Elaborating on yesterday's teaser trailer, Treyarch has now spilled the beans on the next downloadable content expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Titled Apocalypse, the game's fourth and final DLC pack will launch on August 27th 2013 for 1200 MS points on the Xbox 360 (a timed exclusive ahead of PC and PS3 as always), and in addition to the expected "Origins" co-op zombies scenario, will also feature four new multiplayer maps:

“Apocalypse is Treyarch’s grand finale to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,” said Treyarch studio head, Mark Lamia. “It is the perfect culmination of our efforts, and fan feedback, with two all-new multiplayer maps for players to experience for the first time, and two fully reimagined fan-favorite multiplayer maps from past games – and Origins, our most epic Zombies experience to date.

Origins takes players to a “Dieselpunk-stylized World War I-era France” where they will encounter the return of the four original heroes from the very first Zombies map, Tank, Nikolai, Takeo, and Rictofen, as well as hordes of zombies that have overrun trenches and fields, as well as the ruins of a mysterious and ancient location.

Unleashed after the Germans unearthed the mysterious Element 115, this next chapter in the Zombies legacy will explore the saga’s origins as players reunite with an unlikely band of soldiers that come together to defeat the greatest evil the world has ever seen, using a period-specific arsenal that includes Wonder Weapons that harness supernatural powers, a diesel-drone and Mark IV tank, as well a new perk machine and power-ups – and that’s just the start.

Players will need all the help they can get to succeed in defeating the undead, as well as evading an unprecedented 1,000-foot tall robot abomination.”

PC and PlayStation 3 release dates have not yet been revealed, but previous Call of Duty DLC releases have typically followed one month after their Xbox 360 launch.

Treyarch has dropped a new teaser trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 titled "Origins" that appears to be offering a taste of the game's next downloadable content expansion, and it looks like it will be more Zombies action, with a giant robot.

So we can surmise that the DLC is going to be titled Origins, and is likely to be solely focused on the game's co-operative Zombies mode. The tagline is "Every story has a beginning...and an end.", the four figures that appear in the video resemble zombies characters seen in both World at War and the original Black Ops, and there's a giant robot. Chew on all of that, and watch the clip below.

Treyarch and Activision have today unveiled has set August 1 as the date that both PlayStation 3 and PC players will be gaining access to the third downloadable content pack, Vengeance. Included in the pack are four new multiplayer maps plus some more zombie action.

Included in the pack is also the return of a re-imagined multiplayer classic, an all-new epic Zombies chapter and a brand-new bonus Zombies weapon – the Ray Gun Mark II.

Vengeance takes players to exotic locations around the globe and also serves up a new chapter to the Zombies experience with "Buried" where the undead residents of an abandoned subterranean Old West mining town have come back to claim their home.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Vengeance delivers four new, diverse multiplayer maps:
· Cove: The stage is set for all-out conflict on this small, forgotten island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with players battling it out amongst the wreckage of a jet that crash-landed during a smuggling operation gone wrong.

If you haven't yet seen what Vengenance has to offer, check out the trailer below which gives a nice overview of each of the maps plus a look at the new zombie mode, "Buried".

Treyarch and Activision have today unveiled the newest DLC pack to grace the war-torn Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 lands, this time offering four new multiplayer maps plus some more zombie action. Alongside the new maps is also the return of a re-imagined multiplayer classic, an all-new epic Zombies chapter and a brand-new bonus Zombies weapon – the Ray Gun Mark II.

Get your first look at "Vengeance," the third DLC Map Pack available for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Vengeance includes four new Multiplayer maps: Cove, Detour, Rush, and Uplink, a reimagining of the classic map Summit. Also included is the brand new Zombies adventure Buried, which features the new bonus Zombies weapon, the Ray Gun Mark II.

Each of the four maps - Cove, Detour, Rush and Uplink - will offer new, exotic and diverse multiplayer maps set around the globe for players to destroy their opponents on.

As usual, the Vengeance DLC will be available first to Xbox users on July 2 for 1200 Microsoft Points, and to other platforms at a future date. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at what to expect in each of the new maps and the new zombie chapter.

For those that haven't yet played Treyarch's latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Activision is offering a free multiplayer weekend for Steam users on PC alongside a double XP weekend.

The first-person shooter's free weekend runs through until 6 a.m. Monday, May 13, with a 33 percent discount also on offer putting it at $60.29. According to the game's official Twitter, the double XP weekend is set to begin on May 11 and finish up on May 14 for all platforms including Wii U.

