Interesting read on Black Ops 2's remarkable and revolutionary FPS storytelling

Here's a very interesting and indepth look at what went into the creation of Black Ops 2's story (some of it will surprise you).

Not since the original Bioshock have we seen an FPS with storytelling this damn good, but what's more impressive is that Black Ops 2 actually manages to push the envelope even further, with choice. No, not that shallow "good" and "bad" karma system crap you've constantly been subjected to by games like InFamous, Red Dead Redemption, and the like. Here the choices are not so clear-cut, and the consequences that stem from these moral conundrums are entirely unpredictable. At it's very best Black Ops 2 is a dramatized simulation of real life, and that of the permanent implications that materialize from the choices we as humans make. And yes, there's still the kickass action packed set pieces that we have come to expect from CoD, only for the first time in the franchise, these events have meaning. Add to that one of the most realistic, tragic , and ruthless villains in gaming history, and you have a FPS campaign that will go down as a celebrated classic.

Bits taken from the interview:

"The choices you make won't always be a simple matter of kill character A or B. In fact, you won't realize you're even making an active choice sometimes."

"Its a human story. A lot of people go through a lot of tough times, particular soldiers and veterans. We feel really close to veterans, and very attached to them. Weve heard a lot of these stories, and what they go through. How theyre traumatized by what theyve been through. I wanted to tell that story"

"They could have sat down after Black Ops and been like, 'Well, you know, we'll just -- as the popular term is -- reskin it and do another one.' Thats the last thing on their minds. They would have been disgusted with themselves for doing that. The thing that Im so proud about Treyarch is the more success they have, the more hungry they are to make things different, to change things up."

"it may appear like the game is trying to send a message. Rather, it's asking questions and it's up to you to find the answer."

I have a lot more respect for Treyarch after reading this. They truly do put a ton of effort forth into creating quality games.

People played BLOPS 2 SP?MonsieurX

Yes.

People played BLOPS 2 SP?MonsieurX

I thoroughly enjoyed the campaign in Black Ops 1, so why wouldn't I want to play this one?

The sight of this article and the person praising it is enough to make someone vomit.

I enjoyed BO2's campaign. I really, really enjoyed it.

But remarkable and revolutionary storytelling? B1tch please. It was strongly presented, but not in anyway was it some sort of gamechanger.

Should I reload or not ... ?

Choices, choices ... :roll:

I am one of those people who disliked COD series right from the release of MW2 for its recycled eeeww, i didnt even like BlackOps1 because it didnt have the right pacing but with BlackOps2, there is just alot about the campaign thats made me gain respect for COD and i have not felt this way since COD4.

The choice, interesting villian, timeline dash, loadout system, cool gadgets, dubstep lol, and STRIKE FORCE. I see a good potential for BlackOps3 if they can improve on the strengths of this

Who cares? It's still a skilless shooter aimed at casuals

Who cares? It's still a skilless shooter aimed at casuals

percuvius2

Quality is quality, brah. Don't let your hatred for CoD's brand of multiplayer spill over into Black Ops 2's brilliantly crafted campaign.

the more success they have, the more hungry they are to make things different, to change things up.".

Master_ShakeXXX

This is one thing you can't deny.

lol@stories in FPS games...

[QUOTE="percuvius2"]

Who cares? It's still a skilless shooter aimed at casuals

Master_ShakeXXX

Quality is quality, brah. Don't let your hatred for CoD's brand of multiplayer spill over into Black Ops 2's brilliantly crafted campaign.

Bra's are what women and transvestites wear. A four hour campaign is hardly worth anything more than a rental.

Lol! They add a few instances of choice, nothing like a ton of other FPS games like Stalker that do a much ebtetr job of that, and suddenly it's "revolutionary" and "remarkable".

F'ing ridiculous!

cutscenes dont belong in fps ask duke nukem 3d.

People played BLOPS 2 SP?MonsieurX

That's the only mode I'm interested in tbh.

I only enjoyed the MP from COD 1, UO and 2. Eventhough it got lots of praise, COD4s MP wasn't my cup of tea.

I find that somewhat hard to buy. Maybe it has a decent plot, but the whole "moral-choice-that-isn't-a-karma-system" thing where you aren't given an obviously good or evil choice? That's not revolutionary. Spec Ops: The Line, The Witcher, and The Walking Dead already have those.Heck, Deus Ex did that twelve years ago.

But still, if it's about actual characters and stuff, that alone will put it head and shoulders above Battlefield 3's campaign.

I agree, Black Ops 2 campaign is amazing and it's one I will repaly again and again. I'm also loving those strike force missions, I really like what they did. It's one of the few games where I have to think about the decisions I'm making.

