Black Ops 2: 10 Reasons It's The Best CoD Yet

9. The Story

What surprises most about Black Ops 2's story is that not only is it somewhat coherent and more pared down than the previous games, but it also engages on an emotional level, with David S. Goyer (who wrote The Dark Knight) collaborating for a well-written story that puts paid to its characters. Strong facial animation doesn't hurt, either; we feel the pain of the tortured antagonist, such that he isn't just a foreign "other", but is actually fleshed out well beyond that. Fleeting between the Cold War and the main 2025 narrative could have been disorientating and contrived like it is in so many games, but Goyer has a firm handle on his story, and reins in some of the series' excesses, particularly its overt jingoism, and "America, f**k yeah!" attitude. To this token, the game might go down less-well with the casuals, but those looking for a thoughtful experience will find something surprisingly involving here.