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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 review: War on three fronts
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 succeeds in many ways, living up to promises of a branching campaign, expanded Zombies mode, and a new spin on multiplayer customization. The ideas coming out of developer Treyarch are exactly what the annual franchise needs, especially under the intense scrutiny of a vocal shooter audience.There's a charm missing from Black Ops 2, however, and it resonates throughout many of the enhanced modes. The mystery surrounding the characters from the original Black Ops is abandoned, and clandestine operations are pushed out of the way in favor of bombastic, public battles. That charm is especially missed in the open-world zombie mode, which expands at the cost of becoming less inviting.Despite those missteps, Black Ops 2 showcases a powerful multiplayer component that betters its predecessors, setting a new series standard for customization and features.%Gallery-170816%
Black Ops 2 'Nuketown Zombies' now in DLC Season Pass, out in December
Originally included as an incentive in the "Hardened," "Care Package" and "Digital Deluxe" versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the Nuketown Zombies map will now be included in the DLC Season Pass, too. Nuketown Zombies will debut to Season Pass holders some time in December.The Nuketown Zombies map is a variant of the Nuketown 2025 multiplayer map available to all pre-orderers, an updated version of the fan-favorite Nuketown from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Read Black Ops 2's security policy and don't get banned
Treyarch's Security and Enforcement Policy for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 can serve as a guide to keeping you playing and safe from bans. Most of the rules are simple: don't use any hacks or modded code, don't use "unsupported" external hardware or software, don't be offensive or racist.With the new livestreaming functionality comes a few new rules specific to it, though they cover familiar territory: "Any user who is found to have offensive or unauthorized content in their live stream is subject to penalty," Treyarch warns. "Offensive content includes but is not limited to foul language, racially charged language, and nudity. Unauthorized content includes but is not limited to unlicensed music, TV shows, movies and brand logos." Minor offenses will result in temporary bans from streaming; "extreme offenders" will be reported to streaming providers (YouTube) for account deletion.Consult the full rules here, and don't be the kind of person who needs to consult the rules.
Black Ops 2 stats won't be reset at launch, says Treyarch
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 multiplayer stats won't be nuked back to nil when the game officially releases tomorrow. Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar took to Twitter to say there won't be a reset at launch. So if you have an early copy your stats should be preserved come launch day, unless you're a "bad person doing bad things."While there are undoubtedly those who've gotten hold of an early copy via unscrupulous means, there are going to be plenty of people who got one legitimately. Heck, Amazon is already sending out pre-ordered Wii U copies.
'The Making of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2' hits DirecTV tomorrow night
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 won't be blowing up living rooms until Tuesday, but an explosive methadone comes to DirecTV tomorrow night in the form of The Making of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.Premiering at 7 p.m. Eastern on the satellite carrier's Audience Network (channel 239), the documentary features interviews with the development team, voice actors, outside consultants and professional gamers that all contributed in some way to the CoDBlOps 2's production. Reruns are scheduled for Monday night at 10 p.m. Eastern and Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern, but by then we're sure you'll already have reached the highest pinnacle of multiplayer progression.
Wii U games pre-ordered from Amazon begin shipping
Okay so, we've got some good news and some bad news for people who pre-ordered their Wii U games from Amazon. The good news, as you've probably guessed, is that some games are already making their way to players' homes, as is made evident by ultra-cool Joystiq reader Jerry's copy of Black Ops 2, seen above. Technically, this game isn't supposed to be out until Tuesday, and that's for consoles that exist.The bad news, unfortunately, is that the actual Wii U itself remains locked away in an Amazon distribution center somewhere until November 18. So, while it's awesome that your game arrived before everyone else has the chance to buy it at retail, there's not a whole lot you can actually do with it. Smell the manual, I guess?[Thanks, Jerry!]
Call of Duty Elite's 'TV' content previewed
Through the Call of Duty Elite service, Activision plans to release periodic videos about Black Ops 2 gameplay strategies, along with community-made clips of interest, starting November 13. Here is a video about those videos.
Black Ops 2 built-in live streaming is tied to YouTube, on Xbox, PS3 [Update: PC, too!]
