“Putting aside its story-related wobbles, Black Ops II’s
campaign proves yet again why Call of Duty is such a
tough act to follow for other shooters of this nature.”
Ops II is still just Call of Duty.
And that sentence alone will be
enough for you to decide if you’ll
be impulsively throwing money
at or steering well clear of its
recognisable antics.
Its single-player campaign is split
between two time frames: one set
in the later years of the ‘80s, just
before the end of the Cold War, the
other taking place in the year 2025.
The former sees us cast as Alex
Mason, who you may remember as
the protagonist of the original Black
Ops. The latter, meanwhile, puts us
in the manly combat boots of Alex’s
son David. These two generations of
Mason find themselves embroiled
in a globe-threatening conspiracy
manufactured by Nicaraguan
super-terrorist, Raul Menendez.
Menendez has fashioned himself
a massive, loyal following eager
to support his goals of worldwide
economic equality, and his superior
capabilities as an anarchist and
grand manipulator make him a
terrifying threat. To refrain from
potential spoilers, all I’ll say is that
Black Ops II’s biggest single-player
failing is its inability to harness the
potential of its globetrotting tale
in any meaningful way. It’s obvious
throughout that this could’ve been a
truly riveting narrative experience,
but because it’s told in such a
haphazard, disjointed way, it’s a
chore to follow and therefore it’s
nigh impossible to attach any real
significance to it.
Putting aside its story-related
wobbles, Black Ops II’s campaign
proves yet again why Call of Duty
is such a tough act to follow for
other shooters of this nature. It
is easily the best in its class, an
explosive mix of Hollywood-style
presentation, powerful set pieces
and meticulous scripting. And
yes, it’s still far too comfortable
with yanking control away from
the player to dole out its scripted
intensity. In a year where we’ve
had gems of player choice and
environmental freedom like
Dishonored and XCOM, Black Ops
II’s painfully linear corridors and
excessive hand-holding feel all the
more groan-worthy. Thankfully,
the campaign’s Strike Force
missions are attempts at making
the experience less forcibly guided
than previous COD outings – but the
results are mixed. These missions
are optional, time-limited side
missions that see you aiming to
complete objectives like defending
key locations, assassinating highvalue targets or rescuing captured
allies. You’re given control of
squads of various unit types, from
SEAL operatives to agile, machine
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