Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (BO2) is an upcoming first-person shooter developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. Black Ops II is the ninth game in the Call of Duty franchise of video games and a sequel to the 2010 game COD: Black Ops. Black Ops 2 takes place in the 1980s for the first third of the game, and in 2025 for the final 2/3.

The Zombies mode will return for Black Ops 2 (BO2) with its own campaign and will implement the multiplayer engine, allowing for a deeper community experience along with new game modes. With the all new point allocation system players can freely choose their primary and secondary weapons, attachments, bo2 perks, and such based on their needs. The bo2 multiplayer guns are mostly futuristic, but have been balanced to make the game more enjoyable. Killstreaks have been removed from Black Ops II and replaced with score streaks; Any major action in Black Ops II multiplayer earns score for you.

Every pre-order on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC will be given the free "Nuketown: 2025" bo2 multiplayer map, a remake of the classic Nuketown map. BO2 is set for release on November 13th, 2012.

Rezurrection is the latest and final map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. It's available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The Rezurrection DLC was an Xbox Live Marketplace exclusive for 30 days, but it was later released for the PS3 and PC.

Rezurrection is available for 1200 Microsoft Points / $15, but players that have purchased the Black Ops Hardened or Prestige Editions will get the DLC for free. The DLC includes a new zombie map named Moon, four re-mastered classic maps: Nacht der Untoten, Verrückt, Shi No Numa, Der Riese and an enhanced soundtrack.

Obliterate the competition with Annihilation, the newest downloadable map pack for Black Ops, with four brand new multiplayer maps and one new zombie map. The Annihilation DLC map pack costs 1200 Microsoft Points / $15.

Drive-In
Features close-quarter fights and powerful overwatches at an abandoned outdoor cinema. The map has some sniping positions, but is very small and favours close-quarters combat.

Hangar 18
Located in a highly classified U.S. facility where you will fight through experimental weapons labs, the SR-71 test hangar and a mysterious autopsy room.

Hazard
This multiplayer map takes place on a cliffside golf course. Keep an eye out for snipers as you battle up and down the fairway.

Silo
Located in a massive Soviet nuclear missile site, that's under construction. This huge map has lots of close engagements and flank routes.

Shangri-La
This zombie map takes place in a legendary shrine lost in an exotic jungle, where the undead lurk within a treacherous labyrinth of underground caverns, deadly traps and dark secrets.

The Annihilation map pack is available on Xbox 360 (Xbox LIVE), PlayStation 3 (PSN) and PC (Steam).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is being developed by Infinity Ward and assisted by Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games; Raven Software will be co-working on the multiplayer. Modern Warfare 3 (abbreviated as MW3) runs at 60 FPS to give it a competitive edge. MW3 will be the first Call of Duty game to have built-in support for color-blind gamers. On the singleplayer side, MW3 will immediately follow the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Most of the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer perks will be new, but some old favourites are still in. Overpowered perks, such as the Commando and Last Stand are removed from the mw3 perks due to balance issues. Familiar weapons from both Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops are to make a comeback in the mw3 weapons arsenal; the weapons have been completely re-designed and balanced for multiplayer.

MW3's multiplayer will not be relying that much on killstreaks and focuses more on fast-paced, gun-on-gun gameplay. Compared to previous Call of Duty games, the mw3 killstreaks system has been completely revamped. The game should also feature a total of 20 new multiplayer maps, but it's expected that some of the mw3 multiplayer maps might be left out of the final version and sold later in map packs.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) will be released on 8th of November, 2011.

The Escalation map pack features four all-new multiplayer maps and one new zombie map. It's out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC; it costs 1200 Microsoft Points, which is about $15.

Convoy
The Convoy multiplayer map delivers intense, close-quarters combat at the scene of an ambushed US military convoy somewhere in California.

Hotel
Takes place on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel and casino. The map has three usable elevators that move between two floors. There are a lot of large open areas, but also smaller rooms and staircases, which promotes camping.

Stockpile
Stockpile is located in a suburban village housing secret WMD facilities. There is a building with two large steel doors that can be opened and closed with switches.

Zoo
Medium sized map in an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo, with danger at every turn.

Call of the Dead
Large zombie map set in a mysterious ice-covered remote Siberian island, with multiple areas.

The First Strike map pack is now available for all three formats: Xbox 360 (Xbox LIVE), PlayStation 3 (PSN) and PC (Steam). It costs 1200 MS Points / $15.

The First Strike includes four new multiplayer maps and one new zombie map:

Berlin Wall
A medium-large map set around Check-Point Charlie in Berlin during the Cold War. There are automatic turrets that fire anyone that dares to go near them. This multiplayer map is ideal for snipers and campers.

Discovery
Takes place in an abandoned German outpost set along the coast of Antarctica. The map has close-range and long-range firefights.

Kowloon
The map is located in the city of Kowloon, Hong Kong; the map is suited for all types of combat. There are two zip-lines in the map that can be used to travel from one side to the other.

Stadium
Takes place in a sports complex called Chance Stadium. The map delivers fast-paced, close-quarters combat with light cover everywhere.

Ascension
The map is located in an abandoned Soviet Cosmodrome, where players will fight against hoards of vicious, perk-stealing zombie monkeys, flesh-eating Soviet zombies and more! The objective is to survive for as long as possible against limitless waves of zombies.

