always thought Salazar had a bad vibe round him, that was bc of his introduction in Celerium. first thing he said was a reaction to Harper, which was " Fool, do not underestimate Raul Melendez.." aside from the fact that the way he said it sounded ominous coming from a soldier on your squad, he said it like he had personal experience with or knowledge of Menendez and in some weird way respected him, like how nonchalant harper was reacting was insulting to him. that was my first, but honestly only red flag next to Menendez' escape from his restraints in the interrogation room.
i got this video in my recommended and the editing and commentary is very professional, you held my attention the entire video and i’m very excited to see more
@@majorcalzonei wish you would’ve done an analysis on the situation for the nexus execution after playing the cutscene, letting the emotional scene play. But you make really good videos, I know 1 subscriber isn’t much, but now you have 1 more :)
@@CryingB1oodTears Yeah, in that scene I kinda just let it speak for itself. I thought any sort of analysis would've watered it down, y'know? Also, THANK YOU for subbing! I'm thankful for every person who subs or just enjoys my stuff, so you subscribing means a lot :)
One great thing about this game is how stylistically linked it is to its predecessors. Its opening is reminiscent of WAW/BO1, and so are the cinematics and custcenses, using real world footage and photos with quick cuts and blaring sound effects, like the interrogation in BO1. The 3D models and animations in the futuristic cutscenes remind me a lot of WAW. It's a nice touch that reminds the players that at its heart, this is a black ops game.
Even just graphically and visual tone wise, you can tell it’s the followup to bo1. Bo3 threw that out the window, except for very select zombies maps. shadows of evil and the giant sorta managed to maintain it. But considering the giant was remade in bo1, I’d hope it felt like a callback stylistically.
Black ops 2 was and still is my favorite call of duty game. Though i never personally got through the campaign, watching this made me really appreciate it more and makes me want to go back and finally finish my play through. Keep up the great work, very entertaining and i look forward to watching more videos.
I agree, BO2 will most likely always be my favorite CoD. Please do finish your playthrough, I promise it's worth it! Thank you for the kind words! I look forward to bringing you more videos :)
Coming in to say I've heard "suffer with me" used often enough, and like in the cut scene it's usually used between workmates, people you know are assigned the same thing and there's nothing else either of you can do except to suffer through it together.
@@majorcalzonei played mw2019 on vet went back to play bo2 nd 1 nd had to go down to hardend 💀💀 bo1 i lasted till the mission in viatnam if i rmb correctly
I don’t know if this has been explained yet but woods being alive isn’t a retcon as we’ve known since bo1. If you check the computer in the menu room you can type a code (I forgot what the code is lol) and it tells you that woods is alive and was at the Hanoi Hilton
There were also 2 separate Law Suits filed against Trey Arch. There was one for the family of Jonas Savimbi and one from Manuel Noriega. They were suing because Noriega didn't want to be seen as a "kidnapper, murderer, and enemy of the state" in the game (which he definitely was) and Savimbi's family sued because they said he was being portrayed as a "barbarian" in the game. Both of which failed.
i was incredibly surprised to find that this only has 19k views after two weeks, and that you were under 1k subs the sheer professionalism this video has is astounding and deserves way more attention
@925steppa Ghost was that bad. Mid ass campaign, dumb cliffhamger, the multiplayer was decent if not for big ass map take forever to find the enemy team. Shitty zombie/extinction mode. It's the worst CoD until Vanguard took its title
Fun fact: on the first mission when you rescue Woods, when you are hiding from the soldiers and the child soldiers under the tree Hudson says “why are cubans here” but the children and the soldier are speaking Brazilian Portuguese, later when you are moving from cover to cover you hear those same solders speaking Spanish. The weird thing is that only in that cutscene is when they speak Portuguese, later on the mission they all speak Spanish. I do not know if it was an over site by Treyarch or maybe a cut content where originally you where in Brazil or you fought the Brazilian Militia.
Hands down best campaign for me. Being a bit of a history nerd, it was cool to see that the 80s segments had many details that are historically accurate and really showcases the shitshow the CIA was in the 80s. I still think Hudson was the mole, maybe he was being extorted more than just that night? what makes me think that is how he gives himself up in the end, seemingly out of guilt. He was also very quick to jump in and call BS when Kravchenko revealed there was a mole.
I just watched both retrospectives back to back and the editing and thoughtfulness you put into these videos is amazing. You are going to BLOW UP one day and I’m glad I’m here to see it happen. Especially with such big plans for the future.
Just stumbled on your vids, looking forward to seeing more from you. Bo2 came out when I was 13 too and trying to describe that time to anyone seems like it's always a "you had to be there" type of thing.
Yep. Online gaming from like 2007-2012 was a different time that’s so hard to describe if you weren’t there for it. It’s crazy how things have changed since then. Thanks for the comment! I hope I can deliver with my future vids lol
Same here so glad I was there too experience it and when I'm Grey and old. To hear my gamertag would have me quoting obi Wan. "Now that's a name I have not heard in a long time.
Yup, wouldn't trade it for the world when it came do dumb gaming fun. Last era before games got increasingly more chopped up and wrecked for monetization schemes and buggier releases.
