Review: Black Ops II DLC digest: Uprising
When Treyarch began talking about Call of Duty: Black Ops II early in 2012, it was clear that Game Design Director David Vonderhaar and his team wanted to steer Activision’s first-person shooter in a different direction. Incorporating a campaign with branching storylines, a futuristic setting and Pick Ten, a fresh take on competitive multiplayer’s Create-A-Class model, Black Ops II is arguably the most innovative and ambitious entry in the franchise to date. Question is, will the developer’s downloadable packages follow suit? Or more importantly, perhaps, will they be worth your hard-earned money?
Our Black Ops II DLC digest series continues with Uprising, the second of the game’s four planned map packs. To read last month’s Revolution review, click here.
Fact sheet
Content:
- Four distinct multiplayer maps: Encore, Vertigo, Magma and Studio
- One co-op environment for Zombies: Mob of the Dead
Price*:
- Xbox LIVE: 1200 MS Points
- PlayStation Network and Steam: $15.00 / £11.59 / €14.45
Release date:
- Xbox 360: April 16th, 2013
- PlayStation 3 and PC: May 16th, 2013
*Season Pass holders will receive this DLC free-of-charge
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Encore
Bordered by a cityscape that features the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral, the unmistakable Gherkin and the newly erected Shard, Encore is set in a fictional outdoor amphitheatre in the heart of London. The key to dominating this map relies on tight control of the stage. Strewn with chest-high crates that provide ample protection, securing this area over the grandstands and behind-the-scenes spaces will invariably secure your victory. Check your blind spots regularly though; a tactical flanker won’t have any difficultly picking off a complacent camper.
Vertigo
In Vertigo, players must do battle above the clouds atop a high-rise building owned by the Tacitus Corporation, the arms manufacturer that produced many of the title’s warfare technologies and Scorestreaks. Shootouts tend to happen in and around the towering skyscraper’s lobby, a cluster of rooms with multiple entrance and exit points. If you plan on setting up camp indoors, you’ll definitely need to keep your wits about you. However, if you decide to patrol the outer edges of the map instead, maintain caution; one minor misstep is all that stands between you and an impromptu free-fall.
Magma
The hottest environment Uprising has to offer, Magma takes place in Japan following a violent volcanic eruption. With its sunken chasms and unsettled foundations, the environment promotes long and short-range engagements equally. The Overkill wildcard proves useful here, allowing players to swap between play styles on the fly and quickly adjust to each combat situation. If you’re worried about having to deal with dynamic flows of piping-hot lava, don’t be; the streams and pits that populate the map are stationary. Even so, players should try to keep strafing and backpedalling to a minimum if they want to avoid an embarrassing accidental suicide.
Studio
Featuring a Wild West saloon, a medieval castle, a mini metropolis and a Jurassic jungle, Studio is Hollywood’s answer to fan-favourite multiplayer map Firing Range. In terms of layout, it is identical to Black Ops’ Cuban military training ground – a labyrinth of narrow routes and tight pathways surrounding a more open centre, with a handful of elevated positions providing advantageous viewpoints. However, its presentation is a mishmash of interactive movie set pieces and Easter Eggs that make for a completely different experience.
Mob of the Dead
Mob of the Dead occurs during the American Prohibition era within Alcatraz Island’s fortified federal prison. Playing as one of four infamous mobster inmates, your objective is to flee the facility before becoming the victim of a zombie outbreak. To do so, players will need to restore a getaway plane by locating and collecting various components scattered about the undead-infested penitentiary. The map introduces a new ability called Afterlife, which allows you to power various utilities and walk through walls to reach inaccessible areas for a limited time. There are new buildables to experiment with too, including an acid trap that proves effective at deterring unrelenting enemies.
Finally, Mob of the Dead features a new boss-like zombie called Brutus. Taking the form of an armoured warden, this hulking goliath can spawn at any time, and if allowed to roam free can disable Perk-a-Cola machines, workbenches and Mystery Boxes – reducing your chance of survival. If you want to put an end to his rampages quickly, bring a Tomahawk or three to the party.
To buy, or not to buy?
Unlike Revolution before it, Uprising does not deliver anything new in terms of weaponry or game modes. What it does deliver, however, are four well-crafted and interesting locales that are a joy to play, successfully extending the life of Black Ops II’s competitive element. Add to that another outlandish Zombies level and what you’re left with is a quality downloadable package that’s hard to fault. Treyarch has once again fulfilled its brief, giving the Call of Duty community further incentive to stick with its futuristic FPS until Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Ghosts arrives later this year.
To buy, or not to buy? I say buy.