Black Ops 2 features YouTube live streaming on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Activision and Treyarch announced today. The game's built-in live streaming was revealed earlier this year, but we know now it's tied to YouTube. Today's announcement only confirmed built-in live streaming for PS3 and Xbox 360, with Wii U and PC versions not included.The launch feature lets players stream multiplayer League Play games direct from their consoles to YouTube user channels and the Call of Duty Elite service. Webcam and audio commentary feeds can also be included in the stream, while Elite integration lets viewers see the player card of whoever's streaming, as well as additional data like class loadouts and career stats.Update: Activision has confirmed that live streaming is also available in the PC version of Black Ops 2 without the use of third-party software.
How elders react to a trailer, gameplay video of Black Ops 2
The Fine Brothers make it their business to take America's pulse on important issues such as Gangnam Style, Skrillex, the Mars landing and the 2012 election, by showing raw videos to uninitiated groups of people. In that sense, Elders React to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a tribute to the country.
Black Ops 2 welcomes you to Nuketown 2025
Did you know you could time travel? Sure, all you have to do is watch this trailer for Black Ops 2's Nuketown 2025 map – available to all those who pre-order – and you'll be transported directly into the future. Ain't technology grand?
Black Ops 2 soundtrack hitting iTunes alongside game launch
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 soundtrack, a joint effort of Trent Reznor and Jack Wall, will be available for download on iTunes this upcoming Tuesday, right alongside the launch of Treyarch's game. If you want a sample, you can listen to the main menu theme song right now on YouTube.If you're picking up the Hardened Edition or Care Package Collector's Edition, the soundtrack is included, so don't sweat the iTunes soundtrack.
Black Ops 2's live-action TV ad is by Guy Ritchie, stars Tony Stark
This live-action trailer for Black Ops 2 is nothing if not fun. First up, you have Robert Downey Jr bringing a jet to a gunfight, and when we say Downey Jr we of course mean Tony Stark, all conceited and glib and impossible-to-dislike.And if you're going to do that, you may as well throw in Kyle Myers AKA YouTube weapons dude FPSRussia, and among many other ridiculous things a horse. It supposedly ties in to the Nuketown 2025 multiplayer map which comes with pre-orders, but we reckon Ritchie just decided to have a laugh.
Wii U voice chat sounds pretty complicated
Nintendo is approaching voice chat on Wii U from a very ... odd angle. Select games will support voice chat via third-party, officially licensed headsets plugged into the WiiPad's headphone jack, but voice chat will not be standard across all games or even the system itself. Even though the WiiPad has a built-in microphone, it can't be used for voice chat.Things get a bit more complicated when you enter the Pro Controller into the mix. The Pro Controller doesn't even have a headphone jack, so for a game like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, players will need to plug their headset into the WiiPad and set it next to them while they play with the Pro Controller.So far the only games listed to support in-game voice chat are Assassin's Creed 3, Mass Effect 3 and Black Ops 2. Nintendo has yet to announce voice chat support for any further games, never mind detailed plans of the Wii U's online suite.
Black Ops 2 Wii U won't launch with Call of Duty Elite
Black Ops 2's Elite service won't be available in any form on the Wii U at launch, Activision says."We are currently evaluating options for Call of Duty Elite to support Nintendo's Wii U game system, however Call of Duty Elite for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will not support this platform when the game launches on November 13," Activision tells Kotaku.This is true in more than just the Elite sense, since the Wii U doesn't launch until November 18 in North America. Activision recently announced Elite will be free across all platforms for Black Ops 2 and will have a season pass for DLC, at least on Xbox 360. There's no word yet on a season pass for other platforms, but Activision is "working with Nintendo" to bring it to Wii U.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launch trailer is all gunfire and gadgets, that one AC/DC song
Activision's final pre-launch video barrage for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has arrived, giving us an ample look at the techno-gadgets and many, many explosions sure to pervade the campaign. Plus there's that one song that just seems to make all explosions a bit more explodey, so that's nice.