It was truly a different era of gaming, the voice chat was incredible. I still have close friends today I met on bo2. The online atmosphere was amazing and I've never experienced anything like it since. Nowadays everyone uses discord or private groups for voice chat but bo2 was the peak of public voice chat for me, I have countless memories on mp and zombies with friends and strangers, it was a very social experience. Gaming online nowadays feels more lonely, especially without a friend group. You could be alone on bo2 and still enjoy socialising with strangers. I don't think we will ever get that again
Hey man, give yourself some credit!! You're absolutely correct about the fusion of the title page/main pic being artistically designed to show the connection of father & son. Also love the quality!! Keep it up. Also speaking of this game's deep meaning.. did you know "Wood's" predicted the fall of 4G in the "Rare Earth Elements" cutscene?? A lot of games actually call out A.I. & a crazy future we'll look forward to with strength & mindfulness
Section it's a iconic character in every way. Got the sunglasses style of Hudson, the thirst to complete his mission like uncle Woods, and the legacy of being a soldier of Alex. Despite the suffering, the lost, and lies, he could overcome his demons and do the right thing. He could be broken and evil has Menendez, but he didn't.
Been getting a lot of recommendations from small channels these days but yours doesn't feel like one because the quality of the video is amazing. Keep em coming man. Its a damn shame they didn't continue Mason storyline instead of whatever the hell it was in BO3. One of the best Fps games ever and with amazing stories. It kinda makes sense because the same writer for Nolan's Batman movies worked on this too. Although not a big fan of metroid as I haven't played those games. I will still be looking out for your videos in the future.
Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words! Yeah, I was really bummed that BO3 was so disconnected from the other games. I was really looking forward to a continuation of the universe we all knew and loved.
You also get a little foreshadowing of Salazar betrayal when he talks about him when he was young and in the second mission he praises menendez in Spanish and insulting Harper tbh if you know a bit of Spanish you could get some little hints
Great video! Never really could figure out why the best ending fell so flat to me, but I think you hit the nail on the head. Having Menedez be such a cunning, always-one-step-ahead was great. Section accidentally stumbling upon a prime opportunity to kill him felt very rushed and underbaked. Its not that Menedez has 'plot armour', its that his demise is so unearned. That and then having Karma be so dissmissive abour Menendez's plan and going on jimmy kimmel (a hilariously awful character model of him btw). I'm guessing the writers wrote themselves into a corner with all the choices and domino effects in the campaign. Having section outsmart menedez in someway would have been much more satisfying I think. Maybe something capitalising on Menendezs fixation and naracissim with classic tragedies and seeing himself as some kind of tragic hero. Or Section using his connection to Menedez to distract of trick him. Idk, I'm no writer lmao.
Yeah, even if Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 1 are my personal favorite call of duty games due to their campaigns, seeing Section outsmart him would've been satisfying especially due to all the suffering he put him through, even a small "Fuck you" to Menendez with one small one upping would've made it kinda interesting
man you really reminded me how dope the blops2 campaign was. we're the same age so id love to see you do another one of these on some other game from back in the day
How you only have 3k subscribers is beyond me. The amount of effort on this video is astounding. As well with your other video retrospectives, I love your videos with the amount of effort you put in. Great job man, I’ve watched this video at least 3 times and I don’t regret it.
Hell yeah, new Calzone dropped! I still remember the day BO2 dropped and coming home from school and playing the campaign. It blows my mind how it's already been almost 11 years
Ayy tr1gby my man! Happy to see you again :) I feel that my guy. It feels like yesterday when I came home from school to play the game with my friends. Crazy that it’s been over a decade since those days ;-;
@@majorcalzone It’s insane dude haha. There was just something special about that game. Idk if that’s nostalgia talking, but no other CoD really comes close for me (except Bo3 with zombies).
Nah man I feel you there. I’m the exact same way. Even BO2 had some great Zombies with MOTD and Origins. But I find myself going back to BO3 most often for Zombies lol
Great video! I loved the dedicated campaign retrospective. I always loved the story of the Treyarch games in the “Reznov” arc, with BO2 being my personal favorite based off of the replayability, quoteability, and charm. I really hope that you make a similar video for the multiplayer someday- I’d watch it in a heartbeat. First game I maxed out in, unlocked diamond ARs, SMGs, almost had diamond pistols too. At the end of the game’s popularity, I loved running around with the Five Seven as my primary lol. Keep your head on your shoulders, and keep up the great work, but don’t forget the love of the grind when your channel makes it big.
Thank you my man! Yeah I really liked how the Black Ops games were all interconnected with Reznov/Mason’s story too. You just don’t see that much these days. I do plan on making a multiplayer video or videos on BO1 and 2, but I gotta figure out how exactly I wanna do them lol so keep an eye out for those! Back in the day I only had diamond ARs and SMGs personally so I respect your grind!!
You missed Menendez’ escape ending where he ends up killing woods and then he burns himself in his sisters grave. It was one of those shock factor endings that adds greater depth on menendez’ character after finishing the game.
I’d like to to think that Menendez has some respect to both Alex and David mason because Alex tried to stop Woods shooting and throw the grenade. Which is one of the reasons why he lets David live. But idk
Fun fact: the canon of the choices made in Black Ops 2 is completely unknown except for one choice. Menendez is killed at the end of the game. That was the only thing they gave a canon choice to. Everything else is unknown.