Activision has announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops has grossed $650 million within its first five days on sale worldwide. This beats last years Modern Warfare 2 by over $100 million. Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for two consecutive years across all forms of entertainment, and is expected to rise to three consecutive years after Call of Duty: MW3 is released.

Over 2.6 million unique gamers logged 5.9 million multiplayer hours on Xbox LIVE on 9th of November. The game was also a tremendous success on the PlayStation 3.

Black Ops has also set new sales records in the United Kingdom; Two million copies of the game were sold in five days, beating the previous record holder, Modern Warfare 2, by over 10 percent. The Xbox 360 was the best selling version of Call of Duty: Black Ops in the game's opening week. Out of the 2 million sold copies in the UK, 55 percent were Xbox 360 versions and 42 percent PlayStation 3. The PC, DS and Wii versions took the remaining 3 percent.

Call of Duty: Black Ops has become the biggest entertainment launch ever by selling over 5.6 million copies in 24 hours. The sales numbers are from North America and the United Kingdom alone and beat Modern Warfare 2's last years record of 4.7 million sold copies. The game generated over $360 million, which is $50 million more what Modern Warfare 2 did in the same time period last year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year worldwide. Modern Warfare 3 doubled the record number in 2012, but www.blackopsii.com reports that Black Ops II might even beat MW3. Black Ops logged over 1 million Xbox LIVE users during its first few hours online; Those are just Xbox 360 numbers and don't include the PlayStation 3 and PC gamers.

Last years Modern Warfare 2 broke sales records and has sold over 20 million copies to date. Janco Partners' Mike Hickey believes that Black Ops could match sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by selling over 18 million copies this holiday.

Black Ops could generate over $800 million on just the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms alone. Black Ops II (BO2) is expected to double the sales of the original game, when released in 2012. For comparison, Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million copies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in one day and generated over $1 billion by January 2010. With only just a few days left before the games release, it remains to be seen whether Black Ops will top the blockbuster launch of Modern Warfare 2.

Treyarch has just released their latest trailer during the Steelers-Saints NFL game. Since this is the games launch trailer, it's most likely the last one we will see for a while.

It's only 8 more days before Black Ops is officially released, but it seems that the game is already being sold in some stores. Some lucky people have already streamed gameplay from the singleplayer campaign and zombie mode. As you might also guess, the Xbox 360 version has been leaked and is being pirated by a lot of people. The games official servers won't be activated until the release date, so these people won't be able to play Black Ops online, for now. This was the case with Modern Warfare 2 and most likely with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3).

Xbox 360 users are also getting an update to the Xbox Dashboard today. The update is mandatory, so if you want to play on Xbox LIVE, you will need to update.

There's only 11 days left before Black Ops hits the stores. With the release being this close, it's not surprising that the full perks list has been leaked. Most of the pro perks have been unknown, but luckily we now have the full list.

Lightweight Pro gives you the same ability that Commando Pro did; no falling damage. Steady Aim Pro is somewhat the equivalent of Commando, as it gives you a faster recovery time to knife lunges. Also, the Ghost Pro seems a bit overpowered since it makes you invisible to almost all killstreaks. Read the rest by clicking the link or image below.

Click here for the full perks list.

Here are some great lesser-known features that Call of Duty: Black Ops will have. The list below applies to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Multiplayer Online Split-Screen Support
Let’s get started with what I believe is the most unknown, yet confirmed, aspect to Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer -- the online split-screen support we’ve re-introduced to the franchise! This applies to both the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3.

The Facts:

Custom Games Editor
Allow me to introduce the Black Ops Custom Games editor! Private Matches have never been this customizable. Players will have the ability to structure their games at all new levels of granularity. From variables as simple as Time Limit and Score Limit, or as deep as which weapons, Perks, and gear is available. You want a Pistols Only match? Make one! No longer do custom game modes rely on the "honor system".

Furthermore, any Custom Game you create and configure can be placed in your File Share, for friends and the community-at-large to browse, download, and enjoy. You just might create the most addictive new game mode of all time from the comfort of your own living room!

In-Game Friends List
We’ve integrated a built-in Friends List into the in-game User Interface. You’ll be able to browse Recent Players, Friends, navigate their File Shares, Recent Games, Combat Records -- all within this in-game menu system designed to streamline the social process within the game. Sending game invites and joining Friends’ games has never been simpler than in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Regional Matchmaking & Party Privacy
Call of Duty: Black Ops will support regional matchmaking filters on a global scale. So, no matter where you’re at in the world, you will have the ability to specify whether you want to match with players from other geographical regions, or only those local to you. This will make communication and lag a much less intrusive variable on your gameplay experience.

Additionally, given Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3 will support joining games in progress via an even simpler built-in in-game Friends List interface, we’ll allow a Party leader to lock down his lobby to Invite Only, Friends Only, or even Close it altogether if he wants to be in complete control over who enters and exits the Party Lobby.

Emblems Do NOT Reset with Prestige
This one is pretty cut-and-dry -- a frequently asked question is, "Will my kickass MW3 emblem I spent hours perfecting be lost when I prestige??" The answer is, "NO!" -- Emblems are one of the only aspects of Black Ops MP that do not get a full reset upon entering Prestige. Things that will reset when you Prestige are: XP, COD Points, Challenge progressions, Loadouts, etc. Black Ops has 15 Prestige levels and 50 ranks per Prestige level.