4. The Perceived Lack Of Progression
Scroll through the User reviews on Metacritic (and there are some hilarious, and clearly made-up ones in there), and it becomes immediately evident that a good deal of those reviewers are criticising Black Ops II based on it being the "same garbage as every year." Those same reviews talk of an out-dated engine, poor graphics and the same stunted gameplay as every year, and yet some of the reviews that have appeared online from reputable outlets (more of which later) have praised the game for its intentions to change the franchise, and its pushing of the boundaries of this generation of consoles. For my own money, Black Ops II is a massive achievement, because of what came before it: Modern Warfare 3 was a curiously empty experience that embodied a lot of the problems that regular COD critics drum out every single year, and it was the biggest rallying call for a change to the COD model as Treyarch could have ever wanted. Critics of the franchise (and usually those who critique without playing, or come into the game with impenetrable blinkers) might suggest that we are all idiots for buying a game that never changes, and they would perhaps have a point if it really was the case. But is it really true to say Call of Duty never changes in any other way than its surface? Verdict: The zombies mode is massively expanded, the storyline and setting offer brand new and engaging elements, and the new game modes make Black Ops II a strong contender for this generation's best COD title. It is also a darn-sight more different than MW3, and Treyarch should be commended for their attempts to do something different, and even more heartily for achieving it. I refuse to accept that I, and the game's fans are idiots because COD never changes - because on the evidence of Black Ops II, there is certainly room for change in the world of COD. Hopefully, the next generation will see an even more pronounced change for the next COD title, but for now, I'm more than happy recommending the game as a new, different COD experience.