COD Black Ops II

[nightshade]

I donno, I think some of the levels like Karma, Cordis Die, the carrier level, the flooded level (and following) easily takes a huge dump on anything we've seen in previously COD games visually. And which is why I believe they are in the upper bracket of console graphics (the only area where they seriously lack behind other heavyweight is shaders imo). Apart from textures (which in all honesty fairly decent where they need to be) I do not see any issues, Treyarch's lighting solution has always been superior and more complex to IW's, the colour palette is much wider and their post processing is superior too.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Multiplayer to me is a mixed bag. The Pick-10 system is great. The weapons are fine, consisting mostly of things that are either real (AN-94, SCAR-L, Skorpion Evo 3, etc) or exist as a prototype or on a drawing board somewhere. It's still COD, not Halo. Shotguns are now usable, since their magazines have been significantly increased and have a greater variety of useful attachments available. I really like the bots being able to play Domination now, and there's deep customization for private matches.

To me, the biggest problem is that Treyarch has gotten obsessed with stopping camping. It's just idiotic---as long as you make maps with walls and cover, some people will hide and ambush the players that like to run around. This has been part of FPSes since Doom. Ghost no longer works unless you're moving, i.e., it's solely for not being noticed as you flank rather than helping you hide. The senor jammer, camera spike, and motion sensor are gone. Most of the maps are small, with short sight lines and no open areas. They're clearly designed to make you run around and test your twitch reflexes against each other. Nuketown is about mid-sized for a BlOps2 map. There's certainly nothing like COD4's Overgrown or Strike. And then you've got the Millimeter Scanner, which is basically a wallhack for spotting non-moving enemies around corners, and the Target Finder, which highlights everyone in your field of vision with big red diamonds. And it seems to me the recoil's been greatly reduced since BlOps, with guns having a more MW2-like feel. There's a lot more hand-holding for spastic preteens who can't control their rage when they get killed by someone they didn't see.

Basically, the game feels like they're catering to a specific type of whiner that feels like it's not fair that he got killed when he ran headlong into a room without tossing in a flashbang first or checking his corners, or that a game is "broken" if he ran down the same road six times and got killed by the same sniper six times. I don't expect COD to be a tactical shooter. But the new obsession with preventing people from using anything remotely resembling a realistic tactic is just a little ridiculous.

I disagree with your whole 'anti camping blah blah' .. All you have to do is select cold blooded and the mms "wallhack" doesn't work. It also makes u invisible to the target finder, even thought why anyone would use that attachment is beyond me..

Furthermore some of the things you say is just wrong. Turbine is a rather large map for example, with a vast open space.. How you believe nuke town is a mid sized map is beyond me, as every map I can think of is larger than that.

I dunno what ur on about this being so geared towards anti camping. If u use ghost just move slightly when UAV is up.. There are also plenty camper friendly things, such as the shock charge...

 

[Billy Idol]

Really cool SP so far. They really put a lot of effort into it and did make it fresh imo. Surprising, because I thought they just focus on MP.

Besides the ultra shitty graphics (makes me and my brand new 670 cry...did they ever heard of something like textures???) game is great!

 

[nightshade]

Maybe it's just my low expectations or maybe people are too harsh towards COD's approach towards visuals (At this point I think it's fair to say that they are trying for a very stylistic look rather than realistic) But textures are not the only thing in graphics you know, the game is on the light side for textures and shaders but has really cool lighting and post processing.

I think this is far from "ultra shitty"
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121112212437924elysa.png
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121113121055956gco51.png
http://i1.minus.com/iba2doUBQMJsm0.png
http://i5.minus.com/ib2yDbGsLXh63m.png

 

[fearsomepirate]

COD graphics are pretty bad compared to what a current midrange PC can do. They just are. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's reality when a game is developed for a 7-year-old console.

I disagree with your whole 'anti camping blah blah'

Well, you're wrong, because David Vonderhaar himself said so.

