9. It's A Marked Improvement From Black Ops
The original Black Ops, while a fun game to play, was a narrative disappointment. The whole experience felt rather hollow by the end, especially compared to the then superior Modern Warfare 2. In fact, the only real reason to own a copy at this point, besides Gary Oldman and Ed Harris' stunning voice works, is the Zombie mode. Perhaps it was the sudden jump from World War II to totally modern military conflicts, or maybe it was the switch to a singular storyline instead of the traditional "all angles" storytelling the series was famous for, but the game just didn't seem to be as fun as the others before it. Though, to be fair, it was still a step up from the mediocrity that was World at War. With Black Ops II though, Treyarch learned its lesson: dial down the trippy numbers, throw in multiple storylines, and at the same time build upon the better aspects of the first game. What we have now is a series that focuses on modern military history, while at the same time engaging in the speculative aspects of Modern Warfare, right down to theorising future weapons technology. It's this best of both worlds approach that has pushed the Black Ops series ahead of the once superior Modern Warfare series and turned a fledgling sub-brand into a new lease on life for the franchise.