Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 review

You can always tell when it's coming up to Christmas because Activision decide it's time to release another in it's massively moneyspinning online cash cows which is Call of Duty. This time round it's Black Ops 2 and once again - surprise, surprise - box office records are tumbling as the faithful worshippers of the god of First Person Shooters dig deep into their increasingly cash-strapped pockets. No double-dip recession in the video gaming industry then.

It's easy to be cynical and say that Treyarch would settle for the same-old, same old. Yet rather unexpectedly they've attempted a few new avenues here that show that they're not content with just sitting on their laurels but are willing to try blowing some fresh air on the franchise's dying embers.

 

In the single-player campaign, for instance, it would initially seem like familiar territory with all the Western-alligned countries being threatened with catastrophic retribution from embittered South American terrorist Raul Menendez. Although the primary storyline follows the predictable path towards the final confrontation with the villain, for the first time CoD introduces multiple story endings depending on moral choices made earlier in the drama.

This non-linear approach is further enhanced by the introduction of Strike Force missions which operate much closer to RTS models than FPS. You take charge of troops, vehicles and turrets from an overhead view to prevent waves of enemy forces capturing the site. While this is a bold departure from the norm, many regular shooter fans will see them as unwelcome diversions from the main event, especially as dead troops stay dead, unlike in the regular missions.

 

On the plus side, you can now choose your loadouts before each mission, exactly the same as in multiplayer, so you do feel as though you're more involved in the conflict rather than just acting out the prepared script. The narrative itself divides the action between older scenarios with Alex Mason as the protagonist from the 1980's and his son David Mason in the year 2025.

The 'futuristic' missions are more attractive because they make use of drones, armoured vehicles with built-in flamethrowers and machine guns, as well as mechanical snooping spiders and 'batwings' for short flying sequences.



But of course it's multiplayer that most people want to know about and Treyarch have included a number of tweaks that are intended to pander to both veterans of the series and newbies. The new 'Pick-10' feature lets you decide which ten combat elements to take into the fray, thus making each battle more suited to your style. In addition, a new Score Streaks system replaces Kill Streaks as the principal method of rewarding players by the assistance you give to the team rather than the number of head shots you accumulate.

The console versions also allow you to create live commentaries on the action and to show live streaming so fans on the other side of the globe can see how well you're performing. And of course there are the ever-popular zombies who have been considerably beefed up - perhaps in preparation for an all-zombie CoD in the future?

Although not all of Treyarch's tinkering with the formulae have been successful, they should at least be applauded for making the attempt. Parents beware, though - there are several scenes of torture and mutilation in the campaign that are quite stomach churning and far from necessary for the storyline. One thing you can be sure of - with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 making $1 billion in 15 days, you can be sure those Navy SEALS will be back next year...


Score: 4/5

Edifier e10 Exclaim review

One thing you can certainly say about Edifier's new e10 Exclaim speakers is that you're unlikely to have seen a design like this before. This twin set looks like a pair of misplaced exclamation marks but there's certainly nothing out of kilter when it comes to their performance.

The press release says that Edifier intended these speakers for PC's, televisions and mobile devices but one look at them tells you they should ideally find a home next to your entertainment oriented laptop.

Although they are highly seductive pieces of hi-fi eye-candy, each speaker houses a total of three active speaker drivers and two passive radiators which manages to give a much richer sound than you'd expect from most laptop speakers on the market.

The long upright silver sections each contain two 1.5" midrange tweeters and a 1.5 x 3" passive radiator with the chunky round base sections housing a 3" woofer and a 3" passive bass radiator. Thanks to the use of full integral DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and DRC (Dynamic Range Compensation), the resulting levels are kept in balance and free of distortion even at close to max volume.

Operation is simple as the speakers are connected to your PC or music device via a 3.5mm jack lead and the power and volume buttons are integrated into the design of the right speaker column.

The first time you experience the quality of the sound is similar to that of finding an oasis after trudging through miles of burning desert - you almost can't believe both the volume (up to 35W), bass response (admittedly mostly in the mid-to-low range) and clarity of the voices and instruments from a bi-amp system that costs a mere £80.

Whether you just want your music playing in the background while you type or if you want to receive a more authentic feel of the action ffrom Call of Duty, Edifier's e10 Exclaim speakers have to be a must for all PC users fed up with tinny squawking coming out of their built-in audio systems.

Score: 4.5/5