But in terms of just raw single player, BioShock 1 is still better.

cutscenes dont belong in fps ask duke nukem 3d.

ripmetalrip

Strike Force was garbage. Menendez was a crap antagonist. He cried for 40 years about his sisters death. Boohoo. They tried too hard, it was almost pretentious.

Black Ops II has the best single player Call of Duty campaign yet, easily. I'm loving the story, the freedom (with things like the access kit, alternate routes, strike force missions and loadouts shaking everything up), the gunplay and settings are also the best yet, and unlike BLOPS the set pieces are just as great, if not better, than the MW series.

The multiplayer and zombies I'm a little more ambivalent towards though.

Also that design sounds a lot like what Spec Ops did, influenced by Fallout 3 from what I hear. The freedom to make choices you don't know are even there is really nice, really great way to immerse the player into an experience, and I honestly thought after Spec Ops I would be unable to enjoy a mindless shooter as much as before, but Black Ops II really did some great stuff and Menendez is a villain that has heart, even if he's still an obvious evil jerk, there's a reason for it.

Too bad what you do in the game is even more basic than doom

The campaign is good and has a pretty good way of telling the story, it's also very far removed from normal CoD campaigns with some cool choices and alternate secret paths. But it's not revolutionary.

Spec Ops is a game that had an incredible story based off a shooter

It really shouldn't be compared to BioShock's story.

lol this is a joke right? The campaign was no different than any other COD game. Tons of scripted events. The strike force missions don't require you to use any strategy. All you have to do is run through the missions killing everybody and get to a target or defend something.

People that bought this game for anything other than the mp are either dumb or liars.

Black Ops II has the best single player Call of Duty campaign yet, easily. I'm loving the story, the freedom (with things like the access kit, alternate routes, strike force missions and loadouts shaking everything up), the gunplay and settings are also the best yet, and unlike BLOPS the set pieces are just as great, if not better, than the MW series.

The multiplayer and zombies I'm a little more ambivalent towards though.

Also that design sounds a lot like what Spec Ops did, influenced by Fallout 3 from what I hear. The freedom to make choices you don't know are even there is really nice, really great way to immerse the player into an experience, and I honestly thought after Spec Ops I would be unable to enjoy a mindless shooter as much as before, but Black Ops II really did some great stuff and Menendez is a villain that has heart, even if he's still an obvious evil jerk, there's a reason for it.

SPYDER0416

lol this is a joke right? The campaign was no different than any other COD game. Tons of scripted events. The strike force missions don't require you to use any strategy. All you have to do is run through the missions killing everybody and get to a target or defend something.

People that bought this game for anything other than the mp are either dumb or liars.

JohnnyCageMK

Then I gotta assume you haven't played it, because it is very different.

[QUOTE="JohnnyCageMK"]

lol this is a joke right? The campaign was no different than any other COD game. Tons of scripted events. The strike force missions don't require you to use any strategy. All you have to do is run through the missions killing everybody and get to a target or defend something.

People that bought this game for anything other than the mp are either dumb or liars.

Master_ShakeXXX

Then I gotta assume you haven't played it, because it is very different.

What was so different about it? You follow Harper around and shoot people. You think having a choice at the end of the game is some remarkable innovation? lol

Play more games, Shake.

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

[QUOTE="JohnnyCageMK"]

lol this is a joke right? The campaign was no different than any other COD game. Tons of scripted events. The strike force missions don't require you to use any strategy. All you have to do is run through the missions killing everybody and get to a target or defend something.

People that bought this game for anything other than the mp are either dumb or liars.

JohnnyCageMK

Then I gotta assume you haven't played it, because it is very different.

What was so different about it? You follow Harper around and shoot people. You think having a choice at the end of the game is some remarkable innovation? lol

Here's a very interesting and indepth look at what went into the creation of Black Ops 2's story (some of it will surprise you).

Not since the original Bioshock have we seen an FPS with storytelling this damn good, but what's more impressive is that Black Ops 2 actually manages to push the envelope even further, with choice. No, not that shallow "good" and "bad" karma system crap you've constantly been subjected to by games like InFamous, Red Dead Redemption, and the like. Here the choices are not so clear-cut, and the consequences that stem from these moral conundrums are entirely unpredictable. At it's very best Black Ops 2 is a dramatized simulation of real life, and that of the permanent implications that materialize from the choices we as humans make. And yes, there's still the kickass action packed set pieces that we have come to expect from CoD, only for the first time in the franchise, these events have meaning. Add to that one of the most realistic, tragic , and ruthless villains in gaming history, and you have a FPS campaign that will go down as a celebrated classic.Master_ShakeXXX

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]Here's a very interesting and indepth look at what went into the creation of Black Ops 2's story (some of it will surprise you).

