Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Catch All (Oliver North Approved)

Thin_J wrote:

I'd say the change from killstreaks to scorestreaks was definitely a very good one.

I second this. This is a major change, because it

a) encourages team play (e.g. your scorestreak rises for every kill your entire team makes while your drone is in the air)
b) gives you a higher chance to get some of the "better" streak benefits, even if you are not such a killing-machine (I barely passed the 5-6 kill streak mark in BO1)

Concerning the load outs: I guess that still depends on your playstyle mostly.
If you want to be rushing around and be all over the map, then you will most likely end up with an Assault Rifle. I think this is still the most "generic" weapon class.
But the pick 10 system allows for some nice tweaks. Especially if you create some classes specialized for specific game types. Something more "sprint-centric" for CTF, maybe something with that riot shield for hardpoint. There's some interesting options here.

Camping has become less doable also, due to the fact that the Ghost perk won't give you cover anymore while standing stil.

There's also some new (? - I skipped MW3, so not 100% sure) party modes which are kinda fun. There's some elimination style type, where you only get a handgun with a single bullet and you have 3 extra lives. The always-on minimap on that mode guarantees some mayhem and fun to be had.

I'd say - if you enjoyed BO1's multiplayer, then you can safely pick this up.

Personally i think this is the best multiplayer out of the whole CoD series yet.

I still do and will always prefer CoD4. It was gloriously simple. Three killstreaks, everyone had the same ones, the maps fit the player counts much better than they have since... It was just good. It was a much cleaner competitive game.

I would say Black Ops 2 is the best CoD has been since then, although the spawn system is almost as sh*t as it was in Black Ops 1 on release.

Thin_J wrote:

the spawn system is almost as sh*t as it was in Black Ops 1 on release.

Completely agree. I don't know how many times on Hijacked that I've run over to the other side of the ship, only to see when someone gets a UAV that the other team is spawning where I was stading 15 seconds ago.

I remember watching IGN's livestream with Treyarch the day before it came out and whoever the rep was that was doing the commentary was saying that all spawns go into a database that tells something like how long after they spawned they were killed or got a kill or something like that. Maybe that will lead to them making some kind of change that will make spawns a little better. I don't really know what they would be able to change that wouldn't go a little too far and give people the ability to spawn trap. If there's one thing I hate more than dying 2 seconds after spawning, it's getting spawn-trapped.

On another note, I noticed that on the in-game friends menu I can scroll over to the clan tab and see who all in the elite clan is online which is pretty cool. We definitely need to get a league play team together and see what kind of damage we can do. I'm on quite a bit so feel free to send an invite if you see me.

MountaineerWR27 wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

the spawn system is almost as sh*t as it was in Black Ops 1 on release.

Completely agree. I don't know how many times on Hijacked that I've run over to the other side of the ship, only to see when someone gets a UAV that the other team is spawning where I was stading 15 seconds ago.

This is a problem with small maps. If one side is aggressive and quickly pushes into the others spawn it will flip. Thats why when you get on some with organized teams they'll not push all the way in to keep folks locked down in one area and pick them off trying to get out. All it takes is one person to push too far in and it'll flip.

I dont have a problem with the spawn. The BO1 was complete bullsh*t and we dont have that here.

ranalin wrote:
MountaineerWR27 wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

the spawn system is almost as sh*t as it was in Black Ops 1 on release.

Completely agree. I don't know how many times on Hijacked that I've run over to the other side of the ship, only to see when someone gets a UAV that the other team is spawning where I was stading 15 seconds ago.

This is a problem with small maps. If one side is aggressive and quickly pushes into the others spawn it will flip. Thats why when you get on some with organized teams they'll not push all the way in to keep folks locked down in one area and pick them off trying to get out. All it takes is one person to push too far in and it'll flip.

I dont have a problem with the spawn. The BO1 was complete bullsh*t and we dont have that here.

Agreed, that's why it's good to only hold 2 points in domination, your spawn and B. Then, you know where the enemy is coming from. Once someone pushes on to the 3rd point, all hell breaks loose as the opponents are constantly spawning behind you. I like Battlefield's model of letting you choose your spawn point and letting you spawn on teammates.

