Call of Duty: Black Ops II Xbox 360
User Score
4.5 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1667 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 640 out of 1667
  2. Mixed: 175 out of 1667
  3. Negative: 852 out of 1667

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  1. Captain_Howdy
    May 22, 2013
    7
    I usually don't get many CoD games since, they have the tendency to lack in change, after playing WaW, BO and MW3 at a friends, i realized the game just lost its innovation, if you get this game every year, I'm not sure why you bother, but anyways, after playing this game, I feel like it was worth while. I mean the story mode was pretty alright, took me about 5 to 6 hours off an on, on Veteran. Multiplayer is still the same as ever, although repetitive from previous games, I do give Treyarch a thumbs up for the new pick 10 system, it adds new ways to set up your equipment. I say if you're iffy about the game and have the previous one, don't bother, stick with the one you have, if you're like that haven't bought a CoD game since MW2 give it a try but don't bother with the season pass or dlc, to my opinion it just isn't worth it. If you're a fan of the series, well there's nothing I can tell you to change your mind, you're probably playing it AND have the season pass.… Expand
  2. mohmed
    May 20, 2013
    0
    Black Ops II is just another copy of CoD 4, both multiplayer and singleplayer. The multiplayer is super boring, you'll get completely outgunned by smg's and shotguns, which are much stronger than any assault rifle.
  3. VoxelMob
    May 18, 2013
    5
    ever since black ops 1 the call of duty games have lost their wow I mean the only great thing about this is its story but everything else is just awful like the graphics its just the same thing over and over again and the shooting it is just awful.
    Activision has to let call of duty rest for some time then the games could be more polished and also with a new graphics engine this is what i     want but no they wont because is such a big money maker and will never stop being a money maker I have basically lost hope on the call of duty series now its just gone… Expand
  4. Maxim1925
    May 18, 2013
    4
    This game is not an AAA fps-shooter its only an arcade Xbox shooter with an outdatded old crap engine And ugly graphics and a short,boring Classic story but the multiplayer content is even better.But a month later is became boring.Now I think its only 4 out of 10.
  5. mark1003
    May 16, 2013
    0
    This game is simply unplayable. The story is ridiculous, the gameplay is painful, and don't start about the multiplayer. If you really want to play this bad a game, then you should probably buy Jumper of something like that. Otherwise, steer clear.
  6. Cyroy
    May 13, 2013
    2
    Call of Duty 4 was great, Modern Warfare 2 was playable but everything after that went seriously downhill.

    Just as in MW3 there's a lack of inovation, Yes it might be a succes formula but there are people (most of them who do recognize a good game) who start seeing that nothing is improving. I had myself skip Blops and MW3, because of the lack in improvement that were already noticable     in the trailers, but thought by myself I'll give CoD one more chance. I've never seen 55$ wasted this bad.

    Singleplayer: Wasn't bad, maybe quite enjoyable but a multiplayer game shouldn't rest entirely on the campaign mode.

    MultiPlayer: If I have to sum COD's multiplayer up in a sentence it's free for all team deathmatch, You are in a team yet there's no need to help eachother, because having one good player in your team can win the game and this isn't a good thing, It's TEAM deathmatch, not working together should result in failing miserably.

    Hacking and lagg issues still haven't been solved, They had 3 games to fix this and they still didn't do it.
    And there's nothing new to make MP more enjoyable.

    BLOPS 2 brings nothing new on the table, Same different day. Although the Singleplayer is still enjoyable it doesn't really mean anything for it's unchanged multiplayer, sligthly tweaked engine and graphics and still awfull soundeffects    … Expand
  7. CheckGamesList
    May 13, 2013
    9
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was actually my first owned COD game, and my experience was very good.

    Let me state up front: Haters gonna hate. Opinions are opinions, but the fact that one out of virtually any five ratings are zeroes, which either means that they bought COD, played it for thirty seconds, and threw it out the window, or are other FPS shooter fans who haven't touched the game     and pretended to be an 'unbiased' reviewer.

    The game took tons of effort, and for some reason flash games are appreciated more than this. The reason this isn't a perfect ten is just because of the occasional glitch, the less-than-preferred but still adequate graphics, and of course, I'll understand the community isn't very polite either.

