect what is to be expected. A somewhat interesting campaign that keeps you entertained until you're finished (which is good), a multiplayer that you'll either love or hate (which could be good or bad), and a new way of approaching zombies that honestly doesn't seem very new (which isn't so good).

Call of Duty games are all about "Oh no, bad guys, open fire" and then a little bit of narrative which is then proceeded by another massive fire fight, and more bad guys. Things have a way of getting interesting every here and there. (For Example, using gadgets, or leaping across a mountain Mission Impossible II style, but overall its the same ol' same ol' that you get with games of this genre (for the most part).

The Graphics are very well done, very smooth and vibrant. All of the effects are well created, there are the occasionally texture problems, and lagging issues. But Black Ops II does a pretty good job of keeping you in the game the whole time free from distractions or annoyances.

The campaign is just like any other Call of Duty campaign, fire fight after fire fight after fire fight. It is entertaining though, and that is what Black Ops II has going for it. Also, there is a new way of selecting your equipment before missions, and side-missions you can take on via "strike forces".

These new additions make the game a little more interesting then its predecessors, but they are only brief entertaining distractions from the main campaign which is pretty much just like any of the other campaigns but with a new story, some new characters, and some nice futuristic weapons and gadgets.

The multiplayer is a bit nicer then the previous games.. of course its a downgrade in some ways from the original Black Ops, since they trashed the idea of character customization, and overall threw away the interesting aspects of how to purchase weapons, and complete jobs to earn more cash. But you'll still enjoy yourself for a bit, if you like shooters in the first place that is.

Zombies has been supposedly renewed, which means.. "We have some new maps and a magic school bus". Again, expect what is to be expected... some people love it, some people don't. It just becomes a matter of opinion.

PARENTAL SECTION

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is rated M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs.

Like all the recent Call of Duty games, again expect what is to be expected.

Lots of killing, shooting, stabbing, explosions, obscenities, and bloodshed.

Of course for parents who are concerned about this content, there is an option to disable "Graphic Content".

This removes the blood, gore, and some of the major vulgarities.. But sometimes (even when playing zombies) they cannot remove what is already been put in the narrative, which sometimes contains the F word. This is just simply unavoidable at times, but all of the major bloodshed and gore is gone.

If you do not remove the Graphic Content, here is what you're looking at.

Blood spraying and spurting out of enemies that are killed, blood staining the walls and floors, blood pooling out of dead enemies, pretty constant uses of f**k and sh*t, and some nice dismemberment that will occasionally happen with gunfire, or always happen with explosions of any kind.

Use of drugs takes place in one particular part of the main campaign, which has you go down underground where the baddies keep their "stash" of drugs, and where they're cooking it as well. Also one of the main antagonists uses a weapon like drug (If that is even what it is) to make himself go "berserk" and become unstoppable, you play as him during this sequence, and you are unstoppable, gunning down all the enemies in your path.

Suggestive themes include some dancing at a nightclub (which is not really too suggestive at all, pretty casual actually). In TranZit, one of the characters is a woman who has an open blouse that reveals some of her bra and cleavage. Besides that not anything very severe, maybe some pictures of bikini clad girls in advertisements or billboards for the beach and such.

Online, people will do as they please... cuss you out, or perhaps make their emblem (multiplayer symbol that is displayed after you create it with various shapes and colours) distinctly inappropriate. You just expect the worst with that. Of course people have a way of flagging inappropriate emblems and such, and muting players.

Overall just another CoD game, with some unique aspects that add to it, and some things that take away from it.. It all boils down to whether or not CoD is your thing, if its not, this game is alright, if it is, this is probably one of the better games of 2012.

Thanks for reading.

-ARBALON