I too like the new scorestreak system. I found a one that I really like: Care Package, Dragonfire, Stealth Chopper. You can have the Dragonfire and Stealth Chopper in the air at the same time, which is a lot of fun (fun for you, not for them).

Something else I learned about scorestreak rewards: you can get screwed if you have two out at once that have optional control. At one point I was using Sentry Gun and AGR together, and if you have them both out at once, you can't take control of the AGR (or maybe, you can't control the one you put out second, which for me was the AGR). If anyone knows a way around this, please let me know, as I really liked that loadout's potential otherwise.

One of my favorite scorestreak setups is hellstrike missles/guardian/sentry or guardian/sentry/stealth heli. Since i normally just play objective maps the guardian to help back up the sentry is just mean.

My favorite single one though... the warthog. when you want every fothermucker on the map dead. Plus the sound is amazing!

ranalin wrote:

One of my favorite scorestreak setups is hellstrike missles/guardian/sentry or guardian/sentry/stealth heli. Since i normally just play objective maps the guardian to help back up the sentry is just mean.

My favorite single one though... the warthog. when you want every fothermucker on the map dead. Plus the sound is amazing!

The first time I heard the Warthog my eyes went O_o

detroit20 wrote:

Hi, All

I'm still dithering over purchasing this given Skyrim and my bargain bucket pile, so I was hoping for the opinions of some GWJers.

First, single player. Do the new branching elements improve the replayability of the game? Or are the differences to insignificant to justify second, third and fourth playthroughs?

Second, multiplayer. Has multiplayer settled into the traditional CoD pattern (i.e. most players circling the perimeter of the map and laying siege to chockpoints)? Or do the maps encourage more variation?

Also, are common loadouts already appearing or do the weapons/maps facilitate more variation and experimentation? (I remember that, within a few weeks, most players had similar loadouts in Black Ops 1.)

Has the end of killstreaks made the game better?

The campaign is quite enjoyable but I won't be running back to play the alternates. More of the same for my money and the stuff that was a bit different is not that great in themselves.

Haven't noticed any particular loadouts that dominate. SMG, LMG, snipers and ARs all seem viable options on any map. A few shotgun specialists running around. I prefer the LMG with target finder, quickdraw handle and FMJ. Lots of quickscopers about but they are not dominating the games.

Not a massive difference from earlier CODs multiplayer but the spawning is not as bad as some of the previous iterations. That said I have been in the worst spawn trap ever on one end of the boat with a line of quick scopers on the balcony waiting and my team getting one shotted on spawn but it only happened in one game.

Point streaks are better than kill streaks because you get lots of points for capping flags and planting bombs but to get the better ones you will still need to do some killing- it is unlikely you will be capping more than one flag in a life.

I'm in the UK if you want to hook up to play MP.

Skyrim is quite good too.

Never seen the top end killstreaks yet- dogs or warthog, thank God.

Thin_J wrote:

I would say Black Ops 2 is the best CoD has been since then, although the spawn system is almost as sh*t as it was in Black Ops 1 on release.

I haven't been a huge fan of the series but I think I have bought everyone. This has been my favorite yet with no glaring balance issues at launch. My only qualm is them locking the "Ghost" perk to level 55. I like being stealthy so it pretty much requires 3 of my setups to pack AA rockets. I would prefer them letting you unlock all the game changing perks early and the more nuanced ones later.

I usually go on to the next game once I reach max level in COD games but I may actually chose to prestige in this one and I know what perk I'll be taking with me.

Thanks for the opinions everyone. I'll be picking this up at the weekend, I think.

Well spotted, yregprincess! I assume the use of 'dithering' gave me away. I'll send you a friends request.

I use dithering and I'm not any brand of Brit...

EDIT: Also, your location is listed as London, UK.

Dakuna wrote:

I use dithering and I'm not any brand of Brit...

EDIT: Also, your location is listed as London, UK. :P

It was the location rather than my Shelock Holmes style interpretation of your use of the Queen's english.

The changing of ghost to only working if you are moving or planting is a great idea because it makes UAVs much more useful and also shooting them down. It's this kind of tweak that BlopsII does well.