    Other than that, the game's truly great. It's not the same game, having still played other games in the series (not owning them though), and the improvements are obvious.    … Expand
  8. ILoveMyUnicorn
    May 13, 2013
    0
    No really, this game is like the same than 5 years old Call of duty, nothing new, still this casual gameplay and the community online is based on 8 years old people.
  9. mihajlogamer
    May 11, 2013
    10
    The call of duty is my favoruite FPS serial.And this game brings a possibility to choose a one of the 5 ends.This isn't a best Cod,but it's very good because it brings lot of new things in CoD series,like a optional Strike Force missions,5 ways to end a game,two stories and more.
  10. killerghs
    May 10, 2013
    7
    This game is is one of those games that you constantly hear is terrible then when you actually decide to play it your blown away this is one of the better online experiences and with everyone complaining about it being unbalanced yet these guys will go ahead and play mw2 don't miss this game if the price is right its fun with friends and good by your-self
  11. Hybridizm
    May 9, 2013
    6
    Basically once again, Recycled goods? First off I'll start by explaining that I do not hate the CoD franchise in anyway, in fact I was a severe lover of the original games and of course that one particular game that set the bar for all FPS games in the future Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.

    CoD4 easily took at least 25 days of my life away from me, I couldn't put it down at all. The si    mple feeling of gaining two helicopters (7 Killstreak) in one TDM just made you feel like rambo. I remember actually being credited for my performances sometimes, back in the good old days when party chat didn't kill the social aspect of gaming. I enjoyed every mode on that game, for it's simple mechanics and challenging multiplayer.

    Now though? CoD has become nothing more that constant cycle of well yes Recycling. All the new games in the series really add is more killstreak variations, new guns (some old) and new maps. It's because of this, I couldn't find any enjoyment out of reaching max prestige and consistently playing even after that. I would state the single player isn't all that bad but who really buys CoD for the single player? The only reason I've ever bought the latest installments of the franchise is due to friends wanting me to get it, so I'll sit there at the midnight release each year with my pals hoping, just hoping that the next release will hit my gamer heart so hard that I will want to grind the hell out of hitting max prestige again. Sadly none have done this, and I think I will definitely be giving the next game a miss.

    I will however state that regardless of the creativity the game lacks, it's still a fun shooter. Of course it can be frustrating but what FPS isn't. It's worth getting just to shoot a few peeps, but don't expect anything special out of it. I think I will defo be sticking to Battlefield from now on.    … Expand
  12. HaloFreak78
    May 8, 2013
    6
    The only reason this score is so low is because of two words: Lag. Compensation. While you see something on your screen, the server has essentially decide your fate. The person you shot at is already two steps behind you and knifed your back. And don't even get me started on the knifing. Clunkiest melee combat system ever devised. The campaign was interesting, suspensful, and the best of the series. Zombies is back and better than ever. Zombies was the main reason I bought this game. But I digress. If you come for the multiplayer, you are going to throw your controller at your screen a couple of times...like always.… Expand
  13. AdpoGamer
    May 8, 2013
    2
    another game that's just the same as all other Call of Duty games.
    same multiplayer, same guns, same graphics.
    just new maps
    feels like an expansion for black ops.
  14. Iamthejuan
    May 6, 2013
    5
    MW3 and all BF games these BO games

    I am a shooter fan. I don't care about COD versus BF, I want both to be good. The people making these black ops games should go work for resident evil team (since they can't make a good zombie game), and stop trying to make PvP shooters. The only good part about this or BO 1 is the mini-game, and this is supposed to be a warfare simulator not freakin    g Resident Evil.

