Dave Brown
We have been talking a lot about Call of Duty: Black Ops II for the past few weeks and now that the game is out, we finally get the chance to ask if it is worth the price of admission or not. Activision has been so gracious as to give us a copy of the game for the purpose of this review. I would like to take a look at each of the different modes in the game ultimately, but would like to start with a mode that has been close to our hearts for a while now, the zombies mode.
The Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a much more fleshed out experience than it has been in previous releases. In the zombies mode you can choose to do the story centric Tranzit mode, the Survival mode, or the new 8 player Grief mode.
Tranzit is the so called meat and potatoes of Zombies mode as it allows you to traverse an open world setting finding all of the mysteries that the map has to offer all the while avoiding the hoardes of the undead that are following right at your heels. In Tranzit you and up to three other players start out in the bus terminal on a ruined earth. The dead have overrun everything and all you have at your disposal are your combat knife and a handgun. It is up to you to find the weapons to survive from this point on.
As in the past games, as you kill zombies you gain point that can be used to purchase weapons, purchase powerups or access parts of the map that are locked. In Tranzit mode you have two very important new additions to your survival plan. The first is the zombie bus which will allow you safe passage from one part of the map to the next, but is also succeptable to zombies attacks. The bus can also be upgraded with parts that are scattered around the map allowing for ladders which will allow roof access and various other add ons.
The second addition is buildables. As mentioned earlier with the bus, you have the ability to find items scattered throughout the map. These items can be combined at workbenches around the map and used to create a number of different things including a tool that will open locked doors without the need for points in some cases. Tranzit is a fun mode, but be cautioned that you will have a very hard time if you choose to go alone.
If you don't feel like discovering the mysteries that lie within Tranzit you can play the survival maps, which function much in the same way that they have in the past, these are very fun maps that lend themselves to fast action and a dash of strategy. The other mode that you can try out is the Grief mode. This new mode allows two teams of four to take over a map and fight with or against each other against the undead. The ultimate goal of this mode is for one team to be left standing.
You cannot just kill the other team members though, you must make them die from the zombies. All the team work in the world will allow you to survive far into the waves, but at the end of it all the question becomes when to choose to turn on the other team and fight your way to survival and victory.
With this all being said, I can enthusiastically say that Call of Duty:Black Ops II Zombies mode is everything that fans of the previous games asked for and so much more. There is enough to keep even the most seasoned hunter busy for a while. The tight controls and great ambiant sounds keep you in the action and you will be on edge the whole time. Run out and pick up this game today. This is just one mode and there is so much to offer, the multiplayer and single player mdoes are great additions that all create one hit game.
Call of Duty is available now on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 systems and retails for $59.99. Stay tuned to the blog as we further follow this game through the add ons and if you are lucky we may even throw in a few surprise announcements along the way.
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