Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, released in Japan as Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adventure: Zennin Shibou Desu(極限脱出ADV 善人シボウデス?), is a visual novel developed by Chunsoft. It is the sequel to the Nintendo DS title 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and is created by the same staff, including writer-director Kotaro Uchikoshi and character designer Kinu Nishimura. The game contains full voice acting (English and Japanese in the North American version and only Japanese in the European version), and is rendered in 3D models, rather than 2D sprites like its predecessor. Though the story is self-contained, it contains several references to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.
The title was officially confirmed for a late 2012 release by Aksys Games (which also published the North American version of its predecessor) in North America via Nintendo Power magazine's March 2012 issue. It will be published in the PAL region in November 2012 by Rising Star Games.
Plot
Characters
The cast of characters in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. Pictured from left to right: Zero III, Luna, Quark, K, Tenmyouji, Phi, Sigma, Clover, Alice, Dio.
The game relies upon nine characters introduced at the start of the
game. Each of the characters wears a watch-like device that identifies
them, as well as keeps track of their score in the game.
Sigma (シグマShiguma)-
An ordinary college student who has been abducted and thrown into the
Nonary Game. Or is there more to it...? Sigma is a generally bright,
honest young man, although he can be a little... inappropriate at times.
He’s easily swayed by his emotions, which makes him a poor choice for a
game about trust and betrayal. He serves as the game's protagonist. In
the animated promotion movie, he is voiced by Kōsuke Toriumi in Japanese, and Troy Baker in English. He is unvoiced in the game itself.
Phi (ファイFai)
- Her cold intelligence comes across in her curt speech and no-nonsense
attitude. Is she an ally? Or is she the enemy? She is voiced by Chiaki Omigawa in Japanese, and Karen Strassman in English.
Dio (ディオDio)
- A mysterious man with a singular sense of style. His comments are
often insensitive or downright mean, although whether this comes from
intentional malice or simple ignorance is unclear. He is voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya in Japanese, and Liam O'Brien in English.
Tenmyouji (天明寺)- A stubborn, grumpy old man. He seems to have no patience and less trust for anyone in the group. He is voiced by Rokurō Naya in Japanese, and J. B. Blanc[citation needed] in English.
Quark (クォークKwōku)- A sweet and cheerful boy. His childlike curiosity and boundless energy hide an exceptionally clever and analytical mind. He is voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese, and Erin Fitzgerald in English.
Luna (ルナRuna)-
A kind and quietly intelligent young woman. She speaks softly, and
always advocates for the most peaceful, optimistic solution. She is voiced by Mamiko Noto in Japanese, and Laura Bailey in English.
Clover (四葉Yotsuba) - A slightly unpredictable young woman. Apparently this isn’t her first Nonary Game. She is voiced by Yukari Tamura in Japanese, and Wendee Lee in English.
Alice (アリスArisu) - An exotic, focused, powerful woman. The reason behind her dislike for shirts is unknown. Her body water is rumored to be Ice-nine.She is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese.
K (KKei)
- A mysterious man in a suit of what appears to be armor. His face is
hidden by a mask, and no one knows his name or his age-not even him. He is voiced by Daisuke Ono, and Travis Willingham in English.
Zero III (ゼロ3世Zero San Sei) is a CGI (Computer-generated imagery)
rabbit that serves as the gamemaster and oversees the progression of
the Nonary Game. An AI that gives penalties to those who go against the
rules. It gets its instructions from "the true Zero", who appears to be
one of the 9 players. It is voiced by Tarako in Japanese, and Cindy Robinson in English.
Story
Sigma, the main character, is kidnapped and awakens in an elevator
with a girl named Phi, who seems to know him. Zero III, a talking
rabbit,
appears on a computer monitor in front of them and tells them they must
escape the elevator; the pair find themselves in an abandoned warehouse alongside seven other people.
Their goal is to escape the building. However, they find themselves enrolled in a game known as the Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition,
which relies on a system called "Bracelet Points" ("BP"), which are won
by cooperating with or betraying other players. A player is allowed to
leave the warehouse if only they possess nine or more BP; however, if a
player's BP reach zero, they are killed by a lethal injection.
Gameplay
There are two main types of gameplay in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. As a visual novel, the game primarily involves interacting with non-player characters
and making choices that alter the outcome of the story. The player is
given the additional responsibility of choosing whether to betray a
character, or to cooperate with them.
If both characters choose to cooperate, they both gain BP. However, if
one character betrays another, the character being betrayed loses points
while the traitor gains a greater amount of points. If both characters choose to betray, no points are gained or lost. (This is a slight variation of the prisoner's dilemma, a classic problem in game theory.)
The plot and ending of the game will vary depending on whether the
player chooses to betray or cooperate with other characters.