    It is really bad for new players; the matchmaking does not separate the games by rank, only the teams. Which means if you are level 5 and you are in a game with 10 other max level players, you are going to be highly outgunned no matter what team you are on. The only people who ever use their mic's are 10 year old boys. All around poor playerbase, with very little focus on teamwork. The only way to get a good group with microphones is to be in a clan (or is it klan?), and they expect unrealistic level of dedication from people who play video games in their limited spare time between work and college courses.    … Expand
  15. mask48
    May 4, 2013
    3
    Well, where do I start. As a player of the first cod, i had loved the series and the improving gameplay. That is, till Cod MW 1. i mean, it is also great, but as the new cod games go on, the improvements had slowed down to a crawl. The new cod games keep the same gameplay, barely to nothing new, and very minor improvements. COD Black Ops has the same style of gameplay as COD MW 1, Black Ops 2 is same as MW 2. The games became so lazy with the improvement job, they just paint over the last game. But even with the same stuff over and over again, then why does people just keep buying these games? Out side repeat gameplay, the story is still a little lack luster, but i like the part when COD Black Ops 2 tried to be lest liner by giving more then 1 ending. But honesty, don't buy this game. Every one smart sticks with at least MW2, because they are not really missing out on much.… Expand
  16. Crawdad
    May 3, 2013
    9
    In my opinion black ops2 is the best call of duty yet. The reason I didn't give a perfect score is that the multiplayer, while good, has a lot of downsides such as lag and it feels imbalanced (if you want a good multiplayer, try battlefield). The Zombies mode is incredible. Building and putting things together to use is awesome and genius. After about ten rounds weapons become increasingly weak and ammo low, even LMGs, creating a more frenzied and intense when I play. The graphics (which look really good anyway but are still hated on) are an improvement, especially cutscenes. Many people still say it looks like 2007, but any person telling the truth of has EYES can see it is much better. The campaign is the best in the series by far. More intense, future warfare, and like battlefield the bullets don't always hit right on the reticule, or sight, but are usually close. But the best part is the story. Most choices will affect the ending, and the story is a lot more deep than the rest of the series, and for many military shooter of the simpler type. In the end, it is a well done game, and I don't think cod will drastically change for a long time, after all, they don't wont a reputation destroyer like RE6.… Expand
  17. GrandTrollArmy
    May 3, 2013
    4
    Better than Modern Warfare 3 and not a total copy and paste, this game still falls short of a 60 dollar price tag. The non-linear campaign is appreciated, but there's no real way for players to think strategically on how to make the right choices that will contribute to a better ending. Simple incidents in the story that players could have not foreseen in any way render a previous decision that may have seem good at the time a bad one. It is also the longest campaign in any COD game ticking in at 7-8 hours, but that's first run through, it is well under 4 hours in replays. Multiplayer, ah, multiplayer... IT IS THE EXACTLY THE SAME! OOOOHHH LOOKY HERE NEW PICK 10 SYSTEM SUDDENLY IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS GAMES! It feels, plays, and even looks exactly the same as all the other games. And I know this is a Xbox 360 review section, but the PC version also does not feature dedicated servers players can rent and own. This will become a problem later in this game's cycle. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is still thriving on PC will a large amount of players due to dedicated servers allowing players to customize their experience.

    Multiplayer is just go in, shoot the other players, and get out. They add tons of new game modes this year but most are overly complicated so no one's playing those and some are way too simple that they're down right boring. And multiplayer is INFECTED with 12 and under little kids. There is an average of 240,000 players playing this game's multiplayer on the Xbox 360, subtract all those under the age of 12, and you get the PC player count which is around 12,00-15,000. Multiplayer is boring and is poorly executed. Weapon customization is strong though.

    Zombies mode returns in Black Ops 2 but once again, it proves to be nearly identical to the previous games. Just sit there and wait for the zombies to come, shoot them and kill them until one magically pops out and kills you and that's it. TranZit is neat but really, really gets boring after you played it once. And don't even get me started on Grief mode. No one is playing Grief because it is down right boring. The trailers made grief look like it was going to kick-ass but after I managed to find one match, I found it quite boring.

    Just don't buy this game. Call of Duty is not what it used to be. Activision needs to step up their game, work with new developers and add real innovation to upcoming games, the developers need to take their time and not rush to get in before November.

    COD:

    Children's
    Online
    Daycare    … Expand
  18. WhovianFantatic
    May 3, 2013
    2
    In my opinion the only good cod game was WAW.. the first few were boring hard and uninspired up until WAW then modern Warfare 2 came along.. I thought it was nothing special or nothing spectacular.. but then cod BO 1 came out... its zombies was ok but the story itself was horrible and no tension was caused throughout the entire game.. Then MW3 came out.. and im my opinion that is one of the worst games I have ever played... The game was boring uninspired just like the first few.. cod gets a new game every year and it just goes to show no work is put into it.. This isn worse then MW3 mostly because of its zombie mode but if you think about it. this is the same load of garbage since MW2 the graphics look the exact same and nothing stands out beside 1 mode in zombies.. the rest is boring and stupid.. zombie mode lets us down here only with 1 good thing.. the story line is about 2-3 hours long and it had no tension in it just like the last because all you do is talk about the past... so you know you live until the end.... its worse because I never liked any of the characters and they all felt like this game is crap... and now i hear there are 2 cod games coming out in 2013... give me a break... cod is the same load of garbage every game...… Expand
  19. shakilndtht
    May 2, 2013
    10
    black ops is fit for buying purpose and deserves the rating it gets. the graphics are excellent and when you play it has a smooth game play. this game is very very popular and well known.
  20. aborle
    May 1, 2013
    5
    CoD, CoD never changes. Well that's not completely true. They do try to add new things to the each successive iteration. But the problem is that the changes done this time do nothing to make things better. Assuming that the rest of the game is the same old same old lets look at the changes shall we? (focussing on sp here) :
    -loadout screen in front of each mission ala ranbow six. While t    his might have been welcome addition, it really doesn't matter so much in the CoD universe. i mostly keep switch guns and the game also keeps many different types of guns for us to use during checkpoints anyways.
    -Semi optional tower defense/rts tactical game. Let me tell you, i am a rts enthusiast and even i was thinking "what is this doing inside CoD"? Besides, the units take too long to respond, new units spawn very slowly and the whole mission takes way too much time.
    -Choice system and multiple endings. While i have no proper with such a system,i wonder why was it suddenly given suddenly in blops2? and since the series is such a linear gameplay experience, i was kinda annoyed.
    A point comes in the game where u have to snipe a masked target. I tried to shoot at the guards holding the target and i got a game over screen. But its out you could've saved the guy by shooting his limbs off! Really? Why doesn't it give me a game over wen i do that
    -Story. Implausible on all levels. The bad guy gets caught and escapes so many times, its laughable.

