All Articles: Call of Duty: Black Ops II

The Switch continues to soar as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the best-selling game in April 2017

Nintendo continues to dominate the retail charts with another strong showing in April for their Switch console. According to The NPD Group, Nintendo added another 280,000 Switch consoles to its tally last month, and the newly-launched Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold more than 459,000 copies (in just two days) to take the top spot on the list of best-selling games. The company’s success also seems to be great for the industry as a whole, as the industry generated $636 million in sales in April 2017, a 10% increase over the year before.

The other big news in April is that Persona 5 pushed the franchise and gave the RPG the #2 spot on the best-seller list, just below Mario Kart 8.

“Persona 5 experienced the strongest debut month for any title in Persona franchise history, with packaged dollar sales five times that of the previous best-selling debut, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4,” NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella told GamesIndustry.biz.

Additional new releases were thin on the ground in last month’s Top 20, but Lego Undercover‘s re-release on the PC and current-generation consoles helped it secure a spot (#13). And as expected, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued to sell well, landing in the #3 position for the month. But the big retail winners in April all came from the backlist, including Grand Theft Auto V (#6), Overwatch (#9), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (#10), and Minecraft (#20).

The NPD Group’s complete list of best-selling games for April 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)

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Call of Duty: Zombies comic book miniseries will launch in October

callofdutyzombiesnumberoneThe Call of Duty: Zombies universe will expand this Fall with the launch of a Call of Duty: Zombies miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. Based on a story by Treyarch developers Jason Blundell and Craig Houston, Call of Duty: Zombies will be written by Justin Jordan (Green Lantern: New Guardians) and illustrated by Jonathan Wayshak (Devolution).

The series will span six issues, with the first scheduled to be released on October 19…

On his quest to secure an ancient artifact known as The Kronorium, Doctor Edward Richtofen enlists the help of The Tranzit Crew, a rag tag group of survivors last seen in the Black Ops II Zombies installment “Buried.” On a deeply unstable and fractured future Earth, Stuhlinger, Misty, Russman, and Marlton battle for survival against the undead horde, as they slowly uncover the truth behind Richtofen’s mysterious reappearance. The Call of Duty: Zombies miniseries follows these characters’ perilous journey of discovery, filling in crucial pieces of the larger Zombies story.

Call of Duty fans can get a sneak peek at the comic adaptation at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where Blundell will be a guest during Dark Horse’s Comics & Video Games panel on Thursday, July 21, at 8:00 PM (Eastern Time). In addition to talking about the comic miniseries, the developer will also “shed light onto some of the secrets hidden within the Call of Duty: Zombies saga.”

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Explore the extensive timeline of the Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise in this video

Beginning with the birth of Victor Reznov in 1913, the Black Ops saga spans more than 100 years of history… most of which has been redacted. Thankfully, developer Treyarch has compiled this primer to help players read through the lines before the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. If you’ve got ten minutes to spare, I highly recommend you spend it reacquainting yourself with the events behind Black Ops and Black Ops II.

And if you skip to the end, you’ll even find out which of Black Ops II’s multiple endings is considered the true ending by Treyarch.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 6.

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BOOM! Madden NFL 16 is the best-selling game of August 2015

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Whatever your opinion of Tom Brady and Deflategate (for the record, I agree with Tony Kornheiser, the suspension was “completely unjust”), it looks like nobody can take the air out of EA’s Madden NFL franchise. And don’t just take my word for it. The latest entry in the series, Madden NFL 16, topped the NPD Group’s newest monthly report and was declared the best-selling game of August 2015.

Madden NFL 16’s ascendance to the top of the list was a foregone conclusion, but August was an unusually quiet month for new releases. Just look at the three remakes/re-releases that broke into the top ten. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition chainsawed its way into the #3 spot, while the 30 games in the Rare Replay compilation collectively landed at #6. Finally, a Combo Pack containing Call of Duty: Black Ops + Call of Duty: Black Ops II claimed the #8 position (two spots ahead of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at #10, I might add). The only other new release to crack the top ten was Sony’s Until Dawn at #7.