The game also contains various puzzles, in which the player interacts
with the environment in order to escape from a room. Solving puzzles
can drastically alter the environment of a room. If the player fails a
puzzle too many times, the characters in the room with them will offer
hints on how to complete it, eventually revealing the solution to the
puzzle.
However, the game also introduces a slightly harder difficulty to the
game in which during puzzles, the non-player characters will not give
hints.
Video
Rating
Publication
Score
IGN
9.5 / 10
1UP
A-
Gamespot
8.5 / 10
Game Informer
8.75 / 10
EGM
9.0 / 10
gamrReview
9.0 / 10
Critical reception of the game in Japan has been well received, with Famitsu giving it a score of 34/40 (9/8/9/8).
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
November 15, 2012 Wii U NA November 18, 2012 EU November 30, 2012
AUSNovember 30, 2012
JPDecember 20, 2012
Genre(s)
First-person shooter
Mode(s)
Single-player, multiplayer, Co-op
System requirements
See Development section
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision (Square Enix for Japan). It was released on November 13, 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows and on November 18, 2012 in North America, November 30, 2012 in Europe, and December 20, 2012 in Japan for Wii U. Black Ops II is the ninth game in the Call of Duty franchise of video games and a sequel to the 2010 game Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Black Ops II is the first game in the Call of Duty
franchise to feature future warfare technology and the first to present
branching storylines driven by player choice. It also offers a 3D
display option. A corresponding game, Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified, will be released simultaneously on the PlayStation Vita. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game grossed $500 million, beating 2011's Modern Warfare 3 to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time.
Synopsis
Characters and setting
The single-player campaign features two connected storylines, with
one set in the 1970s through 1980s and the other in 2025. The
protagonist of Black Ops, Alex Mason
returns as the protagonist in the Cold War section, and chronicles rise
to infamy of the game's primary antagonist, Raul Menendez, a Nicaraguan narco-terrorist and the leader of "Cordis Die", a populist movement celebrated as the champions of victims of economic inequality.
The 2025 section of the game features Alex Mason's son David as the
protagonist during a new Cold War between China and the United States. In this era, war is defined by robotics, cyberwarfare, unmanned vehicles, and other futuristic technology.
Plot
In the year 2025, a Special Forces unit led by David Mason arrive at "The Vault", a secret location that is home to the aged Frank Woods,
who they believe has information on the whereabouts of Raul Menendez.
Woods admits that Menendez had visited him, and gives Mason a locket
that Menendez had left behind.
In 1986, Alex Mason has retired from active duty and is living in
Alaska with the seven year-old David. Their already-strained
relationship is put to the test when Mason is approached by Jason
Hudson, seeking to recruit him for a mission in Angola. Woods' unit has been taken captive while aiding rebels in the country's civil war,
and their actions have been disavowed by the CIA. Hudson enlists Mason
for a covert mission to rescue Woods and any survivors from his unit,
with the help of the Jonas Savimbi,
the leader of the Angolan forces. They discover Menendez is responsible
for Woods' captivity and attempt to confront him, only for Menendez to
give away their position to incoming enemy forces, allowing him to flee.
In light of the events in Angola, Mason and Hudson begin tracking
Menendez, who has set himself up as one of the primary arms suppliers
for conflicts in Africa and Latin America. Locating him in Afghanistan,
the CIA authorises a strike against him. At this point, the story
begins to explore Menendez's motivations and his vendetta against the
West. After he and his sister were accidentally burned in the
fire-bombing of a warehouse as part of an insurance scam, the Menendez
family turned to drug trafficking and built up power and influence
throughout Nicaragua. Their actions did not go unnoticed, and the CIA
sanctioned the assassination of his father. Now knowing that Menendez
considers the conflict to be personal and that he will not back down,
the CIA lean on Panamanian president Manuel Noriega
to support a raid on Menendez's home in Panama. Menendez suffers
further tragedy when Woods inadvertently kills his sister during the
raid. Menendez himself manages to escape due to secret assistance from
Noriega.
Menendez plans to retaliate against those he holds responsible for his sister's death. During the 1989 invasion of Panama,
he kidnaps Jason Hudson and David, using them as bait for a trap. He
then uses Hudson to mislead Woods, manipulating him into shooting Mason
instead of himself. Menendez then executes Hudson and cripples Woods.
Unsatisfied with his revenge, Menendez allows Woods and David to live,
promising to return to complete his revenge when the time is right.
Three decades later, Menendez re-emerges as the leader of Cordis Die,
a massive populist movement with over a billion followers. He stages a cyberattack that cripples the Chinese Stock Exchange; in response, the Chinese ban the export of rare earth elements, fermenting the start of a new Cold War between the Chinese-led Strategic Defense Coalition and the U.S.-led JSOC.