    So there u go. 4 changes that could have improved the game but end up making it worse. Essentially because they are tacked on to the same old game    … Expand
  21. dynamite298
    May 1, 2013
    0
    I dislike all COD games, they are all basically the same but with just different items. I really hate COD games because of their laggyness, unfair battle processes, and everything else is basically unfair.
  22. SirMauz
    Apr 30, 2013
    6
    Remember BlOps 1? Well... this game has similar feelings attached. Sometimes, the levels are AMAZING, and sometimes, you just want to throw your controller through the screen. The Storymode is pretty ok. That's about it. The multiplayer is pretty whacky, because there are a LOT of camper spammers. Ugh. Zombies is a mixed bag; I really enjoy this mode the most, yet... I wish there was more. Plus it is MUCH harder than BlOps 1, due to finding the dang Box. Ha, that aside, I'd say a solid $20 dollar game. Too bad they want $50 for it.… Expand
  23. Virtro
    Apr 29, 2013
    4
    Black Ops 2 is just another copy/paste/edit game. You search for a terrorist, surprise? Not so much. The gunplay is once again the same as it always has been. Just point and shoot and nothing interesting to mix in between. The multiplayer is just as tedious considering its nothing but more hard work for no rewards besides guns and stuff.

    Lets face it, its a bandwagon that is milking the     gamers dry of good money they could be spending on a brighter game. Call of duty isn't worth it anymore people, so why not play something more fresh?… Expand
  24. danibuttpirate
    Apr 27, 2013
    5
    To be honest, I think CoD Black ops 2 was actually great. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't terrible either; it's average. The game is good and I really liked the story line. the zombie mode has become more fun but the multiplayer however has still not changed and fixed its flaws that people like us have been complaining about since Modern warfare came out. Other than that it is OK.
  25. Simon150999
    Apr 27, 2013
    9
    The multilayer was the same as other CoD games more or less, but the singleplayer is where this game truly shines, the first CoD game to ever have multiple endings.
    Go Treyarch!
  26. NeezyBoy
    Apr 27, 2013
    10
    Treyarch's Call of Duty Black Ops 2 is an excellent game. From its Past to Future storyline Campaign which has points in the story that let you pick what you will do and influence the story later in the game to the Multiplayer gameplay which now includes a mode for competitive gamers like myself. This is by far one of the better Call of Duty's I have played. Also the Zombies side of things returns and if you get tired of playing the campaign and multiplayer and you want to do something different you will enjoy killing herds of zombies while trying to find out what led to the outbreak in the first place.… Expand
  27. BeAwesomeOne
    Apr 26, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gosh, I hate this game. Never mind the fact that this is same game as the other games and have same multiplayer like other games from this franchise (only with different HUD), my biggest problem is that this game shouldn't be a sequel! I mean sure, you play as Mason half of the game but the other half is a futuristic FPS. WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH FIRST BLACK OPS?! To be fair, future part of this game has some pretty good features such as camouflage, sticky gloves, that let you climb a rock mountain and sky diving section. Sadly this happen only one or two time in this game. Anyway I don't understand a point of playing both Mason's campaign and future campaign, if Black Ops 2 only contains a Mason's campaign then that's will be fine. Only resemblance in future in BO2 is Woods... that's it!

