Branching storyline and choices
Yes, you read that right- for the first time in the franchise’s history (and quite unexpectedly, might I add), Black Ops 2 is going to have player choices and branching storylines. We don’t know in what extremes they’ll be present, or if they will be as impactful or comprehensive as in, say, Witcher 2 or Mass Effect, but we know that they will be in the game. For example, you might have to choose between providing cover for your squad using a sniper rifle from a vantage point or going through the thick of the battle with the squad yourself. I don’t really know how radically different the two paths will be, or how impactful some of the choices we make with respect to the story will be, but I’m certainly interested in seeing how it pans out.
More freedom in gameplay
Considering the fact that the story will have branching paths and that the Strike Force missions will add a lot of freedom and variety to the gameplay, it’s obvious that Black Ops 2 will offer more freedom and replay value than any other Call of Duty game ever before. Not only will the multiplayer mode be more balanced and replayable (more on this later), the story mode will also be something that fans will want to come back to again and again with the sandbox nature of the Strike Force missions and the player choices that will come into play and decide how the story progresses. It’s unheard of in a Call of Duty game, and the devs are doing something like this for the first time, so there’s always the risk that they might screw it up… so we’re just gonna have to wait and watch.
Excellent setting
The futuristic setting and a war ravaged Los Angeles aren’t exactly the most unique settings you’ll see in video games, but together, combined with the 1985 storyline that is set for a large part in Central America, they give Black ops 2 a truly great backdrop for the story. The trailer has already shown some of the set pieces, and they all look great (more on this later, too), and the settings look like perfect fits for the game. We don’t yet know if Black ops 2 will be the globe sweeping adventure that Call of Duty games are known to be, but I’d be happier if it was set in just Los Angeles with a few deviations.
More balanced multiplayer
While Call of Duty: Black Ops didn’t exactly have the most balanced and finetuned multiplayer in the series, it was the we’ve seen in a Call of Duty game for a long time. Treyarch certainly has a way with creating awesome online components, and we’ve got no reason to believe that won’t be the case with Blops 2. “”One size does not fit all,” says Treyarch about Black Ops 2’s multiplayer, confirming that they will be deeply looking at features like “create a class”, killstreaks, and other features that have caused balancing issues over the years, and they will be tweaking them all to perfection (hopefully).
