Weapon classes stay the same, but there are more variables this time. Take the AN-94 assault rifle for example. The first two rounds of any burst fire will deal extra damage, so you have to try and land on target initially.
Elsewhere, you can spend a create-a-class point on a fire mode switch for your gun, meaning you can trade the rapid fire of full auto for the control of single shot or burst. You then have the biggest range of scopes to date including the Target Finder, which paints a red square around enemies through smoke and walls when nearby.
Even if you’re still not entirely happy with the choices given to you, there are also new Wildcards. These are create-a-class modifiers that also cost a point. With these you can select two primary weapons, pick an additional perk from any of the three tiers, or get extra grenades.
Gunplay at control level feels like classic Call of Duty, but without the annoying over abundance of air support, or a sense that sometimes you are being cheated. Players move slightly slower too and climb the environment with additional weight. This is no speed run – it’s a careful and meticulously planned shooter experience.
This is also apparent in Black Ops 2′s map design which, like its predecessor, boasts some truly superb environments to do battle in. Out of the four maps we’ve played, Cargo is the pick of the bunch. It’s a Singapore dockyard map littered with freight containers.
The map is always shifting thanks to a robotic crane in the middle that keeps on picking up and moving the containers throughout the map. The layout changes, and so must your tactical approach. It’s genius.
Turbine is also fun, taking place in and around rocky Yemen valley. You battle through the canyon and around pieces of broken plane fuselage, sprinting up the snapped wings to reach higher levels. But unlike previous CoD games, almost every ledge can be scaled. This gives maps more verticality, and opens up potential for hidden routes.
Aftermath is similar in this regard, set in downtown Los Angeles after a drone attack, you must navigate toppled skyscrapers and granite chunks to outflank your enemies. It’s deceptively larger than its top-down map would suggest.
Finally, Yemen is a town map, strewn with back alleys, tunnels, walkways and buildings to battle in. THis one feels like Favela from Modern Warfare 2, but with reduced camping potential thanks to Treyarch’s impeccable eye for map design, and tons of choke points that let your new Score Streak rewards shine.
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