Having a Call of Duty game for a Nintendo console that looks and plays as well as, if not better than, it’s equivalent on the PS3 or Xbox 360 has never happened before, but with Call of Duty Black Ops 2 on the Nintendo Wii U it’s finally become a reality. With such a huge gulf in terms of graphics and processing power, the original Wii wasn’t really equipped to deal with the full on assault of COD, however, with the might of the Wii U it steps up to the plate and smashes it out of the park.
The graphics are literally stunning. Render rates are through the roof and every second of the game feels about as close to reality as you can get without enlisting in the army. Having played the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, our perception is that the Wii U edition of Black Ops II just edges them out in terms of visuals.
The gameplay, however, is a direct comparison to the more traditional Call of Duty consoles with the Wii U controller working amazingly for the game. It’s got blitz speed and firepower with great ease of motion and gun targeting. Playing the campaign mode you get to take over all manner of vehicles and accessories ranging from horses to futuristic rock climbing devices and glider suits, which add a very cool level of variety to the game that takes way above and beyond a standard shooter.
The story for the campaign jumps from the past to the 2025 present covering a multi-generational divide of international conflict. While the movie scenes aren’t quite as knife edge sharp as they could be, that does leave a lot of room on the disc to make the actual game shot hit amazing. For example, getting to go toe to toe with baddies from 2025 that have Predator-like invisibility shields is literally genius.
It’s not just the graphics or the gameplay that make Call of Duty Black Ops II so good, the sound effects create a full bore assault to your senses making the game hyper atmospheric; the game save function is smoother than a Playboy Bunny’s bow tie and ability to play the game directly on the Wii U game pad means that you don’t have to give up your girlfriend to give it some love (just flick on Glee for her, snuggle up next to her and crack out the game pad with one headphone in and the other out, so that you can detect conversation with your other ear and vaguely engage while you’re bringing down the soviet attack).
However, where COD has always come into its own int he past has been multi-player action and Black Ops II on the Wii U doesn’t disappoint. If you took an entire year off, and played it relentlessly, you’d still probably find something new to do on day 365, it’s that big. There are more game modes than you can imagine, ranging from your standard everyman for himself, team death match and capture the flags to attacks of zombie hoards that is the multi-player that should have been the jewel in the crown of Zombi U.
Call of Duty Black Ops 2 on the Nintendo Wii U is for us a must-get game. Not just for Wii U owners, but also for any COD fans. Getting to carry on playing when someone else has got control of the TV is more than enough to make the decision for you, but with the sublime graphics, stunning gameplay and more multi-player game modes than you can shake a Kalashnikov at, it’s as close to perfect as a shooter can get.
Call of Duty, Black Ops 2, Nintendo Wii U review: 5/5