A new trailer has surfaced showing off the new zombie campaign featured in the second DLC map pack coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Uprising will contain not just the new zombie campaign, but also four other new multiplayer maps for players to compete on.

Four mobsters find themselves trapped on the notorious Alcatraz Island. They soon find out though that they are not alone in the prison cell blocks. Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Madsen, and Ray Liotta star in one of the most frightening Zombies experiences yet.

The Uprising DLC will be shuffling its way to Xbox Live players first on April 17th, with other platforms to follow in the zombie conga at a later date. Check out the trailer below.

Treyarch and Activision have today unveiled the newest DLC pack to grace the war-torn Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 lands, this time offering four new multiplayer maps and a new zombie map which offers four big name Hollywood actors. Unlike the previous Revolution DLC, Uprising is looking to not include a new weapon.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Uprising will include four new exotic multiplayer maps, plus an exciting new Zombies experience called “Mob of the Dead” that takes players to Alcatraz with four of the actors behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic mobsters, including Ray Liotta, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pantoliano, and Michael Madsen.

“With Uprising, the team has really outdone itself again,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch’s Studio Head. “In addition to creating four amazing new multiplayer maps, the Studio has been hard at work on the Zombies front to surpass what we accomplished with ‘Call of the Dead.’ What they’ve done this time around is nothing Zombies fans have seen before – and if you don’t believe me, just wait until you get into Purgatory.”

Each of the four maps - Magma, Encore, Vertigo and Studio - will offer new, exotic and diverse multiplayer maps set around the globe for players to destroy their opponents on.

As usual, the Uprising DLC will be available first to Xbox users on April 17 for 1200 Microsoft Points, and to other platforms at a future date. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at what to expect in each of the new maps and the new zombie mode.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be gaining new, optional in-game purchases called Micro Items according to a recent update on the Xbox 360. Social Media Manager Dan Amrich has revealed on his official website OneofSwords that the update brings several micro-transactions that "contains either personal customizations or nice little luxuries that I’ve seen players request; none of them affect gameplay."

According to Amrich the micro-transactions will simply be things like the Personalization Packs, which will offer a unique weapon camo, three targeting reticles (one each for the Reflex, EO Tech, and ACOG sights), and a custom player Calling Card. A notable example is the Bacon Personalization Pack, which will allow players to wrap their gun up in bacon for times when hunger strikes on the battlefield. Each pack will retail for 160MS Points.

Additionally, the previous pre-order only map Nuketown 2025 will now be available for all players for free and the Nuketown Zombies level will become a single-purchase option for 400 MS Points.

Activision and Treyarch haven't stopped there, with an additional 10 Create-a-Class slots also available for purchase, giving players more customisation on the battlefield then they will probably know what to do with. The pack retails for 160 MS Points and will also include an expansion on media storage which includes videos, screenshots and emblems. More details will be made tomorrow on the official Call of Duty website so stay tuned.

In related Call of Duty news Activision has revealed that the top-eight Call of Duty: Black Ops II multiplayer teams from ANZ have been picked to virtually fight it out in the ANZ qualifiers for the Call of Duty Championships 2013 in Sydney on Friday 15th March. A total prize pool of $1 million is up for grabs, so head over to the official eSports website for more, or check out the Twitch live stream come March 15th.

If you think you're one of Australia's top Call of Duty players, Activision Australia has announced a localised system for qualifying to enter into the world Call of Duty Championships in conjunction with the Australian Cyber League.

Over March 2-3, the Australian Cyber League will be administering a short series of online qualifiers that progress to a live event final in Sydney, Australia on Friday March 15th. Both Australian and New Zealand Call of Duty: Black Ops II fans will be able to enter the first online qualifier, with seven teams vying for a chance to attend the Australian and New Zealand Call of Duty Final, presented by Activision, Xbox and EB Games.

In addition, a New Zealand only qualifier will see an eighth and final team join other qualifiers, who all earn a trip to compete in Sydney.

The two top teams from ANZ will then go onto the grand stage in Hollywood, California for the Championship finals where they'll face off against other top leagues from around the world including MLG and Europe's ESL.

The competition is open now for registration and you can find out more info by clicking right here.

Activision has today revealed that those in need of some more maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will find the Revolution DLC making its way to PlayStation 3 and PC players on March 1st.