Woods' death in Black Ops 1 actually wasn't retconned in Black Ops 2. There's obviously a lot of "questionable" details in Black Ops 1 due to the nature of the story, so already people made many theories on it, but the thing that confirmed he was alive was actually in the terminal in the main menu of the game. It held so much information in it for stuff that doesn't directly happen in that game's story. Just another reason why it's a great easter egg and well-crafted game. Black Ops 2 is one of the few COD games with the same writers as the game before it, so it makes sense why it was such a perfect sequel that cared about the previous one and keeping the same energy.
Congratulations on your channel's view count. I wish you much more visibility. 17:37: And big-up to our Cuban comrade. Your "Let's go get 'em!" in the BO1 video made me really laugh though (for the first occurrence of the "put the sunglasses on" thing by Hudson).
Black Ops 2 was and still is an amazing game just like it's predecessor Black Ops. I can remember the times playing it with my little brothers loading zombies and playing after school with my friends (middle/high school) in a clan whether TDM, domination or kill confirmed. Even playing solo was fun in itself. I stopped playing COD after Ghosts which was a decent game. I didn't play the new COD stuff since I stopped playing altogether (work/life). Times were different then...
Came across your black ops one video and was happy to see you made a second one, I enjoy the long form content. It was comical and engaging. Keep up the good work I’m wouldn’t be surprised to see your channel continue to grow. Good luck!
My guess as to the CIA mole thing was that Menendez had someone within the organization that would have had access to operative files to have found where Hudson resides in the US, allowing Menendez to have David kidnapped (assuming he was staying with Hudson's family at the time).
The beginning statements about boycotting the game is so funny because 12 year old felt the exact way until my sister boyfriend let me play while visiting them for the holidays and when I got home I begged for the game and when I got it never stopped playing! Love the video! awesome job!
Lmao right? Like one kid not buying the game would actually do something, especially when we both ended up begging for it anyway haha Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
As a kid my parents wouldn’t let me play, but when I finally got it on my wii they wouldn’t let me play online so I replayed the campaign so many times
The strike force missions are actually some of my favorites. And yeah, on Veteran, they can be really intense, since you have limited troops to perform your objective, and they die super quick if you don't order them properly. Shipwreck is actually really difficult on veteran, and i found myself on one single soldier who i had to manually take control of to protect while waiting for reinforcements twice in one attempt.
Regarding the CIA mole: It was Hudson, dating all the way back to Old Wounds at least, shown when Hudson suddenly gets jittery when a mole is mentioned. As for why, it can be two reasons. One, Menendez threatened his family, or two, David had been kidnapped that whole time, and with Mason out of contact while doing CIA missions and his mother deceased, really nobody else knew David was missing
I just discovered your channel and watched your CoD: BO1 video. It's good content you're doing. FYI for 17:59: You might know that, but Savimbi isn't just a CoD character. Like Manuel Noriega, he's actually a historical figure.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the vids :) Yeah, I found out after the script was written/recorded that he was also an actual person unfortunately. Still, a total badass!
I love how people try to find ways to complain about Bo2 Zombies when in reality it was truly a blast to play. And the farm! bruh how could you forget about the farm!
@@majorcalzone I can’t wait to watch it man, btw good video! With my comment I meant no disrespect, it was solely based on the general TH-cam space. Yet when I hear about Zombies in Bo2 outside of the internet it’s always displayed as a fun nostalgia trip.
@@3lipalm3r Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I didn’t take any disrespect from your comment either. Your comment was a lot more respectful than most lol just stating your opinion in a kind way, which is what I look for when I make these vids :)
just watched your bo1 video and man I gotta say keep going with this!! your production is better than most youtubers and I'm glad I can find more video essays like this
1:20:40 I don't think the conversations with Woods were always meant to connect with the missions. It's that way in BO1, but I always felt like the Woods conversations were just background not meant to coincide with the future missions.
i agree with you somewhat about the convenience of raul’s capture. that being said, i think considering him yelling at you to kill him, i believe it can be interpreted that he allowed himself to get caught there and had the intention of david killing him, thus completing his plan and his victory. still a little messy, but makes a lot more sense to me
49:57 just to make you a little mad, if you snipe DeFalco instead of catching up to him, you don't need to have a mini-boss fight with him at all, it just kills him instantly lol. Funnily enough I'm just finding out from this that there is even a boss fight for him since I always just sniped him.
I really thought you were a big TH-camr when i saw this video. I was interested and didn't feel bored thanks to the way you were talking. Wish you the best keep up
@@majorcalzone dude it's on top I checked the other black ops 1 retro prospective currently playing on tv and I'm impressed by how much personality you add to everything Talking about your personal experience as a kid and all reminds me of myself Keep up dude your content is great and I'm glad i clicked your video from recommendations
Man I remember the release of Black Ops II..... I went to Walmart at a local Mall. I picked up two magazines. IGN and some gamestop panflet. I remember reading about the Relase of MW3 and Black Ops II on the IGN magazine. This game was dope
Btw if you grab a sniper out of the armory in the second half of Colossus, it makes DeFalco a joke. When you first exit the mall area and go the spot with all the ASDs, you can one-tap him when he’s in the balcony
17:00 love how Hudson just accepts it and puts his arms out like “Well let’s go then”, dummy me absolutely would have shot the helicopter and ruined the surprise
Okay, but can we talk about how menendez literally hints at the right choice 59:28 "victory is not measured by losses, it is measured by gains" once you have the hindsight of the impact of this choice the line makes so much sense.
