Go ahead and take Tuesday off work; all the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 news you’ll need to prepare

By Ryan Fleming Published November 9, 2012

Love it or hate it, this Tuesday marks the release of what will almost certainly be the biggest game of the year (in terms of sales), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. It’s a billion dollar franchise, and while this year’s version doesn’t seem to have quite the heat that the last few offerings did, there is no reason to think it won’t reach that same seven figure milestone. But with great popularity comes a great backlash.

Will this be the year when Call of Duty fails to surpass its predecessor, or is this the year that reignites the passion that has made it a generation-defining game? We’ll know soon enough.

For now though, we’ve rounded up all the Black Ops II news in order to get you properly situated for this year’s outing. Click on the banner below, and if you are a fan of the series, go ahead and take Tuesday off of work. Be sure to check back with us for our full review as well.

Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops-2-click-for-more — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 desperately needs to give players more health

Player crouching behind cover in Warzone 2.0.

In Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, gunfights can end in less than a second. In fact, some weapons have the potential to down a player in less than 400 milliseconds, which is wildly punishing in a mode that can last upwards of 25 minutes. While this isn't an inherent flaw, many elements around the fast time to kill (TTK) are disproportionately slow, such as aim down sights (ADS), reload times, and other animations. It's demoralizing to spend so long playing a match, only to get taken out in mere milliseconds by a player who happened to be aiming in your direction.

As Warzone 2.0 begins to roll out tweaks, there's one thing I'm hoping to see changed: an increase in the TTK to match other battle royale games like Fortnite or Apex Legends -- or at the very least, to match the original Warzone.
Give me a break
Players have complained about the fast TTK since the first Warzone game, so much so, that Activision and Raven Software actually increased the default player health from 100 to 150. With three armor plates equipped, your max total health could be as high as 300.

Gaming

8 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II weapons you should level up before Warzone 2.0

Characters running in Modern Warfare II.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is nearly here, and players have spent a considerable amount of time playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II to prepare. Both games share progression systems, so all the weapons you've unlocked and leveled in Modern Warfare II will carry over to Warzone 2.0.

But which weapons should you prioritize leveling first? You'll want to have some weapons at max level right when you start so you can hit the ground running in Warzone 2.0, and in this guide, we'll show you which ones are the best. Keep in mind, it's best to have a diverse set of weapons available as soon as you begin, since Warzone 2.0 will throw you into a variety of situations.

Gaming

Call of Duty: Warzone rebrands, will remove Rebirth Island ahead of Warzone 2.0

A group of four operators stands together in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

Activision announced that Call of Duty: Warzone will relaunch as Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera. The game will go offline temporarily on November 16, 2022, before returning on November 28. When it does so, it will only include the large Caldera map; Rebirth Island and Fortune's Keep will no longer be playable when Warzone Caldera launches.

Warzone Caldera will be a separate experience from the upcoming Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Activision confirmed that only a standard battle royale playlist will be available in Warzone Caldera and that the free-to-play title will no longer include an in-game store. Your COD points are transferable across Warzone Caldera and Warzone 2.0. Despite that, nothing else will carry over from Caldera to Warzone 2.0. That means all your weapon camos, charms, emblems, and any other cosmetics will remain on Warzone Caldera. It's currently unclear if those maps will come to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 at a later time.