Call of Duty: Black Ops II Review – Zombies, Brains & The Conclusion

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This is the third and final part of a complete Black Ops II review. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest reading the first two parts before reading this one as they cover the single player campaign and the multiplayer mode.

Right, now that’s settled, let’s get right to it!

The zombies mode has returned in Black Ops II, but it’s bigger than ever. This time around, it’s more of a campaign than it is an additional game mode. It’s necessary to understand though that the campaign story is entirely derived from your personal experience with the game.

“Tranzit Has You Vying to Survive in a Bigger & More Interactive World.”

There’s a new Tranzit mode that essentially has you trying to survive in a much bigger, and more interactive world. There are new traps, weapons and Easter eggs to unlock as you play. Once you have survived long enough, you can even move on to a new area, which makes the whole survival routine fresh. Now, instead of just surviving in one level, you move around a fleshed out world. It’s a lot tougher to explain than you think, but I can add one thing you’ll appreciate: the main zombie level is massive, and it expands as you play.

In traditional Zombies game modes, you and your friends (or team) would typically come up with a tried and true strategy and stick to it. The levels were fairly linear, so you usually end up using the same strategies over and over. With Tranzit, your strategy can actually evolve over time, and as you discover new weapons, traps and environmental secrets they can be amended into your strategy. This means that your overall experience in Zombies is always changing.

Of course, there’s also the traditional survival mode so if you end up hating Tranzit, you can always return to just good ol’ Zombies in the new levels.

A brand new Grief mode also makes an appearance in Black Ops II. It pits two different teams against each other in the Zombies game mode. Basically, you and your team are fighting to survive and at the same time you’re also fighting to accumulate enough points for endeavors. You cannot damage your opponents directly, but you can stun them while they are trying to revive each other. You can also throw meat at them which works like a zombie lure, and ultimately attracts the undead to hinder your opponent’s efforts. It’s not the most fun game system in Black Ops II, that’s for sure, but if you get a good group of friends it can spice things up between longer play sessions.

Again, you can see that even with the Zombies game mode, the real emphasis in Black Ops II is on player choice.

The Final Verdict on Black Ops II

Even with all the changes and new additions to the game, this is still clearly a Call of Duty title. Black Ops II certainly includes a more robust feature set than previous titles so it will be appealing to old fans and newcomers alike. Still, if you hate the Call of Duty series, you probably won’t find anything to change your opinion now.

That being said, Black Ops II is the best Call of Duty yet. Take that with a grain of salt, especially considering a new one will be right around the corner. You know just as much as I do how quickly these games are being produced now.

The absolute factor, and probably the one issue that everyone is looking for (I know I do when I read reviews), is that Black Ops II is worth your $60 dollars. Considering all of my game copies are paid for, and I don’t get a free review copy, I believe that my word has tremendous power because I’m a real consumer, like you. I would personally be willing to pay full price for Black Ops II because it’s an excellent game.

Keep in mind this is a review, and a lot of it is compiled on personal opinion. You may feel differently about the game, or games that I’ve reviewed. Please feel free to share your experiences with Black Ops II below, and if you disagree with anything I’ve said, by all means, give a shout out below.