 

[I.S.T.]

Maybe it's just my low expectations or maybe people are too harsh towards COD's approach towards visuals (At this point I think it's fair to say that they are trying for a very stylistic look rather than realistic) But textures are not the only thing in graphics you know, the game is on the light side for textures and shaders but has really cool lighting and post processing.

I think this is far from "ultra shitty"
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121112212437924elysa.png
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121113121055956gco51.png
http://i1.minus.com/iba2doUBQMJsm0.png
http://i5.minus.com/ib2yDbGsLXh63m.png

You're using PC screenshots likely from the DX11 version...

 

[nightshade]

You're using PC screenshots likely from the DX11 version...

If you look back, I replied to a poster who mentioned he was playing on PC.
And does the game even uses DX11 for any effects ?

COD graphics are pretty bad compared to what a current midrange PC can do. They just are. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's reality when a game is developed for a 7-year-old console.

You didn't get my point, technically yes they are way behind but it's the overall look I am speaking off with small attention to details....which easily puts it far beyond "absolute crap" "filth" or "utter shit" or "insultingly bad". Also I've seen far too many technically outstanding game which look like shit because of inconsistency, low attention to detail and badly balanced art (w.r.t tech).

 

[Cheezdoodles]

COD graphics are pretty bad compared to what a current midrange PC can do. They just are. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's reality when a game is developed for a 7-year-old console.

Well, you're wrong, because David Vonderhaar himself said so.

Yes, but the changes doesn't really stop anyone from camping unless they are stupid.

Furthermore if u believe tactical team play is impossible in cod, you haven't played search and destroy...

 

[fearsomepirate]

You didn't get my point, technically yes they are way behind but it's the overall look I am speaking off with small attention to details....which easily puts it far beyond "absolute crap" "filth" or "utter shit" or "insultingly bad".

Agreed. I really don't like the over-the-top, "This game makes me want to tear my eyes out" rhetoric. Please. I remember when frame rates and resolutions were so bad they caused actual physical discomfort. Now people lose their crap because the normal maps didn't have enough specular diffuse particles convolved with their filtered postprocessing indirect phong embolisms or something, and it's silly.

If you want to really see the stupidity fly, go to Lens of Truth sometime and read the comments. To hear people tell it, the difference between the PS3 version of Call of Duty and the 360 version is like the difference between Frogger and Avatar.

 

[Billy Idol]

Well nightshade, for me it really looks absolute shitty in some places. Sorry, but it is my opinion. There are some scenes that look nice for a console game. But there are some situations, where the scene looks abysmal even for a 60Hz console game, not talking about a high end PC: I really have the feeling that there are some texture streaming bugs in this game because it looks so rough sometimes: a pilar in the middle of the battlefield...so ultra lowrez that I use all my grenades to explode it back into the matrix...knowing the engine does not support destruction

They clearly did not upgrade their assets for the PC version. On the other hand they implemented TXAA, which I love. So as I said, graphics to me are shitty (coming straight from ultra setting MoH), but the game imo is very good so far and it seems to me that they really spend their resources for the SP campaign...which is to me an astounding but very appreciated move!

My most favorite COD SP is the world war 2 launch COD 2 on Xbox360, which was a sensation back than and the sniper mission in MW, Ghillies in the Mist.

BLOPS2 SP so far, ranks among these for me...

 

[ultragpu]

Maybe it's just my low expectations or maybe people are too harsh towards COD's approach towards visuals (At this point I think it's fair to say that they are trying for a very stylistic look rather than realistic) But textures are not the only thing in graphics you know, the game is on the light side for textures and shaders but has really cool lighting and post processing.

I think this is far from "ultra shitty"
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121112212437924elysa.png
http://www.abload.de/img/t6sp20121113121055956gco51.png
http://i1.minus.com/iba2doUBQMJsm0.png
http://i5.minus.com/ib2yDbGsLXh63m.png

I think most here were talking about the console version since it is the console section. The ultra low resolution alone breaks any amount of effort you spent on details and etc. But the PC version while not cutting edge, is entirely acceptable.