Absolutely love the vid bro I remember replaying this campaign over and over as a kid because I didn’t have wifi and man this game does hold up just as much as the first game, you missed some Easter eggs but I think you did this story justice and I can’t wait for BO3 or Cold War or whatever you decide on next (I’d love to see one for ghost tho if you’d take my recommendation)
Thank you I’m glad you liked it! Yeah I was only really interested in doing the best ending this time around, but I may go back and redo this video someday and really cover EVERYTHING. As for other vids, I’ll definitely cover BO3 and Cold War, as well as all the other CoDs eventually. So keep an eye out for that :)
MW3 the original was my jam. That's the COD I played the most throughout my childhood and teenage years. Bo1 and Bo2 I played alot too but not as much as MW3. Idkw but thats my favorite.
I always thought that a good foreshadowing of Salazar being with Menendez is his refusal to snipe DeFalco with an excuse o too many civilians
It's actually funny that Karma goes on a late show when there are no more late shows nowadays.
Truly a product of the time lmao
always thought Salazar had a bad vibe round him, that was bc of his introduction in Celerium.
first thing he said was a reaction to Harper, which was " Fool, do not underestimate Raul Melendez.."
aside from the fact that the way he said it sounded ominous coming from a soldier on your squad,
he said it like he had personal experience with or knowledge of Menendez and in some weird way
respected him, like how nonchalant harper was reacting was insulting to him. that was my first, but honestly only red flag next to Menendez' escape from his restraints in the interrogation room.
Wood saying “MENEDEZ” after killing mason is legendary
20:44: Your comment about technology being our downfall in the game and the symbolism of the falling tree is actually a pretty good idea.
I’m glad someone thought so too lol I was afraid I might’ve been reaching a bit with that one
i got this video in my recommended and the editing and commentary is very professional, you held my attention the entire video and i’m very excited to see more
Awesome! Thanks a bunch lol I’m glad you enjoyed :)
@@majorcalzonei wish you would’ve done an analysis on the situation for the nexus execution after playing the cutscene, letting the emotional scene play. But you make really good videos, I know 1 subscriber isn’t much, but now you have 1 more :)
@@CryingB1oodTears Yeah, in that scene I kinda just let it speak for itself. I thought any sort of analysis would've watered it down, y'know?
Also, THANK YOU for subbing! I'm thankful for every person who subs or just enjoys my stuff, so you subscribing means a lot :)
@@majorcalzonecan you help me with my book I'm writing? Its a military thriller novel.
I agree this video was great, this guy needs way more subs this is long quality content
One great thing about this game is how stylistically linked it is to its predecessors. Its opening is reminiscent of WAW/BO1, and so are the cinematics and custcenses, using real world footage and photos with quick cuts and blaring sound effects, like the interrogation in BO1. The 3D models and animations in the futuristic cutscenes remind me a lot of WAW. It's a nice touch that reminds the players that at its heart, this is a black ops game.
Couldn't have said it better myself fam!
Even just graphically and visual tone wise, you can tell it’s the followup to bo1. Bo3 threw that out the window, except for very select zombies maps. shadows of evil and the giant sorta managed to maintain it. But considering the giant was remade in bo1, I’d hope it felt like a callback stylistically.
Black ops 2 was and still is my favorite call of duty game. Though i never personally got through the campaign, watching this made me really appreciate it more and makes me want to go back and finally finish my play through. Keep up the great work, very entertaining and i look forward to watching more videos.
I agree, BO2 will most likely always be my favorite CoD. Please do finish your playthrough, I promise it's worth it!
Thank you for the kind words! I look forward to bringing you more videos :)
"Woods, you look like hammered shit." A beautiful callback to woods stepping off the Huey back in Vietnam.
Brings a tear to your eye to hear it 🤧
COD BO2 was extremely fun, i agree with you.
Still is.
Coming in to say I've heard "suffer with me" used often enough, and like in the cut scene it's usually used between workmates, people you know are assigned the same thing and there's nothing else either of you can do except to suffer through it together.
