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Fan Outrage Brings the Nuketown 2025 Map Back to Call of Duty: Black Ops II Multiplayer
After suddenly pulling a popular pre-order multiplayer map from Black Ops II online play yesterday, Activision added it back to a new playlist called Chaos Moshpit. Game design director David Vonderhaar from dev studio Treyarch—who delivered the bad news—made it seem possible that the map could come back in a tweet late yesterday: That was…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 20, 2012 -
Crazy Man Plays Call of Duty For 122 Hours Straight*
Okan Kaya, an Australian sales manager from Sydney, has set a new world record for the longest consecutive gaming session, racking up 122 hours playing the recently-released Black Ops II It’s a feat with a disclaimer, though: as Wired reports, he didn’t really play for 122 hours in a row. Because the human body would,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 19, 2012 -
560 People Are Playing Black Ops II Online on the Wii U Right Now
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is now out on the Wii U. It’s just not being played online that much. Too many people still at work or in school? Console too new? People drawn to other Wii U games? Everyone distracted by the surprisingly terrific Miiverse? It’s early days, so these stats will be…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 19, 2012 -
Activision Suddenly Pulls Nuketown 2025 Map from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Multiplayer
Earlier this month, Activision announced that it would let people who pre-ordered the publisher’s latest FPS mega-hit play on a re-imagined version of the popular Nuketown multiplayer map. That part of the promotion turned out to be true. But that access to the special battleground appears to have been suddenly revoked. The sudden bad news…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 19, 2012 -
Square Enix, COD‘s Japanese publisher, announced that Call of Duty Elite won’t support Japanese—no plans, either.
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2012 -
Backhanded Box Quotes: When ‘Best Call of Duty Ever!’ Isn’t a Compliment
Welcome back to “Backhanded Box Quotes,” a collection of measured, thoughtful criticism from the user reviews of Metacritic. This week we examine games from two series that frequently are accused of impersonating each other: Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Halo 4 Call of Duty: Black Ops II Released: Nov. 13. Critic: MasterOfMetroid (Metacritic)…
By Owen Good Published November 16, 2012 -
Black Ops 2 Multiplayer Is Still The Call of Duty You Love…Or Hate
I’ve spent the last week playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s multiplayer; arguably the real reason many will purchase the game. While I still have a lot to experience—the number of unlocks is ridiculous, and the competitive metagame is difficult to discern this early—I still think I’ve got a reasonable feel for it all.…
By Patricia Hernandez Published November 16, 2012 -
My Favourite Black Ops II Moment Was When a Hollywood Legend Gets His Dues
There are a number of Hollywood stars lending their talents to Black Ops II. Sam Worthington returns as Mason, for example. The only thing Worthington provides, though, is his voice. Others got to be in the game. You might recognise Admiral Briggs as Tony Todd, while Harper bears a resemblance to his voice actor, Michael…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 16, 2012 -
Black Ops II’s Ending Sure Was Terrible (For Me)
Stephen made a great point earlier in the week when he compared Black Ops II to, of all things, Mass Effect. The way the game is punctuated with moments that can re-shape an entire experience with a single decision is an unexpected and welcome move for a series that’s so often criticised for being little…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 15, 2012 -
Black Ops II‘s Zombie Mode: a Bit of Left 4 Dead, a Bit of Adventure Games, and a Whole Lot of Fail
When I had enough of Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s campaign, I decided to spend some time with its more fantastical mode, Zombies. These are my thoughts. There are three game types: the story-based “Tranzit,” the classic “Survival,” and, less excitingly, the maliciously spirited “Grief.” All overtly have the same premise: using teamwork, survive/kill…
By Patricia Hernandez Published November 15, 2012 -
The Sounds And Stylings Of Black Ops II‘s Kick-Ass Soundtrack
I haven’t played enough of Black Ops II to render a real verdict on how I feel about as a game, I can say for sure that I really enjoy the soundtrack. It’s a cut up from past games in the series, an exciting, diverse blend of whirling orchestral parts, ethnic instruments and atmospheric electronics.…
By Kirk Hamilton Published November 15, 2012 -
At Least Black Ops II Doesn’t Lecture Me Every Time I Die
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” It was General Douglas MacArthur who said that, and his words are as true now as they were in his time. The reason I know MacArthur said that is because…
By Kirk Hamilton Published November 15, 2012 -
Of Course There’s a Dubstep Scene in Black Ops II.
How will future historians be sure that Call of Duty: Black Ops II was released in 2012 or thereabouts? Because its campaign had a shootout set to dubstep. It’s short. It’s a little silly. It’s also the perfect time capsule moment.
By Stephen Totilo Published November 15, 2012 -
Rumor: 2013’s Call of Duty is Another Modern Warfare Game
According to a report on Siliconera, next year’s Call of Duty game will take place in the same universe as Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare titles. The site’s source, related to the game’s voice acting, is the same one who accurately leaked a ton of Sleeping Dogs info over a year before that game’s release, so…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 14, 2012 -
Wired explains why the world’s most popular first-person shooter doesn’t have a big pro gaming scene.
By Stephen Totilo Published November 14, 2012 -
After The Credits Roll In Black Ops II, Terrible Things Happen
Needless to say, there are spoilers in both this video and post. If you don’t want to know what the post-credit shenanigans are all about, feel free to move along. Now that we’re all clear, watch the above video with the most ridiculous post-credit scene I’ve been forced to watch, where two of Black Ops…
By Tina Amini Published November 14, 2012 -
Call of Duty Is More Than Fancy Weapons. It’s Also Fancy Outfits.
Some people love Call of Duty. Some hate it. Some are totally indifferent. And then, some enjoy dressing up as Call of Duty characters. Here’s a bit—but not all—of the internet’s best COD cosplay. The outfits range from the earlier Call of Duty games to the more recent ones, like World at War, Modern Warfare…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 14, 2012 -
Remember: This is How Call of Duty Games Are Made Now
A reminder (this pic is from May) that when you fire up Black Ops II and about an hour in are greeted by horses, Activision’s billions do not get you hand-animated horses. They get you this It’s like Andy Serkis lay down and dreamed of Vladimir Putin… Black Ops 2 preview [PC Gamer]
By Luke Plunkett Published November 14, 2012 -
Black Ops II’s Weapons, Broken Down Into Tiny Statistics
If you’re about to settle in for 11 months of Black Ops II multiplayer, you’d do well to take this chart with you, as it shows just about everything you need to know about all the game’s weapons. Having spent four days doing nothing but shooting and recording data, pwnsweet and his brother can now…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2012 -
If Everything’s a Call of Duty Clone, Why Can’t Anyone Outdo Call of Duty?
Whenever a military-themed shooter comes out, the first thing many people say is “oh great, here comes another Call of Duty clone”. It’s a term used as a slur against a game, saying that it’s not just copying another game, it’s copying another game that for many has long run out of ideas. Why, then,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2012