Not since the original Bioshock have we seen an FPS with storytelling this damn good, but what's more impressive is that Black Ops 2 actually manages to push the envelope even further, with choice. No, not that shallow "good" and "bad" karma system crap you've constantly been subjected to by games like InFamous, Red Dead Redemption, and the like. Here the choices are not so clear-cut, and the consequences that stem from these moral conundrums are entirely unpredictable. At it's very best Black Ops 2 is a dramatized simulation of real life, and that of the permanent implications that materialize from the choices we as humans make. And yes, there's still the kickass action packed set pieces that we have come to expect from CoD, only for the first time in the franchise, these events have meaning. Add to that one of the most realistic, tragic , and ruthless villains in gaming history, and you have a FPS campaign that will go down as a celebrated classic.DarkLink77

Assumed this thread was a joke until I got in and read the OP.

Ok so it's got a single player campaign that is certainly more enjoyable that the previous few COD games, about on par with COD4. That's about it. It's a bit of fun. Remarkable and revolutionary???? Is that some sort of joke??

"Not since the original Bioshock have we seen an FPS with storytelling this damn good"

Wow, just wow...what games have you been playing? What planet have you been living on? In fact what planet are you currently living on? This sentence is so baffling insane I don't even know where to start when responding. Just no...no no no...go and play some games with storytelling that is actually remarkable and revolutionary, try Deus Ex for example, a game from 12 years ago that defecates from a great height in its worst moment upon anything any COD has ever produced in its best moment. Revolutionary? Remarkable?? Jesus Christ, humanity is doomed...

I agree, Black Ops 2 campaign is amazing and it's one I will repaly again and again. I'm also loving those strike force missions, I really like what they did. It's one of the few games where I have to think about the decisions I'm making.

But in terms of just raw single player, BioShock 1 is still better.

ShadowMoses900

I just...I....people are really this clueless...they really are....how awful....

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

[QUOTE="JohnnyCageMK"]

lol this is a joke right? The campaign was no different than any other COD game. Tons of scripted events. The strike force missions don't require you to use any strategy. All you have to do is run through the missions killing everybody and get to a target or defend something.

People that bought this game for anything other than the mp are either dumb or liars.

JohnnyCageMK

Then I gotta assume you haven't played it, because it is very different.

What was so different about it? You follow Harper around and shoot people. You think having a choice at the end of the game is some remarkable innovation? lol

Harper was an excellent character, and Michael Rooker gave one of the best voice performances of the year.

Maybe well presented and good, but how the fvck is it revolutionary? It hasn't seemed to change anything in the actual storytelling department.

Comparing it to the greats like Half Life 2 and Bioshock is unfavourable

>COD
>remarkable and revolutionary

[QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

I agree, Black Ops 2 campaign is amazing and it's one I will repaly again and again. I'm also loving those strike force missions, I really like what they did. It's one of the few games where I have to think about the decisions I'm making.

But in terms of just raw single player, BioShock 1 is still better.

iamrob7

I just...I....people are really this clueless...they really are....how awful....

Breaking News: Shadowmoses is leaving system wars "this time, for good" :o

More at 11pm

[QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

I agree, Black Ops 2 campaign is amazing and it's one I will repaly again and again. I'm also loving those strike force missions, I really like what they did. It's one of the few games where I have to think about the decisions I'm making.

But in terms of just raw single player, BioShock 1 is still better.

iamrob7

I just...I....people are really this clueless...they really are....how awful....

Search your feelings young rob, for you know it to be true. Black Ops 2's campaign is the highpoint of FPS storytelling this generation. The way it seamlessly integrates it's deep choice system amongst the chaos and suffering of the franchise's most memorable story is one of colossal success. Black Ops 2 is a benchmark in interactive storytelling. Don't let the hate obscure what you know in your heart.

[QUOTE="iamrob7"]

[QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

I agree, Black Ops 2 campaign is amazing and it's one I will repaly again and again. I'm also loving those strike force missions, I really like what they did. It's one of the few games where I have to think about the decisions I'm making.

But in terms of just raw single player, BioShock 1 is still better.

Master_ShakeXXX

I just...I....people are really this clueless...they really are....how awful....

Search your feelings young rob, for you know it to be true. Black Ops 2's campaign is the highpoint of FPS storytelling this generation. The way it seamlessly integrates it's deep choice system amongst the chaos and suffering of the franchise's most memorable story is one of colossal success. Black Ops 2 is a benchmark in interactive storytelling. Don't let the hate obscure what you know in your heart.

:lol: Not sure if serious