That makes sense. It’s about the only scenario I could see it being used in honestly
The strike force levels on veteran can be quite hard at points, especially when youre getting suppressed by multiple drones and ASDs at the same time
I kinda figured that’d be the case. I played on Regular for the footage but I don’t think I wanna try the levels on Veteran regardless lol
@@majorcalzonei played mw2019 on vet went back to play bo2 nd 1 nd had to go down to hardend 💀💀 bo1 i lasted till the mission in viatnam if i rmb correctly
I swear it wasn't playtested
@@aztheweek1299I completed B01 and B02 veteran for the platinum but never WAW, all treyarch campaigns on veteran are hard
Strike force missions are meant to be strategic and easy on Veteran. You just suck
I don’t know if this has been explained yet but woods being alive isn’t a retcon as we’ve known since bo1. If you check the computer in the menu room you can type a code (I forgot what the code is lol) and it tells you that woods is alive and was at the Hanoi Hilton
There were also 2 separate Law Suits filed against Trey Arch. There was one for the family of Jonas Savimbi and one from Manuel Noriega. They were suing because Noriega didn't want to be seen as a "kidnapper, murderer, and enemy of the state" in the game (which he definitely was) and Savimbi's family sued because they said he was being portrayed as a "barbarian" in the game. Both of which failed.
i was incredibly surprised to find that this only has 19k views after two weeks, and that you were under 1k subs
the sheer professionalism this video has is astounding and deserves way more attention
Aha thank you! I hope to improve even more going forward
Black ops 2 was the peak of call of duty… can’t believe we went from this to cod ghosts lmfao
Ghosts wasn’t that bad
@925steppa Ghost was that bad. Mid ass campaign, dumb cliffhamger, the multiplayer was decent if not for big ass map take forever to find the enemy team. Shitty zombie/extinction mode. It's the worst CoD until Vanguard took its title
Fun fact: on the first mission when you rescue Woods, when you are hiding from the soldiers and the child soldiers under the tree Hudson says “why are cubans here” but the children and the soldier are speaking Brazilian Portuguese, later when you are moving from
cover to cover you hear those same solders speaking Spanish. The weird thing is that only in that cutscene is when they speak Portuguese, later on the mission they all speak Spanish.
I do not know if it was an over site by Treyarch or maybe a cut content where originally you where in Brazil or you fought the Brazilian Militia.
Interesting!
Black Ops 2 was the best all round game in the series. Just so fun, colourful, quirky, crazy and enjoyable!
100% agree
Hands down best campaign for me. Being a bit of a history nerd, it was cool to see that the 80s segments had many details that are historically accurate and really showcases the shitshow the CIA was in the 80s.
I still think Hudson was the mole, maybe he was being extorted more than just that night? what makes me think that is how he gives himself up in the end, seemingly out of guilt. He was also very quick to jump in and call BS when Kravchenko revealed there was a mole.
I just watched both retrospectives back to back and the editing and thoughtfulness you put into these videos is amazing. You are going to BLOW UP one day and I’m glad I’m here to see it happen. Especially with such big plans for the future.
Just stumbled on your vids, looking forward to seeing more from you. Bo2 came out when I was 13 too and trying to describe that time to anyone seems like it's always a "you had to be there" type of thing.
Yep. Online gaming from like 2007-2012 was a different time that’s so hard to describe if you weren’t there for it. It’s crazy how things have changed since then.
Thanks for the comment! I hope I can deliver with my future vids lol
Same here so glad I was there too experience it and when I'm Grey and old. To hear my gamertag would have me quoting obi Wan. "Now that's a name I have not heard in a long time.
Yup, wouldn't trade it for the world when it came do dumb gaming fun. Last era before games got increasingly more chopped up and wrecked for monetization schemes and buggier releases.
I was like 9 or 10
It was truly a different era of gaming, the voice chat was incredible. I still have close friends today I met on bo2. The online atmosphere was amazing and I've never experienced anything like it since.
Nowadays everyone uses discord or private groups for voice chat but bo2 was the peak of public voice chat for me, I have countless memories on mp and zombies with friends and strangers, it was a very social experience. Gaming online nowadays feels more lonely, especially without a friend group. You could be alone on bo2 and still enjoy socialising with strangers. I don't think we will ever get that again
Hey man, give yourself some credit!! You're absolutely correct about the fusion of the title page/main pic being artistically designed to show the connection of father & son. Also love the quality!! Keep it up.
Also speaking of this game's deep meaning.. did you know "Wood's" predicted the fall of 4G in the "Rare Earth Elements" cutscene?? A lot of games actually call out A.I. & a crazy future we'll look forward to with strength & mindfulness
Thank you for the kind words :)
Section it's a iconic character in every way. Got the sunglasses style of Hudson, the thirst to complete his mission like uncle Woods, and the legacy of being a soldier of Alex. Despite the suffering, the lost, and lies, he could overcome his demons and do the right thing. He could be broken and evil has Menendez, but he didn't.
Black ops 2 gta 5 and halo 3/ reach are forever the goats
Fr fr
Been getting a lot of recommendations from small channels these days but yours doesn't feel like one because the quality of the video is amazing. Keep em coming man. Its a damn shame they didn't continue Mason storyline instead of whatever the hell it was in BO3. One of the best Fps games ever and with amazing stories. It kinda makes sense because the same writer for Nolan's Batman movies worked on this too. Although not a big fan of metroid as I haven't played those games. I will still be looking out for your videos in the future.
Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words!
Yeah, I was really bummed that BO3 was so disconnected from the other games. I was really looking forward to a continuation of the universe we all knew and loved.
