Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Vengeance (DLC) Review

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I will have my vengeance; in this game or the next.

With each new Black Ops 2 DLC pack, it gets harder to heap praise on Treyarch for their fine work. Still, I will attempt to give it a go.

Some people may say that by once again going to the original Black Ops, Treyarch is being lazy, but I say that they are just giving a classic map a new lease on life. The map in question is Uplink, which is a re-mastering of the Black Ops map Summit, but it is hard to tell, as the snow has all thawed and left behind nothing but grey clouds and pouring rain. Those who spent a lot of time on the original map will feel at home and those new to it will find it as enjoyable to play.

The other three maps are all new and cater to different styles of game play. Rush is set in a paintball arena, but don’t be fooled, those are real bullets flying by my head. Rush is best played in the run-and-gun style, as it offers little in the way of a clear shot; snipers beware. The map is littered with obstacles that will impede a player’s view, and they will need eyes in the back of their head if they stand still too long.

Cove, on the other hand, is a massive, open area map. Set on a small island; there are very few places to take cover. There is the odd downed plane to cower in, but with such a large map, it pays to go hunting if players want to rack up those kills. It is easy to go a few minutes without seeing a player on the opposing team, so as such it is best played in games that have large teams.

The final map is my favorite, Detour. Set on a cornered-off bridge, Detour isn’t a massive map, but as there are two levels making it feel a lot bigger than it is. There are plenty of places to set up traps and ambushes and even an area through the middle to keep those that like to shoot from a distance happy. Nearly all the games I played on this map felt fast and frantic, making for a really exciting experience.

If there is one weak link in this chain; it has to be Buried, the new Zombie map. Set in the old west, the mode opens up with a Walking Dead style comic intro, which then sees characters start off in a rundown building. As usual, there are weapons to buy and doors and blockades to open up. Players will make their way from the derelict area, down into the ground to find a town that has been buried. Buried does introduce a new weapon to Zombies, the next iteration of the popular Ray Gun, but this does little to lift this mode from being more than just another Zombie map.

With everyone’s attention being steered towards Call of Duty: Ghosts, it’s great to see that Treyarch still have their eye on the ball. Buried may have finally ‘buried’ my interest in the Zombie mode, but let’s not forget the real reason why people are still playing Black Ops 2 online; the amazing selection of maps, and Vengeance has just added four new killer ones to the mix.

The next DLC Map Pack will be the last for Black Ops 2, and I just have to wonder how Treyarch are going to top this.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.
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Written by
News Editor/Reviewer, he also lends his distinct British tones to the N4G Radio Podcast. When not at his PC, he can be found either playing something with the word LEGO in it, or TROPICO!!!

1 Comment

  1. since i will be new to Black Ops 2 Vengeance dlc let see what i can do.one thing i am sure it will be fun playing it.
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