Why I Hate Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

When Activision announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, or BO2, the Internet became alive with teaser trailers, tips, and plot predictions. When the actual trailer was released, Internet became alive with posts about why this game would be incredible. For God's sake, it was set in the future. Basement-dwelling nerds and casual Saturday-night players alike all joined in mutual excitement and anticipation of the newest title in the Call of Duty series. And when BO2 finally hit stores on November 13, 2012, it had the biggest entertainment launch in history. I'm not ashamed to say I camped out for the midnight release with a few friends. I had the game, and everything was great. But then, something terrible happened: I turned on my PS3 and put BO2 inside.

Understand, writing a rant on this video game was near impossible, simply because there's so much that I hate, I was unsure where to begin. So, I decided to brainstorm until my thoughts coalesced into one cohesive, well-written review. Well, you can see how that turned out here. I do want to make it clear, however, that I do not hate EVERYTHING about this game. But I do feel the multiplayer game mode is severely lacking.

The multiplayer mode in BO2 is almost a complete overhaul of the system. In this title, Activision and Treyarch decided to implement the new 'Pick 10' system. Now, I can't explain the Call of Duty "Create-a-Class" system, so I'll summarize the 'Pick 10' innovation by simply saying this: The 'Pick 10' system allows more customization based on player preference for each class than in any other title before it. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. Treyarch has made this system a double-edged sword by making proficiencies that were perks in previous games into gun attachments. For example, the perk "Sleight of Hand" allowed players to reload their weapons faster in previous titles. In BO2, however, this proficiency has become a gun attachment. Why is this bad, you ask? Well, it significantly reduces the bang for your buck when it comes to customizing your personal classes. This has made the game much harder, and for less experienced players, no fun at all.

Another pitfall of the developments made in BO2 is the new "Scorestreaks" system. In previous titles, a player would be rewarded for going on what was dubbed a "killstreak". This was when a player would rack up a certain amount of kills within one life, that is, without dying. These rewards ranged from a pack of dogs that would hunt down the opposing team to a radar scanner that would identify enemies on the HUD (Heads-Up-Display). In BO2, however, these rewards are now based on how many points a player gets within one life. This add-on has had a negative effect on the game in a big way. The developers feel that since the game's rewards are now based on score, they should be much harder to acquire, and to an extent, I agree. You can get points from just about anything, and I think it would be unfair if the "Scorestreaks" were accessible to less experienced players. But the exact opposite has happened. For example, in Call of Duty: Black Ops (this game's prequel), a pack of dogs required 11 consecutive kills. In BO2, however, a pack of dogs requires 1900 points, which is equivalent to 19 consecutive kills. NINETEEN. The level of skill required to get 19 consecutive kills in BO2 is ridiculous, and it's safe to say that level of skill is not possessed by all the members of the COD community.

Listen. I understand that the hair-pulling frustration one experiences while playing any Call of Duty title is what makes the franchise so addictive to many. I too have taken pleasure in destroying 7 year old children screaming into a microphone about "noobs" and "try-hards". And I have also thrown my own controller at the walls of my room in anger, only to pick it back up and try again. But these were all because I was besting, or being bested by other players. In BO2, however, I no longer feel the urge to try again. I also understand that the series has been around for a while, and that the developers feel the need to breathe life back into the franchise. But most people have been playing the games since the series was introduced. We've become accustomed to the style of the series, and we wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, all the additions this game has have made it impossible for veterans of the series, like myself, to enjoy the game. That is why I don't think Activision should try to completely revamp the series, and that is why I hate Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.