You also get a little foreshadowing of Salazar betrayal when he talks about him when he was young and in the second mission he praises menendez in Spanish and insulting Harper tbh if you know a bit of Spanish you could get some little hints
Ah, thanks for pointing that out! Unfortunately I know little to no Spanish lmao
Great video! Never really could figure out why the best ending fell so flat to me, but I think you hit the nail on the head. Having Menedez be such a cunning, always-one-step-ahead was great. Section accidentally stumbling upon a prime opportunity to kill him felt very rushed and underbaked. Its not that Menedez has 'plot armour', its that his demise is so unearned. That and then having Karma be so dissmissive abour Menendez's plan and going on jimmy kimmel (a hilariously awful character model of him btw). I'm guessing the writers wrote themselves into a corner with all the choices and domino effects in the campaign.
Having section outsmart menedez in someway would have been much more satisfying I think. Maybe something capitalising on Menendezs fixation and naracissim with classic tragedies and seeing himself as some kind of tragic hero. Or Section using his connection to Menedez to distract of trick him. Idk, I'm no writer lmao.
Yeah, even if Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 1 are my personal favorite call of duty games due to their campaigns, seeing Section outsmart him would've been satisfying especially due to all the suffering he put him through, even a small "Fuck you" to Menendez with one small one upping would've made it kinda interesting
man you really reminded me how dope the blops2 campaign was.
we're the same age so id love to see you do another one of these on some other game from back in the day
I certainly will be doing other games. My list has grown quite a bit since posting these two retrospectives lol
How you only have 3k subscribers is beyond me. The amount of effort on this video is astounding. As well with your other video retrospectives, I love your videos with the amount of effort you put in. Great job man, I’ve watched this video at least 3 times and I don’t regret it.
Haha thank you bro I’m glad you like the vids!
The "test your might" was hilarious. You comedic timing and awareness is Grade A
Haha thank you!
In savimbis mission there is an access point early on where you get to toss mortars like in CoD WaW...
Its super satisfying.
49:57 you can actually snipe Defalco from across the map in this section.
Just remember to pack a sniper w/ a zoom scope.
in my playthrough, I picked up an MTAR with target finder from a dead merc and then used it to kill him from afar.
A* video.. ive been watching youtube long enough to know you will explode in popularity very soon, excellent effort.. youre a huge inspiration.
Hell yeah, new Calzone dropped! I still remember the day BO2 dropped and coming home from school and playing the campaign. It blows my mind how it's already been almost 11 years
Ayy tr1gby my man! Happy to see you again :)
I feel that my guy. It feels like yesterday when I came home from school to play the game with my friends. Crazy that it’s been over a decade since those days ;-;
@@majorcalzone It’s insane dude haha. There was just something special about that game. Idk if that’s nostalgia talking, but no other CoD really comes close for me (except Bo3 with zombies).
Nah man I feel you there. I’m the exact same way. Even BO2 had some great Zombies with MOTD and Origins. But I find myself going back to BO3 most often for Zombies lol
@@majorcalzone Same man, I sometimes still play Bo3 Zombies to this day. But for real, great video! Can’t wait to see what else you make :)
Haha thanks man I’m glad you enjoy the vids! And thanks for the awesome comments :)
This is the best black ops 2 explained/retrospective video I’ve seen on TH-cam, thank you for this is brought back so much nostalgia
Haha thank you man I’m glad it could do that for ya
Great video! I loved the dedicated campaign retrospective. I always loved the story of the Treyarch games in the “Reznov” arc, with BO2 being my personal favorite based off of the replayability, quoteability, and charm. I really hope that you make a similar video for the multiplayer someday- I’d watch it in a heartbeat. First game I maxed out in, unlocked diamond ARs, SMGs, almost had diamond pistols too. At the end of the game’s popularity, I loved running around with the Five Seven as my primary lol.
Keep your head on your shoulders, and keep up the great work, but don’t forget the love of the grind when your channel makes it big.
Thank you my man! Yeah I really liked how the Black Ops games were all interconnected with Reznov/Mason’s story too. You just don’t see that much these days.
I do plan on making a multiplayer video or videos on BO1 and 2, but I gotta figure out how exactly I wanna do them lol so keep an eye out for those! Back in the day I only had diamond ARs and SMGs personally so I respect your grind!!
You missed Menendez’ escape ending where he ends up killing woods and then he burns himself in his sisters grave. It was one of those shock factor endings that adds greater depth on menendez’ character after finishing the game.
Honestly, that whole ending was just so unnerving to me that I totally forgot about it until now 😂😂 Such a great showcase of his character though
I’d like to to think that Menendez has some respect to both Alex and David mason because Alex tried to stop Woods shooting and throw the grenade. Which is one of the reasons why he lets David live. But idk
That’s interesting. I never thought of that but it would make sense! I like it :)
Fun fact: the canon of the choices made in Black Ops 2 is completely unknown except for one choice. Menendez is killed at the end of the game. That was the only thing they gave a canon choice to. Everything else is unknown.
Keep these awesome videos coming man! I’m here for the long run
Thanks! Happy to have you here. I hope I can continue to entertain you my guy :)
1:19:24 In the 11 years this game has been out and even after replaying the campaign 5 times I just now realized the zombie that’s in the top left.
This was the first cod game I played that I didn’t have to be relegated to using my neighboring cousins’ Xbox. It’s the Goat. Great vid.
