Score Streaks Not Kill Streaks
 
Say goodbye to Kill Streaks. Now, instead of awesome rewards like the UAV being linked to how many people you kill, they're linked to points. Points are awarded for different types of action. For example, capturing the flags nets you 100 points. Kill someone while carrying the flag and you gain a mean 150. Take the flag home and you get a plump 200. Points ramp up your Score Streak meter, which lets you earn up to two rewards in a single scoring event. Speaking of which…
 
(Micro)wave Your Enemies Goodbye
 
There are a bunch of new streak rewards in CODBLOPS II. The Guardian, for example, is a portable turret that emits a non-lethal dose of microwave radiation, which incapacitates nearby enemies. It's perfect for forming strong walls of defense around flags, or capture points. Another cool streak is the AGR, which is a vicious micro-tank, capable of tearing the opposition in shreds with its minigun. While it's completely autonomous, you can choose to control it and bring the destruction directly. Other streaks include the Hellstorm missile, which you can choose to blow up in midair for a wide spread, or closer to the ground for a more direct blast; and the escort drone, which is an autonomous flying vehicle that relays its position and kills via voice, directly to you.
 
Pick 10 Equipment
 
CODBLOPS II has a completely overhauled equipment system, based upon a series of board games developed by Treyarch staff. In essence, it allows players to easily create a completely custom class, which, the developers say, doesn't ever interfere with the balance of the game. Every player is allocated 10 points, which they can spend on various slots. The difference in player levels dictates what equipment they have access to: weapons, attachments, grenades, and different skills etc. And you're not forced to take something from a category--how you equip your character is entirely up to you. Notably, all weapon modifications are made here now; there are no longer any weapon-mod perks. Also notable are Wildcards, which you can equip by using up one of your points, but enable neat tricks like equipping three attachments to your weapon, rather than the default two.
 
55 Levels and 10 Levels of Prestige Please
 
That's right, there are 55 Levels and 10 Levels of Prestige in CODBLOPS II, but what's notable is that the system no longer uses COD Points. Instead, you get one unlock token per level, which you can use to get new equipment. That means it's now impossible to unlock everything in a single progression, a move, the developer says, that means you always have something to look forward to. Unless, you know, you don't do anything but play COD. In which case, you've got bigger things to worry about.
 
CODCasting
 
No, I'm not making that pun-a-riffic title up. CODCasting is CODBLOPS II's take on live streaming. Now, built into the game, is the ability to commentate on live matches in spectator mode, and adjust the camera accordingly. You can bring up switch between players, bring up a score chart overlay, switch to map view, get picture-in-picture with scores, and listen into team speak with the push of a button. Linked into that is the ability to live stream games with a single button press--a feature that will not require a high end PC, although the developer did not confirm if it would be coming to consoles. If you've got a webcam, you can even stream a video of your lovely COD-playing face too.
 
Tournament Play
 
Of course, live streaming isn't any good without a decent bit of competition to commentate on, and CODBLOPS II features a new, automated tournament mode. The game will keep track of how well you're doing, whether individually or in a team with friends, and match you with other similarly killed individuals. Should you consistently kick ass, the game will automatically move you up to higher division. Matches can also have more than two teams for the first time, with up to six available in each match of up to 18 players. There's even a new "Hard Point" mode to get stuck into with teams too, which is basically King Of The Hill, but, you know, more manly. Grr.  
 

 
Before the carnage began, Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia took to the stage to talk us through Black Ops 2′s overhauled create-a-class system, which the developer dubbed internally as ‘Pick 10′.
 
Why ‘Pick 10′? Because you are free to choose any ten items from a Black Ops 2 arsenal of over 100 separate pieces of kit, rewards, modifiers and perks. You can choose anything – even sacrifice your primary weapon in favour of another perk if you wish.
 
Fancy three perks and three score streak rewards in your class? That’ll be six of you ten points. Want a shotgun with reduced recoil and a sight? That’ll be three points. It’s entirely up to you how you tailor your load-out.
 
You can even spend one of your ten points on a ‘Wildcard’ – a modifer that allows you to bent the ten point rule slightly, such as taking a third attachment for your gun, or a second perk from one of the three perk tiers.
 
Another Wildcard lets you set your weapon’s fire mode, so you can turn your fully automatic Type 25 rifle into a burst or single shot if you fancy some more control. It’s a massive system with a hue number of possibilities.
 
Bets of all this doesn’t let people break the rules, because your ten points are spend quicker than you realise. You can then swap items in and out to get some of your allowance back, and to really hone your custom class.
 
You can’t unlock everything in one playthrough either. Each time you level up by gaining experience, you get one unlock token and a choice of seven new pieces of kit. You can only pick one. The only way to get everything is to Prestige.
 
So, here is a complete rundown of every ‘Pick 10′ item in the Black Ops 2 build we played. This isn’t everything the game has to offer, but it’s a decent-sized wedge.
 
Guns
 
Assault rifles
 
    Type 25
    M8A1
    SA-58
    SIG556
    SCAR-H
    AN-94
    SMR
 
Shotguns
 
    M1216
    Saiga-12
    R-870 MCS
 
LMG
 
    LSAT
    QBB LSW
    Mk 48
 
Sniper Rifles
 
    DSR 50
    SVU-AS
    Ballista
 
SMG
 
    MP7
    Chicom CQB
    PDW-57
    Skorpio EVO III
    MSMC
 
Specials
 
    Assault Shield (Metal riot shield that can be planted into the ground as makeshift cover)
 
Secondary
 
Launchers
 
    FHJ-18 AA (Vehicle lock-on, two rockets)
    RPG
    SMAW
 
Pistols
 
    KAP-40
    Tac-45
    Executioner
    B23R
 
Lethal Slot
 
    Grenade
    Semtex
    Combat axe
    Claymore
    C4
    Bouncing Betty
 
Attachments
 
    Reflex sight
    ACOG sight
    Target Finder (Paints red squares around hostiles)
    Hybrid Optic
    Suppressor
    Fast Mag
    Fore Grip
    Laser Sight
    Adjustable Stock
    Quickdraw
    Millimetre Scanner
    Grenade Launcher
    Select Fire Mode
    FMJ Rounds
    Extended Clip
 
Tactical slot
 
    Black Hat PDA (Get close to enemy equipment and point this data pad at it to hack it and turn it against enemies. Takes ages to hack though!)
    Smoke grenade
    Sensor grenade
    Flashbang
    Concussion grenade
    Shock charge (a throwable stick that emits an electric shock across a surface, rooting targets to the spot)
    Tactical Insertion
 
Wildcards (Bend the rules of the ‘Pick 10′ system slightly)
 
    Perk 1 Greed (Lets you choose a second perk from tier 1)
    Perk 2 Greed
    Perk 3 Greed
    Primary Gunfighter
    Secondary Gunfighter
    Overkill
    Danger Close
    Tactician
 
Perks (Note: Perks can no longer go pro)
 
Tier 1
 
    Ghost (Now only hides you from UAVs when you are moving)
    Lightweight
    Flak Jacket
    Blind Eye
    Hardline
    Lightweight
 
Tier 2
 
    Cold Blooded
    Hard Wired
    Scavenger
    Toughness
    Fast Hands
 
Tier 3
 
    Dead Silence
    Engineer
    Tactical Mask
    Extreme Conditioning
    Awareness
    Dexterity