But the real story of the month might be that Minecraft continues to sell. Even though its been available on the PS4 and Xbox One since last year (and another year on the PS3 and Xbox 360), the game continues to sell month after month. Only Madden NFL 16 was able to outpace Mojang’s creation in August as Minecraft is sitting at #2 on the best-sellers list.

A complete look at August 2015’s top ten is available after the break. (more…)

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Mysterious symbols in CoD: Black Ops II multiplayer might point to Black Ops 3 reveal

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For the past few years, Activision has revealed the newest game in the Call of Duty franchise in May. But this year, it looks like they plan to tease out the latest announcement using a series of secret messages and hidden clues.

The first clue was found yesterday within Call of Duty: Black Ops II‘s multiplayer maps by YouTube user Drift0r. According to Drift0r, posters in the “Terminal” map have been edited to include a Snapchat watermark. Scanning the watermark in Snapchat will add a Call of Duty-connected user to your Friends List. Eventually, your new friend will send you videos that hint at the brainwashing techniques used in Black Ops II. Videos such as this one:

Treyarch, the developer behind Black Ops II, will the main developer of this Fall’s Call of Duty title. So while we don’t know for sure that these clues are hinting at Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, it certainly seems like a very real possibility.

[Source: Polygon]

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Xbox 360 Blue Bundle + CoD Ghosts, Black Ops II coming to Walmart next month

bluexbox360While Microsoft is heavily pushing the Xbox One (and Sunset Overdrive) this holiday season, the consolemaker also has two new Xbox 360 bundles to entice the previous generation’s last holdouts.

This year’s Holiday Bundle, priced at $249, will come packaged with Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Call of Duty: Ghosts. A wireless controller, one month of Xbox Live Gold access, and a 500 GB hard drive will also be included in the box. The Holiday Bundle will be available in stores next week.

If you purchase the Holiday Bundle from Walmart, you’ll be able to score an icy blue Xbox 360 console (with a matching controller) by picking up the appropriately named Special Edition Blue Bundle, which is also priced at $249. The Special Edition Blue Bundle will be released on October 7.

Finally, the 4GB + Kinect Bundle has been revamped to include a wireless controller, one month of Xbox Live Gold access, the Kinect sensor, and three games (Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports, and Forza Horizon). The 4GB + Kinect Bundle will be available exclusively through Target beginning next week and it’ll also carry a $249 price tag.

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Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling (and most wanted) game of 2013

grandtheftautov-logoThe NPD Group previously declared Call of Duty: Ghosts the best-selling game of December 2013, but Activision’s military shooter fell a bit short in the full-year competition. With Ghosts in second place, you might have guessed that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V was the best-selling retail game of 2013… and you’d be right.

Sequels and sports games dominate the list, but the universal appeal of Disney allowed Disney Infinity to crack the top ten at #10. At #9, the retail version of the mighty Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition also made the list.

Here’s the complete top ten of 2013’s best-selling retail games:

Best-Selling Retail Games of 2013
1. Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Call Of Duty: Ghosts (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, PC, Wii U)
3. Madden NFL 25 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One)
4. Battlefield 4 (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, PC)
5. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PC)
6. NBA 2K14 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
8. Just Dance 2014 (Wii, Xbox 360, Wii U, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
9. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (Xbox 360)
10. Disney Infinity (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, Wii U, 3DS)

[Source: Joystiq]

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CoD: Black Ops II Apocalypse DLC now available on PC, PS3

The final Call of Duty: Black Ops II expansion pack, Apocalypse, is now available to download on the PC and PS3. Season Pass owners will be able to download the Apocalypse DLC Pack for free, while the rest of us will have to pay $14.99. The DLC pack includes four new maps and a new Zombies scenario, “Origins.”

The next Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Ghosts, will be available in November for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One.

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