Ayoooo nice! Finally had some freedom lol Thank you!
i saw your BO 1 video last night and you had 550 subs and now you're at 751 and i'm gonna be fr with you homie you're gonna be huge
Thanks man, the growth has been crazy thanks to wonderful people like yourself! So thank you soso much!
This was made extremely well! Thank you for going for the best ending too!
Thank you! Happy you liked it, and thank YOU for watching :D
Hudson getting shot while putting on his glasses was def discussed in production for what you said and i love it lmao
incredible video for such a small channel. Cant wait to see more
Thanks Uncle Iroh!
i am emotional in the first 2 minutes of video
Woods' death in Black Ops 1 actually wasn't retconned in Black Ops 2. There's obviously a lot of "questionable" details in Black Ops 1 due to the nature of the story, so already people made many theories on it, but the thing that confirmed he was alive was actually in the terminal in the main menu of the game. It held so much information in it for stuff that doesn't directly happen in that game's story. Just another reason why it's a great easter egg and well-crafted game. Black Ops 2 is one of the few COD games with the same writers as the game before it, so it makes sense why it was such a perfect sequel that cared about the previous one and keeping the same energy.
Congratulations on your channel's view count. I wish you much more visibility.
17:37: And big-up to our Cuban comrade.
Your "Let's go get 'em!" in the BO1 video made me really laugh though (for the first occurrence of the "put the sunglasses on" thing by Hudson).
Haha thanks man! I'm glad you enjoyed the vids so much :)
Black Ops 2 was and still is an amazing game just like it's predecessor Black Ops. I can remember the times playing it with my little brothers loading zombies and playing after school with my friends (middle/high school) in a clan whether TDM, domination or kill confirmed. Even playing solo was fun in itself. I stopped playing COD after Ghosts which was a decent game. I didn't play the new COD stuff since I stopped playing altogether (work/life). Times were different then...
I feel you there my guy. Everything since Ghosts just hasn't been the same. Doubly so with adult life taking up so much of my time ;-;
Came across your black ops one video and was happy to see you made a second one, I enjoy the long form content. It was comical and engaging. Keep up the good work I’m wouldn’t be surprised to see your channel continue to grow. Good luck!
My guess as to the CIA mole thing was that Menendez had someone within the organization that would have had access to operative files to have found where Hudson resides in the US, allowing Menendez to have David kidnapped (assuming he was staying with Hudson's family at the time).
48:30 shoutout skrillex
Amazing content, can't believe i haven't found you earlier. Your editing is top shelf and so is your commentary!
Glad to have found you now
The beginning statements about boycotting the game is so funny because 12 year old felt the exact way until my sister boyfriend let me play while visiting them for the holidays and when I got home I begged for the game and when I got it never stopped playing! Love the video! awesome job!
Lmao right? Like one kid not buying the game would actually do something, especially when we both ended up begging for it anyway haha
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
I was 12 when I had Black Ops 2. Awesome to this day
man I never knew that merle from twd (michael rooker) voiced harper. now it makes sooooo much sense. he was the right choice for harper!
W video.
Thanks man!
@@majorcalzone of course 🫶🏿 I got your bo1 planned to watch for tomorrow
As a kid my parents wouldn’t let me play, but when I finally got it on my wii they wouldn’t let me play online so I replayed the campaign so many times
im so proud of how far youve come man this is the beginning of something great for you
Thanks homie, means a lot coming from you :)
In 'Karma' Salazar justifies Menendez's cause by witnessing how rich people live.
its funny how treyarch thought that in the future dubstep would be played everywhere LOL
For reeeeeeeeal lmao
I feel like BO2 is perfectly blends the futuristic themes and boots on the ground
The best CoD campaign by far and it's not even close.
first impression.. narrarration and story telling in the intro alone.. looking forward to watch the rest.. liked and subbed
Quality of the video and subcount don'r match up AT ALL. Fantastic video. Gonna binge the rest of them.
It's sad we never got the black ops 3 we should have... The whole cordis die thing had a lot of promise
Absolutely amazing editing and commentary! I can't believe you aren't bigger
Thank you! We’re growing more each day thanks to people like you :)
50:23 this is why i equip a sniper in my secondary slot for this mission.
The strike force missions are actually some of my favorites. And yeah, on Veteran, they can be really intense, since you have limited troops to perform your objective, and they die super quick if you don't order them properly. Shipwreck is actually really difficult on veteran, and i found myself on one single soldier who i had to manually take control of to protect while waiting for reinforcements twice in one attempt.
Crazy how this channel only has 1 thousand subscribers, this video is amazing
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
Regarding the CIA mole: It was Hudson, dating all the way back to Old Wounds at least, shown when Hudson suddenly gets jittery when a mole is mentioned. As for why, it can be two reasons. One, Menendez threatened his family, or two, David had been kidnapped that whole time, and with Mason out of contact while doing CIA missions and his mother deceased, really nobody else knew David was missing
I like this theory! It makes a lot of sense. I wish this was better conveyed in the game though lol
Black ops 2 is my all time favorite out of the cods.
Saaaaaame
Something about bo2 that’s fascinating is how well it predicted the technology of 2025
Tremendous look back video. Well done.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love these type of videos brings me back to when I played these classic cods
Happy to bring out some nostalgia for you my friend!