Shooting down UAVs is good way to get a little boost on your score streak if you are just short but it always comes with the risk of getting stabbed.

YReg

I like playing with you chap, but I've not had any responses to my recent invites. Are you ensconced in your group or should I still send them?

1Dgaf wrote:

YReg

I like playing with you chap, but I've not had any responses to my recent invites. Are you ensconced in your group or should I still send them?

1Dgaf and detroit, there are a few chaps I regularly play with but they are usually pretty laid back about others joining in. Please send me invites and I'll join if I can so we can dominate some fools.

scorestreaks seem to have killed high level streaks. I never see anything higher than the missile swarm.

The game is fine but I kinda wanna finish it and sell it for another copy of MW2. I haven't liked any shooter as much as that one.

OK, will do. Happy to combine groups as well.

Blind_Evil wrote:

scorestreaks seem to have killed high level streaks. I never see anything higher than the missile swarm.

The game is fine but I kinda wanna finish it and sell it for another copy of MW2. I haven't liked any shooter as much as that one.

Which one do you mean by "missile swarm"? Because I'm pretty sure that the H-K Swarm is the highest one there is. If you mean something like the Hellstorm Missile, then I would have to disagree. It's always hard to tell who is getting something from a Care Package and who has earned it on its own, but I have gotten above that one quite a few times. I'm sure others on here have as well.

MountaineerWR27 wrote:

On another note, I noticed that on the in-game friends menu I can scroll over to the clan tab and see who all in the elite clan is online which is pretty cool. We definitely need to get a league play team together and see what kind of damage we can do. I'm on quite a bit so feel free to send an invite if you see me.

If we start doing a clan/gwj league night (even semi-weekly) count me in; I think it'd be fun, even if I'm not "leet" by any measure. I'm just getting tired of playing solo-entry league games where half my team quits out of the match within the first minute or two; playing outmanned for 5-10 minutes is NOT fun.

CptGlanton wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

scorestreaks seem to have killed high level streaks. I never see anything higher than the missile swarm.

The game is fine but I kinda wanna finish it and sell it for another copy of MW2. I haven't liked any shooter as much as that one.

Which one do you mean by "missile swarm"? Because I'm pretty sure that the H-K Swarm is the highest one there is. If you mean something like the Hellstorm Missile, then I would have to disagree. It's always hard to tell who is getting something from a Care Package and who has earned it on its own, but I have gotten above that one quite a few times. I'm sure others on here have as well.

Heck, you and I got the swarm in the same game.

How Call of Duty Elite Evolved is a feature by Polygon that has actually made me interested in the game.

I'd use Elite but the privacy policy seems to give them access to my real address etc.

Anyone looking for a few relaxed folks to play with? My friend and I are on most nights (CST) and enjoy playing with other folks that aren't kids. I.E. We're 30 and would like some other "gamers with jobs" to hang around with. Drop a PM if you're interested.

Unless plans change I may be dipping my toes in on the 360 side this weekend.

ranalin wrote:

Unless plans change I may be dipping my toes in on the 360 side this weekend.

One of us. One of us.

Aristophan wrote:

How Call of Duty Elite Evolved is a feature by Polygon that has actually made me interested in the game.

Boy did that piece tug at my wallet strings. Wallet flaps?

I continue to resist. *sniff*

Gizzmo0815 wrote:

Anyone looking for a few relaxed folks to play with? My friend and I are on most nights (CST) and enjoy playing with other folks that aren't kids. I.E. We're 30 and would like some other "gamers with jobs" to hang around with. Drop a PM if you're interested.

I'm a calm, cool person who never ever yells or complains. There are several of us on 360 who play together regularly. Send me a friend request tonight.

CptGlanton wrote:
Gizzmo0815 wrote:

Anyone looking for a few relaxed folks to play with? My friend and I are on most nights (CST) and enjoy playing with other folks that aren't kids. I.E. We're 30 and would like some other "gamers with jobs" to hang around with. Drop a PM if you're interested.

I'm a calm, cool person who never ever yells or complains. There are several of us on 360 who play together regularly. Send me a friend request tonight.

Bah.

I'll probably be on tonight.

That article did convince me of one thing. I am going to switch my crouch to the right stick.