My Hype Train of Opinion 1: Treyarch vs. Infinity Ward

Last night I played Black Ops II until 4 in the morning. While this may not seem like a huge feat to anyone, it is for me. I absolutely hated MW3... I refused to pay for another Call of Duty and would be content waiting for Battlefield 4. Then I remembered that this was a Treyarch year. That's right, I think Treyarch makes better CoD games than the creators of the series Infinity Ward. This seems to be an uncommon way of thought based on some conversations I have had through the years, but look at the evidence. Even at Treyarch's worst (World at War), they still created something funny and original. Those darn dogs were terrifying and silly at the same time.

Treyarch has always taken some chances where Infinity Ward has not. Just look at the zombie mode they created. Sure, Infinity Ward had Survival Mode in MW3 but it can not touch the originality of the original Black Ops' Zombie Mode. JFK and Fidel Castro working together? Are you kidding me?! The mode was so off the wall and created a very complete game. It did not feel like an add-on, but instead showed how hard the studio had worked to make Call of Duty something for everyone. My girlfriend who hates video games even played zombie mode with me. Zombies were such a great low risk way to get everyone involved in the game.

THE ORIGINAL NUKETOWN... CHATEAU!!

Now, this is not a review for Black Ops II. I will say it has beyond exceeded my expectations. I am addicted in about every way and I think it has finally replaced my all time favorite Duty, the Original, OG, Call of Duty. That game had it all and was an extremely innovative shooter. Treyarch still attempts to be innovative, Infinity Ward does not. The original Modern Warfare was exciting but it's sequels took no chances. They never changed the formula. There was no growth and it seemed to me they were just in it for the money. Treyarch takes less popular ideas (going back to WWII for World at War, and just the whole Black Ops idea) and make an incredibly creative experience. I hope Treyarch continues to pump out fun shooters that never take themselves too seriously. Now, back to shooting up futuristic LA... looks about the same to me.