Revolution delivers an unparalleled amount of variety and content for all types of Call of Duty: Black Ops II players, featuring four all-new multiplayer maps set around the globe:

• Hydro: Located in Pakistan, this hydro-electric plant comes complete with a lethal spillway that floods with very little warning.
  
  
• Grind: Set in a skate park in Venice Beach (the birthplace of skateboarding!), quarter-pipes and curved surfaces drive players away from easy cover and into intense firefights.
  
  
• Downhill: A ski resort in the French Alps, this snowy map is complete with a moving gondola system that can both offer cover and crush you to death.
  
  
• Mirage: Located in China’s Gobi Desert, this luxury resort has been ravaged by a sandstorm.

Alongside the multiplayer maps will also be a double-dose of zombie action, with a new map titled "Die Rise" and a new Zombies mode, "Turned" which will see players becoming the undead. Check it out in the Revolution gameplay trailer below.

With the next downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II about to roll-out (on Xbox 360 first, as always), publisher Activision has released a new trailer promoting its features, and apparently offering to perform your social responsibilities so that you can spend more time playing their game.

The video features actor Peter Stormare starring as The Replacer, a fellow who's job it is to cover you for Call of Duty time. Yeah, we don't really get it either, but the clip does at least show a few of the upcoming features of Revolution, which include a new zombies map, and mode that lets you play as a zombie, as well as the obligatory additional multiplayer maps and a new weapon.

Check it out below. Revolution for Call of Duty: Black Ops II launches on January 29th 2013 on Xbox 360, with PC and PlayStation 3 to follow after the usual Xbox exclusivity window.

Activision has officially unveiled the first DLC map pack for recent Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, titled Revolution. The DLC will include five new maps, one of them being zombie themed, and will also include a bonus "Peacekeeper SMG" weapon unlock.

Get a first look at "Revolution," the first DLC Map Pack available for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. One of the most robust and diverse DLC offerings in Call of Duty history, Revolution includes four all-new Multiplayer maps, a new Zombies map, an exclusive Multiplayer weapon, and a brand new Zombies game mode.

The Revolution DLC Map Pack will be arriving first on Xbox LIVE on January 29th, with other platforms to follow. Past Call of Duty titles have seen the DLC packs roughly a month later on other platforms. Check out the official preview below for a glimpse at all the new content.

Rumours are floating around thanks to a picture snapped by user Splurs on Reddit (thanks Joystiq) that the first DLC for Treyarch's recent Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be titled "Revolution" and include five maps, one of them being zombie themed. The image is from an in-store promotional poster, which also dates the DLC on January 29th and touts it as an Xbox 360 timed exclusive like previous Call of Duty DLC.

The five maps included are Hydro, Grind, Downhill, Mirage and the zombie map Die Rise. What also seems to be a first for Call of Duty DLC is a bonus "Peacekeeper SMG" weapon unlock, though no real info on that. Currently Activision has not yet confirmed the rumoured DLC.

Activision has today announced that a horde of zombies have made their way to the retro-futuristic Nuketown map for FPS Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The new map is available as a bonus for those who have purchased the Season Pass, however no mention on whether the Nuketown Zombies map will be available for separate purchase.

Some uninvited guests have arrived in the neighborhood. Fend off the undead horde in the ruins of Nuketown.

Currently only available to Xbox 360 Season Pass holders, the map will go out to other platforms in the near future. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at the zombie-themed map.

Despite Activision's excited early announcement that the new Call of Duty Black Ops II had broken Modern Warfare 3's record pace to the US$1bn sales mark, the number of units sold on Xbox 360 and playStation 3 in the game's first month is still reportedly down over 14 percent from last year's effort (via MCV):

Gamasutra reckons that the game shifted 4.5m on Xbox 360 and 2.9m on PS3. Sales of the Wii U and PlayStation Vita versions were not included.

MW3 sold 8.8m units in the US in its first month, up ten per cent on the equivalent sales of 2010’s Black Ops. However, Black Ops II sold just 7.4m in the same period. Doug Creutz of Cowen and Company had forecast sales of 7.9m units.

In addition, Longbow Research's James Hardiman reckons that Activision shot itself in the foot by issuing a press release stating that the game had beaten its predecessor to $1bn sales.

"We do not believe that Activision did itself any favours by putting out a press release touting that Black Ops II had crossed $1bn in just 15 days, faster than the 16 days required for Modern Warfare 3 to reach the $1bn mark," he said.

