Version tested: Xbox 360

It’s that time of year again. The days are becoming darker; your wallet is getting lighter, and your waist is growing larger. To curb these seasonal blues, Activision is here with Call of Duty: Black Ops II (hereafter Black Ops 2), the ninth entry in the series and the fourth developed by Treyarch. You may not remember there being nine Call of Duty games, and that’s because Activision is cognizant of the stigma sequelitis projects. After Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, they dropped the sequential numerical approach and adopted subtitles to differentiate installments. Besides, Call of Duty 9: Black Ops II sounds absurd, and cynical gamers may be less likely to demur Black Ops 2 as opposed to Call of Duty 9.Read More