Taking advantage of this stand-off, Menendez attempts to bring the two
powers to a full-blown war by inciting conflicts between the two,
secretly aiding SDC leader Chairman Tian-Zhao. Using the intelligence
provided by Woods, David, now a Navy SEAL code-named Section, leads JSOC forces in the renewed search for Menendez.
Shortly after gathering intelligence from Woods, Section and JSOC infiltrates Myanmar
investigating a spike in activity in the region. There, Section's team
encounters a computer engineer under Menendez's employment, warning them
of a cyberattack with a Celerium device, a quantum computer capable of
hacking any computer system. Section's team is later deployed in Pakistan,
attempting to gather intelligence on Menendez's plots. During the
infiltration, Menendez discloses the name of a target, "Karma" in the Cayman Islands.
Section and SEAL operatives Harper and Salazar later infiltrate the
Cayman Islands, finding out that "Karma" is a woman named Chloe Lynch, a
former employee of Menendez's shell corporation, Tacitus. Lynch was the
main developer of the Celerium device, and as a means of wrapping up
loose ends, Menendez had deployed mercenaries for her abduction.
JSOC later has a lead on Menendez in Yemen,
where JSOC asset Farid infiltrates Menendez's cell to help Section
facilitate the leader's capture. However, Menendez's capture was a ruse
for Menendez to hack into the U.S. military's computer infrastructure
on-board the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Obama, seizing control
the the United States' entire drone fleet. Salazar is revealed to be
Menendez's mole within JSOC, and facilitates Menendez's attack before
Section and JSOC forces repel the attack. The aftermath relocates
Section to Los Angeles, where he escorts the President of the United States to safety amidst the drone attacks.
JSOC eventually finds the source of the transmissions responsible for the hacking to Haiti,
where Section leads JSOC forces into recapturing the facility, and
apprehending or killing Menendez. Depending on the actions taken by the
player, the final outcome of the game's ending is influenced, such as
whether or not the United States and China are able to enter an alliance
with each other, as well as determining the fates of certain
individuals in the game.
During the main campaign, the player may choose to particpate in
optional Strike Missions. The Strike Missions involve JSOC attempting to
curb the SDC's global influence by preventing them from forcing
neighboring countries into an alliance. Section himself does not
participate in these missions directly, though he can command the forces
remotely from a command center.
Endings
The storyline of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has several endings, depending on which conditions the player fulfils over the course of the game.
If the player spares Menendez's life, and both Chloe Lynch and Alex
Mason survive the events of the game, the player will have secured an
alliance between China and the United States, ending the Second Cold
War. Chloe's survival prevents Menendez's cyberattack from succeeding,
and Mason's survival sees him visit Frank Woods in retirement, reuniting
with Section. The final scene shows Menendez in prison, angry at his
failed attack.
If Menendez is spared and Chloe survives, but Mason is killed in
action, the Second Cold War will end and Menendez's cyberattack will
fail, but Section will visit his father's grave with Woods and decides
to retire from soldiering; Woods comments that his father would approve
of the decision.
If Menendez is spared, Chloe is killed and Mason's fate is
unresolved, Section will apprehend Menendez and take him into custody.
The cyberattack will succeed, allowing Menendez to escape. He kills
Woods in the retirement home before visting his sister's grave, dousing
himself in gasoline, and readying a lighter.
If Menendez is killed, Chloe's fate is unresolved and Mason is
killed, Section will kill Menendez before visiting his father's grave,
but Menendez's followers will riot, leading to an uprising that destroys
cities.
If Menendez is killed, Chloe's fate is unresolved and Mason lives,
Section will kill Menendez before reuniting with his father at the
retirement home, but Menendez's followers will riot, leading to an
uprising that destroys cities.
Gameplay
Strike Force missions
Black Ops II will be the first Call of Duty video game
to feature branching storylines, in which the player's choice affects
both the current mission and in turn, the overall course of the story.
Known as "Strike Force missions", these branching storylines will appear
during the 2025 storyline and will feature permanent death.
The success or failure of these missions can have ramifications for the
wider campaign storyline. Choosing one of the missions locks out the
others unless the player begins a fresh campaign.
Strike Force missions allow the player to control a number of different war assets, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, jet fighters and robots.
If the player dies in a Strike Force mission, the campaign continues
recording that loss, as opposed to letting the player load a previously
saved checkpoint. The player's progress in the Strike Force missions may
go on to change even the plans of the story's antagonist, Raul
Menendez.
By the end of the game, the player may have changed the results of the
new Cold War, and the player will be shown what could have gone
differently.
