Treyarch
Black Ops 2 initially apart from being a bit more colourful I couldn't help thinking that I was playing MW3, it is a much faster paced game than BO and you seem to die very fast. But after a few weeks and way to many hours of game time, I think that Treyarch have stepped it up a notch or two.
The Weapons:
Yes the SMG's are OP but only at close range, which in reality is what an SMG should be good at. I haven't lost to a SMG many times at long range though, not so true for MW3 where you would constantly get out gunned across the map by the MP7 or UMP.
Assault rifles feel very evenly matched, the one that stands out to me is the FAL, throw 'Auto Fire' select switch on this thing and it turns into one mean gun. It will even match the SMG's at close range, just hold that trigger down and hip fire your heart out. The SWAT & the M8A1 are the burst assault rifles and as usual have the fastest "Time To Kill" but as always accuracy is the key.
The pistols are definitely OP (but no where near as OP as the machine pistols of MW3), the B23R is an absolute Beast and I think it may get patched, I realy hope not because you still need to be accurate. That applies to all the pistols and their range is nothing to write home about. Probably the thing that makes the pistols feel more OP than they are is, if you choose to run a Secondary only, no Lethals or Tacticals then you can run 6 perks which is a big benefit when running aroud the map with only a pistol.
I have not used the shield, crossbow or balistic knives yet so can't really comment, they do how ever seem to the weapon of choice when you just want to have some fun and laughs. The other night Myself and an enemy actually stopped shooting at each other to watch 2 guys go at it with riot shields, it was the funniest thing to see.
Sniper rifles seem to be very mixed, the DSR-50 (pretty much a bolt action Barrett)is the definate winner, one shot to all but the legs and it's a kill. The SVU-AS is the Dragunov of the bunch (not much else to say). The Balista is the lightweight bolt action of the bunch, I like when you max level this weapon you can fit iron sights to it, however this gun gives way to many hit markers that I believe should be one shot kills. The XPS-50 is a 50 Cal much like the DSR-50 except it is semi-auto, the disapointing thing is it only has the same damage as the Balista, which sees you having to put a second shot into a lot of enemies.
LMS's are pretty standard, 2 are 75 shot magazine style which gives faster reloads, the other 2 are higher capacity belt style magazines. I have used the HAMR for a bit, this is the last LMG that you unlock, it has an interesting feature where if you leave your finger on the trigger then it actually slows the fire rate slightly, this keeps it very accurate without having to burst fire it. I have not used the others yet so can't really comment on them.
Last but definately not least is the shotguns, the S12 Semi-Auto to me is a weaker version of the SPAS12 in Black Ops. The M1216 fully auto "OMFG", this gun is stupid, really if this is the best shotgun you can get in 2025 then grab a sling shot. Even though it is fully auto, you only fire 4 shots then have to turn the chamber under the barrel to fire another 4 shots. On standard mag you get 4 - 4 round bursts and 5 - 4 round bursts on extended mag. The gun is so weak that in Core mode you need 2-3 shots to kill even at close range, the problem is then if you forget to fire the last shot to turn the chamber to partialy reload, then the next enemy you come accross you fire of one shot which has no chance of killing them, then turn the chamber and while doing this you die. The R870 MCS is a very strong pump action with good range and will nearly always get 1 shot kills at close range. The last one is the KSG "Yeah Baby" this thing is awesome once you get to know how to use it(IF you didn't know it fires a solid shot & not pellets like other shotguns). With the KSG you have to aim down the sights with it or 9 times out of 10 you will miss. This thing however has more range than all the other shotguns and I think as much damage as the rocket launchers, you can literally get a 1 shot kill by shooting someone in the foot. At close ranges you can stand there and let an enemy start shooting at you, while taking damage aim down sights and Booooom! their dead, I love this gun.
The Maps: Initially I thought they were very cluttered and had way to many choke points, once you get used to them though most are quite enjoyable to play.
Some things I would liked to have seen:
- Better hit detection, MW3 seems to be better for this.
- Change your score streaks to suit you custom classes.
- A MOAB or NUKE or some reward for large gun streaks.
These things aside I realy like the game, I think Treyarch have done an excellent job. If nothing else the removal of deathsreaks is a huge leap forward in my opinion. The way the scorestreaks are unlocked is a good idea too, until people get to max prestige then you will start to see a lot more K9, VSAT & other High Powered Scorestreaks. I think the 10 point class system is a great idea, I have seen some pretty wild and crazy custom classes, most games that I have played bar a few have been fairly even in the end result, not sure if this has something to do with the shuffling that goes on at the start of a match, maybe the games way of equalising the teams at the start of the match.
Overall I would give BO2, 8.5/10.
-FireFoxII