@@majorcalzone for sure I remember this like it was yesterday on bo2 release date no one came to my English class because of the game
I just discovered your channel and watched your CoD: BO1 video. It's good content you're doing.
FYI for 17:59: You might know that, but Savimbi isn't just a CoD character. Like Manuel Noriega, he's actually a historical figure.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the vids :) Yeah, I found out after the script was written/recorded that he was also an actual person unfortunately. Still, a total badass!
Well guess what they file a lawsuit look it up it’s true
@@majorcalzone they file a lawsuit look it up it’s true
I love how people try to find ways to complain about Bo2 Zombies when in reality it was truly a blast to play. And the farm! bruh how could you forget about the farm!
It wasn’t bad. I’ll be making a separate series of videos on all the Zombies modes in Treyarch’s games so I’ll be talking about them each more there!
@@majorcalzone I can’t wait to watch it man, btw good video! With my comment I meant no disrespect, it was solely based on the general TH-cam space. Yet when I hear about Zombies in Bo2 outside of the internet it’s always displayed as a fun nostalgia trip.
@@3lipalm3r Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I didn’t take any disrespect from your comment either. Your comment was a lot more respectful than most lol just stating your opinion in a kind way, which is what I look for when I make these vids :)
I got this video in my recommended and wow, this is very well made, just subbed and i hope to see more from you!
Sweet, thank you! I look forward to making more for you :)
1:29:32 Woods and Hudson seeing how Mason throws a molotov and kills horribly an ally 💀
Idk what you're talking about you must be seeing things lmao
just watched your bo1 video and man I gotta say keep going with this!! your production is better than most youtubers and I'm glad I can find more video essays like this
1:20:40 I don't think the conversations with Woods were always meant to connect with the missions. It's that way in BO1, but I always felt like the Woods conversations were just background not meant to coincide with the future missions.
i agree with you somewhat about the convenience of raul’s capture. that being said, i think considering him yelling at you to kill him, i believe it can be interpreted that he allowed himself to get caught there and had the intention of david killing him, thus completing his plan and his victory.
still a little messy, but makes a lot more sense to me
Great video. Very professional and well made! Keep it up bro!!
Thanks, will do!
Only 500 subs? Damn im early this is really well done and so was the black ops 1 video. Definitely subscribing
Thank you!
49:57 just to make you a little mad, if you snipe DeFalco instead of catching up to him, you don't need to have a mini-boss fight with him at all, it just kills him instantly lol. Funnily enough I'm just finding out from this that there is even a boss fight for him since I always just sniped him.
This video was fantastic, you have just earned a new subscriber, keep up the great content
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
10/10 kept me interested the entire time
Frank, it's me..
Every man looks at his brother, with love and relief. Oo rah
I really thought you were a big TH-camr when i saw this video. I was interested and didn't feel bored thanks to the way you were talking. Wish you the best keep up
Thanks man, I’m glad the video was entertaining! And double thanks for the kind words :)
@@majorcalzone dude it's on top
I checked the other black ops 1 retro prospective currently playing on tv and I'm impressed by how much personality you add to everything
Talking about your personal experience as a kid and all reminds me of myself
Keep up dude your content is great and I'm glad i clicked your video from recommendations
@@c6s7 Wow thanks a bunch again for the kind words lol I’m glad you like my vids! There’s plenty more coming :)
good work. you have a long way to go.
Thanks my guy!
Man I remember the release of Black Ops II..... I went to Walmart at a local Mall. I picked up two magazines. IGN and some gamestop panflet. I remember reading about the Relase of MW3 and Black Ops II on the IGN magazine. This game was dope
Nice! The game was and still is dope as hell!!
Btw if you grab a sniper out of the armory in the second half of Colossus, it makes DeFalco a joke. When you first exit the mall area and go the spot with all the ASDs, you can one-tap him when he’s in the balcony
I will remember that next time I play through lol
17:00 love how Hudson just accepts it and puts his arms out like “Well let’s go then”, dummy me absolutely would have shot the helicopter and ruined the surprise
Okay, but can we talk about how menendez literally hints at the right choice 59:28
"victory is not measured by losses, it is measured by gains" once you have the hindsight of the impact of this choice the line makes so much sense.
Truuuuuuue! I never thought about that, it’s such a prophetic line for the choice you’re literally about to make lol
Absolutely love the vid bro I remember replaying this campaign over and over as a kid because I didn’t have wifi and man this game does hold up just as much as the first game, you missed some Easter eggs but I think you did this story justice and I can’t wait for BO3 or Cold War or whatever you decide on next (I’d love to see one for ghost tho if you’d take my recommendation)
Thank you I’m glad you liked it!
Yeah I was only really interested in doing the best ending this time around, but I may go back and redo this video someday and really cover EVERYTHING. As for other vids, I’ll definitely cover BO3 and Cold War, as well as all the other CoDs eventually. So keep an eye out for that :)
Good stuff my guy
37:10
Menendez doing that cod Zombie walk I see
Omg he totally is lmao
MW3 the original was my jam. That's the COD I played the most throughout my childhood and teenage years. Bo1 and Bo2 I played alot too but not as much as MW3. Idkw but thats my favorite.
3:29 this song slaps so hard