 

[nightshade]

I think most here were talking about the console version since it is the console section. The ultra low resolution alone breaks any amount of effort you spent on details and etc. But the PC version while not cutting edge, is entirely acceptable.

Again, I replied to Billy who is playing the PC version.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Meh, haven't played Blops2, but I was perfectly happy with the first Blops in terms of visuals, and on the PS3 no less. There's more to graphics than resolution. Unlike its dreadfully boring looking contemporaries (like Battlefield 3), the CoD games always had some fantastic art direction, and the set pieces were executed with a lot of style and confidence. I also really like the character modeling and animation in these games. I remember guys like Woods, I certainly have no idea what Blandy McSoldierdude from the Battlefield 3 campaign looked like anymore.

 

[ultragpu]

Meh, haven't played Blops2, but I was perfectly happy with the first Blops in terms of visuals, and on the PS3 no less. There's more to graphics than resolution. Unlike its dreadfully boring looking contemporaries (like Battlefield 3), the CoD games always had some fantastic art direction, and the set pieces were executed with a lot of style and confidence. I also really like the character modeling and animation in these games. I remember guys like Woods, I certainly have no idea what Blandy McSoldierdude from the Battlefield 3 campaign looked like anymore.

I agree with the set pieces, COD games really do bring out some of the best action sequences in video games, they're fun, over the top and satisfying which is why many games tried to imitate them.

 

[nightshade]

Meh, haven't played Blops2, but I was perfectly happy with the first Blops in terms of visuals, and on the PS3 no less. There's more to graphics than resolution. Unlike its dreadfully boring looking contemporaries (like Battlefield 3), the CoD games always had some fantastic art direction, and the set pieces were executed with a lot of style and confidence. I also really like the character modeling and animation in these games. I remember guys like Woods, I certainly have no idea what Blandy McSoldierdude from the Battlefield 3 campaign looked like anymore.

True.

 

[Billy Idol]

One of the best FPS SP campaign in recent years. It is surprising, but it is true for me. Good story, nice missions, insane action with good pace. Great.

Soundtrack is so good in this game, amazing.

MP as addicting as always. Online complaint so far: when playing hardcore, not all game modes are available??? Why is that?? I love Domination, but normal mode is not my thing. Same for Hard Point, which is cool, but normal mode only...

 

[nightshade]

I told my friend that Blops 2 is one of the most original games I've played this year and the is easily among the best I've played in recent years.....he mocked me because he think a COD game can never do that.

His loss I guess !

 

[fearsomepirate]

Like:
Campaign, Zombies, Pick Ten, weapon balance, graphics, audio, not losing weapon levels when you prestige, choosing prestige rewards, perma-unlock tokens, bots in all modes except SnD, Elite clan, good attachment choices

Dislike:
The maps. These are possibly the worst maps in the series, especially for Domination.

 

[Billy Idol]

Oh and maybe that not all game modes are available for hardcore! That is my major issue with the game.

 

[Phil]

Well, I've been playing it for some time now.

IMO - I prefered MW3 better, especially sniping. The new maps are IMO not as nicely set up or I just prefered MW3.

I changed my style of play though, so more run & gun for me, on high sensitivity. Game runs very smooth, so that's quite nice. Seems to be less lag too while playing online - or perhaps it's just hidden better.

Apart from that though - I hate that every new Treyarch game has the same old bloddy faults. I won't name how many times our group gets split up when we're in the pre-game lobby and the game does it's thing to add players etc. How hard can it be?? This is their 3rd game and the 6th in the series... seriously, WTF.

I also think the game is a lot less consistant. Some players require more hits than others, which is a bit annoying, epecially when you know you had direct accurate hits and he should be dead.

On the plus though, and compared to the InfinityWard games - the sound is definately better in the Treyarch games. Nice.