All of Call of Duty Elite free for Black Ops 2, DLC season pass announced [Update: Activision 'working' to get DLC on Wii U]
All Call of Duty Elite services for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be free, Activision has announced. Previously, a premium Elite subscription offered an extra tier of services and guaranteed early access to downloadable map packs. This time around, it appears that early access to DLC is no longer available, though Xbox 360 players will be able to purchase a season pass for $50. The season pass will include access to four map packs throughout 2013. With each map pack normally priced at $15, season pass holders will save a total of $10.No season pass has been announced for PS3, Wii U or PC and, in fact, the press release notes that "season pass and DLC map packs may not be available on all gaming platforms." It seems unlikely that Activision would neglect to offer such lucrative DLC on every possible platform, though the language is worth noting.The decision to make Elite free is an interesting one, especially given how (very) successful the program has been. After debuting to 6.5 million units sold, Modern Warfare 3 moved over 600,000 Elite subscriptions in a single week. Then again, given that the season pass will sell for the same $50 price, the difference may be negligible. Also, apart from a few extra perks, the premium version of Elite was essentially a season pass to begin with, so not much has changed.Update: We asked Activision to clarify the statement regarding the DLC on other platforms. The publisher noted that it is "working with Nintendo" to bring both the DLC and the season pass to the Wii U version of Black Ops 2. It made no mention of the PS3 and PC versions though, again, we doubt Activision would ignored two major platforms.
Black Ops 2 pre-order bonus includes double XP launch weekend
Black Ops 2 will have a double XP event during its launch weekend, from November 16 - 18, tied to pre-orders. We've known for a while that pre-orders will get the Nuketown 2025 bonus map – now it looks like downloading that map will give players free access to the double XP party.Nuketown 2025, a reimagining of the original Black Ops map, and the double XP access is available in pre-orders from Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop, Target, Toys 'R' Us and Walmart for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC (including Steam).
How Black Ops 2 handles 'Prestige,' adds levels to Combat Training, and focuses on Party Games
In the last of many features revealed before Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's November 13 launch, we return to the all-important multiplayer.Though hardcore shooter fans can throw themselves into the competitive arena and find fun, players with less skill often feel intimidated by the mode. Spawning and being beaten into the ground, as it turns out, isn't any fun.There's a lot Treyarch wants to do to address that feeling, such as offering tiered League matches and improving matchmaking; however, that can't guarantee things will draw people into a world they may despise out of intimidation.%Gallery-166814%
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 'Zombies' terrorize an open world, 8-player 'Grief' mode introduced
Treyarch's bonus zombie mode was meant as a special, throwaway time destroyer when it was injected into Call of Duty: World at War. "It's born out of the passion of the team," Treyarch boss Mark Lamia says at a recent preview event showcasing more multiplayer content and teasing the co-operative zombie killing mode.Though its popularity has grown with each Call of Duty release tasked to Treyarch – the team behind this fall's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – the developer has never attempted to attach a fiction to the mode. As Lamia tells us, the fervent zombie mode fan community has taken on that job for itself."The story is kind of crowd-sourced. It's this phenomenon. It was amazing, when we put it out, people wanted to attach a story to it and you saw them start to do it." Fans began to link elements from the zombies mode, Lamia notes – including everything from textures used in the mode to weapons strewn about – in order to connect it to the franchise's established narrative.With its most aggressive fans busy thrusting themselves into the role of fan fiction auteur, Treyarch continues to expand the zombie play space. So much has its concept for the mode grown, it's hard to imagine we won't one day see zombies as its own standalone game in the future. Until then, the latest iteration of the zombies mode is peppered with the same ambition we've seen scattered throughout the rest of Black Ops 2.%Gallery-166597%
These are the 23 games launching with the Wii U on November 18
Nintendo's nailing down a specific date for nearly half of its Wii U "launch window" lineup, and it's the same day that the console arrives in North America: November 18. 23 games will land at retail alongside the Wii U this November, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, and FIFA Soccer 13. Minigame collection Nintendo Land will launch with the 32GB, $350 version of the Wii U console, and will also be available separately on Nov. 18 -- all Nintendo first-party games will be available digitally at launch as well. Earlier this month, the company revealed just over 50 titles planned for the Wii U's "launch window," which comprises November 18, 2012 through March 31, 2013. The full list of all titles is just below.%Gallery-165242%