"What management did not mention is the fact that with an earlier release date, Modern Warfare 3 was able to reach $1bn a day before Thanksgiving, whereas Black Ops II was not able to get there until after Cyber Monday."

So Black Ops II won the race to $1bn thanks to Thanksgiving sales turbo booster, but looks set to underperform in the longer term.

Developer Treyarch has made good on their recent pledge to PC players, permitting an optional field of view increase to a more agreeable 90 degrees. The change rolled out today in the latest update, which also addresses several other issues, including those pesky Afghan ponies escaping the game world. Treyarch's PCDev shares the full patch notes:

• Max FOV increased to 90
  
• Fix: Horse falling through the world in Afghanistan when playing on some CPUs with 4 or more cores
  
• Fix: RC-XD and the AGR sinking into the map in MP when playing on some CPUs with 4 or more cores
  
• General performance improvements in SP, MP, and ZM for CPUs with 4 or more cores
  
• Fix: crash when a 7th player tries to join a 6 player league lobby
  
• Improved dedicated server matchmaking
  
• Fix: some cases of "Connection Interrupted" in MP while loading into a match

The update can be obtained automatically via the Steam client.

Having been advertised as a pre-order incentive for the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Activision has recently pulled out the Nuketown 2025 map from the 24/7 rotation with Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar stating via Twitter that the "double XP weekend is over. That means Nuketown 2025/24-7 is over."

Players who pre-ordered the Call of Duty title were given access to a Double XP weekend and the Nuketown 2025 map, however it wasn't stated whether it would be temporary or not which led to the belief that it was a permanent map for the rotation. A new tweet by Vonderhaar has confirmed that the map will be back in for special events and is currently available in all other game modes and in custom matches with friends.

Source: Kotaku

Would you like more content with your game, sir?

Hopefully you can pick up the sarcasm in that rhetorical question, because as far as products go, you don't get too many as jam-packed with gameplay and features as you do Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Say what you will about the world's most popular modern gaming franchise, but I can tell you there is almost something for everyone in Black Ops 2, and if you were thinking this is just going to be more of the same, you're somewhat mistaken, because Treyarch has changed things up in ways that I hope will redirect the development of Call of Duty forever.

Whether it's the tightly balanced level-design in multiplayer or its game-changing new customisation angle in the Pick 10 Create-A-Class system or the expanded and more visceral than ever Zombies mode, Black Ops 2 will deliver. And if you're a story person, well, they've really changed that one up too with bigger, more expanded levels, a deeper and lightly dynamic story with multiple endings and arcs and an antagonist you're going to love to hate.

Click here for our in-depth review.

Following a wave of outcry from PC players when it was revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's field of view would be capped at 80 degrees (supposedly due to to many things breaking above that), Treyarch Technology Director, and PC version mouthpiece Cesar Stasny has now confirmed via Twitter that 90 FOV is being worked on:

@PCDev: On the post-launch patch task list: 90 FOV #BlackOps2 #PC

Console titles are generally developed with lower field of view settings due to the framerate benefits and the view-distance afforded by a television screen. However desktop PCs without the same performance concerns and a much smaller distance between user and screen can seem too narrow under a FOV of 90.

However, when a game has been designed for a specific FOV, a lot of things can require adjustment when that is stretched out, such as weapon models, and particularly things like vehicle cockpits and iron sights. It does beg the question however, that surely knowing the preference of PC gamers, why Treyarch didn't plan for a wider FOV in the PC version from the start.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launched today, November 13th 2012, on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a Wii U version arriving on the new console's November 30th Australian release date.

Treyarch design direction has taken to Twitter to answer some common questions regarding the implementation of the YouTube live-streaming video feature in the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops II (via: Polygon):

According to Vonderhaar, streamers will be able to provide commentary, as their voices will be included in the live stream. Additionally, Vonderhaar offered advice on usable cameras.

"If you are interested in live streaming those League Play games you will (optionally) want the right camera," Vonderhaar tweeted. "Currently supported cameras: 360: Vision. PS3: Eye. PC: Most USB Cameras."

"I know a lot of you probably have a Kinect, but it is still [being] evaluated as a video camera for the feature," he added.

The feature will also require that the user has a registered YouTube account with at least 10 viewers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is due tomorrow, November 13th 2012 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, with a Wii U version to follow on the console's November 30th launch.