    In other words this game will be better if they focus mostly about Mason storyline rather than on future soldiers one. If Activision wants to make a futuristic FPS in Call Of Duty, that's fine. But please don't put Black Ops name on it. Called it, I don't know, Futuristic War or something.    … Expand
  28. Tomaskovic93
    Apr 25, 2013
    1
    The only thing this game is good for is being a time waster, a very expensive time waster. You pay 60 dollars for the same game you've been getting every year thinking "this one will actually be good!" but no, you get 5-7 hour single-player campaign that i'm guessing no one even plays. Call of duty is all about their multi-player which hasn't made any significant change since CoD 4. Different guns with the same stats as the previous games. Do not buy it. if you want to spend 60 dollars in order to screw yourself, buy a really nice instead.… Expand
  29. FelixGuzman117
    Apr 25, 2013
    8
    This game is a great game some people have there thoughts about it because they have made the game that it takes more bullets to kill an enemy but that is not a negative aspect the reason why is because it opens the window to more completive gaming And I really like the fact that they have added zombie new zombie game modes Because that content is what everybody has been waiting for The graphics are a bit out dated if you compare them to halo 4 because blacktops 2 is using the same engine that blacktops 1 used But all and all it is a great game If you like previous games you well like this one… Expand
  30. defanual
    Apr 25, 2013
    7
    This review is coming from the perspective of a someone who has never played a COD game which is worth bearing in mind because that seems it will be a large denominator factor on reviews found here. The Good: • Gameplay is tight in a semi-realism arcade shooter kinda way • Campaign is a tour de force • You know when your doing good and you know when your doing really good (I had troad trouble gaging this in Halo)
    • Loads of maps out the box and DLC maps are usually always solid at best if you want to go there
    • Loads of weapons to master and the challenges and different feels disciples of the variety of weapons on offer give the multiplayer extended life
    • Connection time is quick in comparison to many others
    • One of the better map voting systems although not perfect
    • Some nice (fair) tactically gaming changing attachments, scorestreaks and equipment
    • Nice to solid visuals
    • Unmatched levels of polish in presentations and menus (matches it premium price reputation at least)
    • Some nice customisations features

    The Bad:
    • Lag compensation connections issues are deadly in a game of this type and pace and I'm finding this to be a problem more regularly lately which makes playing it very frustrating at times
    • Zombies is pretty boring confusing unplayable without a buddy or 3

    Weapons Equipment Classes
    • Sniper quick-scoping seems ridiculous even for a semi-arcade shooter.
    • No sniper-free modes (Personal wish)
    • Combination snipers (more than one sniper coming into your spawn and multi quick-scoping you from various angles)
    • Tac-inserts, my word, what a hideous snipe-friendly, camp inducing, objective breaking invention. Just too easily and all too often massively abused and is trademark of the hate for the COD brand of gaming.

    Community
    • The map selection can get Halo-like some sessions with maps like Hijacked reappearing a little too much for my thirst for variety especially in a map filled game (even prior to DLC)
    • There's no real benefit for staying in a game where your losing or especially where your getting destroyed
    • Random public games are unbalanced one-sided affairs
    • No offense but the community mindset overall seems pretty negative and one dimensional in many respects
    • Domination is always the be all and end all, there's a preference for easy one-sided tactics and play even if it results in the game being very boring.
    • Mic use is random and usually full of nonsense talk and raging
    • Custom design banners are often unimaginative and or overwhelmingly vulgar sexist (women's breasts, men you get the idea)
    • Random invites and messages of people begging you to checkout their 1 million and 5th COD run-of-the-mill-to-poor youtube channel
    • No easy way of forming a band of like-minded similar level public players to soften the blows and make games more challenging
    • Matching public random players against mic using teams clans, not cool.

    Closing, overall, when the connections good (or at least fair), your teams good (or decent) and everything else is good (massively benefit from playing with buddies), this can be a great game unmatched in it's category (far more varied, tactical and rewarding then say halo 4's effort).

    But it's often spoilt by it's lag compensation connection nonsense and in a large part by it's community and it's tactics (in individual and team play) to only dominate at the expense of everything and everyone else.

    Could give it a 6 6.5 but the highs when things are working are better than that to be fair.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. Xbox World Australia
    Jan 22, 2013
    80
    This is not to say it's a bad game, it's just not different enough from previous Call of Duty titles. The story isn't memorable, the maps and weapons aren't any different to what we've previously experienced, the gameplay is near identical to previous games, and when it's not identical it falls flat and fails to impress.
    Read full review
  2. X360 Magazine UK
    Jan 19, 2013
    80
    It's fun, and an indication that Treyarch is willing to explore ideas that Infinity Ward has thus far ignored. [Issue#93, p.74]
  3. DailyGame
    Jan 7, 2013
    95
    If the original Black Ops was Treyarch's coming-out party, then Black Ops 2 is the studio's affirmation that their COD expertise was no flash in the pan. If you're one of the 16 people who hasn't played this gem yet, go buy it now. Conversely, if you're among those who bought the game but hasn't ventured into the single-player campaign (yes, it happens), there's a great narrative and divergent gameplay awaiting your experimentation, so check it out.
    Read full review
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