Zombies
Treyarch has confirmed that the Zombies mode will return for Black Ops II with its own campaign. Its predecessors were Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops. This is the third time for the Zombies mode to appear in a Call of Duty
game, and the first time to have its own campaign along with the main
story. Treyarch has also confirmed that Zombies will implement the
multiplayer engine, allowing for a deeper community experience along
with new game modes. It has also been confirmed that the Zombies mode
will support 8 player co-op, unlike Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops,
which only supported 4 player online co-op. Treyarch announced in
August 2012 that Nuketown would be remade as a zombie map for those
buying Hardened or Care Package Edition of Black Ops 2. On September 26,
2012, the Zombies reveal trailer was released as well as three new game
modes confirmed: Tranzit is a game mode that is a combination of
multiple maps in one game and the way to travel around it is to ride on a
bus, Survival is the original mode from Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops where you survive as long as possible, and finally the mode Grief which is 4 players vs 4 players vs zombies.
Development
Minimum System Requirements
Requirements
Microsoft Windows
Operating system
Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) or Windows 7; (Windows XP not supported)
CPU
Intel Core2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHz
Memory
2GB for 32-bit OS or 4GB for 64-bit OS
Hard drive space
16GB
Graphics hardware
Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB
Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick stated on November 8, 2011 that a new Call of Duty game was in development for a 2012 release and will be the newest installment in the franchise.]
The game was officially confirmed by Activision during its
fourth-quarter earnings call on February 9, 2012, and promised that it
will feature "meaningful innovation" for the series.
Internal leaks
Reports of Black Ops 2 surfaced
following a product page for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 appeared on Amazon France
before quickly being taken down in February 2012. No information had
yet been released by Activision, but Gameblog claimed that Activision
demanded it remove its original report too.
When it refused to do so, the publisher cut off Gameblog from ad
support, review game mailings and future Activision events for refusing
to comply.Later Activision denied Gameblog.
claims that it has been cut off.
Around the same time, computer game artist Hugo Beyer also listed
"Black Ops 2" as his current project in his Linkedin CV, before his
LinkedIn page was taken down.
Beyer is an artist working for Nerve Software, "a Dallas-based
independent developer" which has "helped" with previous Activision games
including, Black Ops in 2010. A "Black Ops 2" trademark by Activision was spotted January 2012.Further Black Ops 2 was listed by the France international entertainment retail chain Fnac in March 2012, which touted a predictable November release date.
On April 9, 2012, an image was leaked from a URL on the official Call of Duty website, which leaked the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 logo, as well as a reveal date of April 28, 2012. The URL was later removed.
On April 18, 2012, Kotaku received an image from "a retail source",
which showed a teaser poster that lacked a game title but had clear nods
to Black Ops and a May 2 date that seemingly points to a reveal.On April 27, 2012, an image containing two Target pre-order cards sent by IGN reader Richard confirmed the game's title and release date. The cards clearly display the Call of Duty: Black Ops II logo, and the release date November 13, 2012.
Reveal
On April 23, 2012, Activision redesigned CallofDuty.com to announce that the game will be revealed on May 1, 2012 during the NBA playoffs on TNT. The art featured on the site matched up perfectly with the supposed retailer leak received by Kotaku. However, parts of the official website went live hours prior to the
announcement, which revealed the title, confirmed the release date for
PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and the "21st Century Cold War" setting.
Activision had hinted that the game may eventually become available for
Nintendo's own consoles, although had no official announcements for the
time being.
As promised by Activision, the preview for the game was revealed in the
form of a YouTube trailer that detailed the futuristic setting, the
characters carried over from the previous games, and the conflict.After the game was revealed, the preorder rates on the game set records three times higher than for the preorders of the first Black Ops. Critics have noted the trailer's similarities to that of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. On July 19, 2012 a second trailer was released by Treyarch, offering insight into the game's narrative. The storyline has been described by writer David S. Goyer as "better than a Hollywood movie"
Gameplay revisions
In developing Black Ops II, Treyarch introduced several revisions to the gameplay mechanics for online multiplayer that have been a hallmark of the Call of Duty
franchise. These include the introduction of "multi-team" games that
allow matches to host three or more teams of players, in counternance to
the traditional two factions,
and revisions to the "Create-A-Class" function that allows users to
create customised characters for use in multiplayer matches.
The "Kill Streak" function, which gives players in-game rewards for
killing other players, has likewise been revised and will now be known
as "Score Streaks". Whereas players still receive in-game rewards, these
are unlocked by performing certain actions - such as killing other
players, successfully capturing territory, and so on - rather than
simply killing other players. Furthermore, the "wager matches" feature included in Call of Duty: Black Ops has been removed.
These changes were introduced to shift the emphasis towards
objective-based gameplay, reward players who work in teams and to make
the game more accessible to new players.
In addition to this, Treyarch announced plans to integrate Black Ops II into the world of "eSports" or competitive gaming.
To this end, Treyarch unveiled a matchmaking system designed to pair
players up based on their skills within the game to ensure that online
games are relatively equal in terms of player skill. They also announced
what they termed "CODcasting", a form of live streaming that allows users to stream their games directly onto YouTube from their gaming consoles.
