We reviewed the recent PlayStation 5 port of Call of Duty: Black Opsright before this, and I’m honestly still scratching my head. As a fan of both these games, I headed over to Call of Duty: Black Ops II in the hopes that there would be some sort of redemption. After all, this should be a great time on the PS5, right?
I was unfortunately wrong.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is actually a fantastic game in its own right, and certainly holds up by today’s standards. But I am very much referencing that initial 2012 experience.
While you will find that experience here on the PS5, you simply won’t find much more. As a result, it makes the package an overly expensive re-release that wants more from you than it’s willing to give back.
This will be a slightly shorter review, but we do urge you to read our Call of Duty: Black Ops review, as many of those issues apply here.
Welcome to the Future
It’s funny to think that Call of Duty: Black Ops II now takes place in the past, with its futuristic 2025 setting looking rather sleek and impressive upon its initial release.
Hunting down Raul Menendez with Alex Mason and Frank Woods is an absolute blast, and while I praised the mind-bending and action-packed setpieces of Call of Duty: Black Ops, I actually prefer the bombastic nature and breakneck pacing of this narrative.
Gunplay is still incredibly punchy and satisfying, and I’m a huge fan of the intertwining time periods that weave the narrative together, as we jump back and forth between the late 80s and this futuristic version of 2025.
Much like Call of Duty: Black Ops, the multiplayer and Zombies offerings in Call of Duty: Black Ops II remain untouched, and they admittedly do hold up as they are. A more stripped-back progression system and some awesome maps like Raid and Standoff do still provide plenty of fun.
But it’s unfortunately all downhill from here.
The Broader Package and Enhancements
While I’m not going to rip the entire section from our Call of Duty: Black Ops review and paste it here, the same flaws do apply. The game is presented in a sharper 1080p resolution as opposed to the game’s original 600p resolution, but it’s still only running at 60 FPS.
Once again, no 120 FPS performance option for newer displays, or even things like adjustable FOV sliders. Thankfully, like Call of Duty: Black Ops, PS5 servers will now host multiplayer matches, making it easier to find games.
We’ll touch on this in just a second, but like its older sibling, Call of Duty: Black Ops II offers its additional contentme. There’s some decent stuff in that season pass as far as multiplayer and Zombies maps alike are concerned, and it’s just sad to see it locked behind another paywall
I’m going to directly quote our Call of Duty: Black Ops review here though, as the same point applies:
“Of course, you can purchase it, and at the time of writing, there is a 67% discount for all PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game itself is also 50% off at the time of writing, once again for PlayStation Plus subscribers. That’s a nice gesture, but once the base game goes back up to A$59.95 and the season pass goes back up to $47.95, this is an incredibly tough purchase to recommend.”
Final Thoughts
Much like Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops II stands as a port that’s relying on nostalgia more so than value. It’s a shame, because it has held up quite well, and I feel most fans will enjoy both the campaign and multiplayer offerings.
But once you stack up the value of the base game and its season pass, especially after those PlayStation Plus discounts end, the astronomical pricing makes it too hard to recommend to newcomers and fans alike.
TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Campaign and multiplayer experience both hold up in 2026
Lowlights: Very minimal enhancements on the PS5; Season pass content not included
Developer:Iron Galaxy Studios
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
