Call of Duty Black Ops II

I haven't done a review of a game before but since this game was released on 13 November in Australia I thought I should attempt it.
 
My son's been playing this game almost non-stop since our return home from New Zealand.  I've had a go, but I'm not very good.  He seems to be enjoying himself though.
 
 
The following information is courtesy of the official Call of Duty: Black of 2 website.
 
To celebrate the launch of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 2, Double XP is being activated this weekend, from November 16th through the 18th, for anyone that downloads the Nuketown 2025 map. This map is available to everyone that pre-ordered. Bring the action back to this classic map, re-imagined as a 60's depiction of the future.

How to Download Nuketown 2025

Everyone who has the Nuketown 2025 bonus map can participate in this Double XP event. Simply enter the redeem code included with the game and download the map. Then, starting this Friday, tear it up in public matches across any playlist and fly through those ranks!

With Call of Duty®: Black Ops II in players’ hands, here are five important features fans need to know about Call of Duty® Elite for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II.

In addition to:
- Connect: Giving Call of Duty® players the ability to connect with friends, join existing Clans or start their own, and join the rest of the Call of Duty community.
- Compete: Raising the stakes for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer with activities like Clan competitions for the chance to win cool digital prizes, and Leaderboards to see where you stack up against other players.
- Improve: Helping improve your Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer skills with stat tracking, heat maps that show the busiest 'hot spots' on your favorite multiplayer maps, and the ability compare your loadouts against other players.

1 – Call of Duty® Elite for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II is free. Just sign up and gain access to this robust suite of player services that will enhance your Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer experience.

2 – Now free for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II, Call of Duty Elite® TV delivers a renewed community focus, featuring tips on loadouts and playstyles, strategies on the best ways to play the maps, and more. This year, Call of Duty Elite® TV programming features an emphasis around helping players improve their multiplayer skills, with three new Call of Duty® Academy shows:

- Create-a-Class Guide – Focusing on gameplay styles to help players get the most out of Call of Duty®: Black Ops II’s new “Pick 10” create-a-class system.
- Multiplayer Guide – Featuring tips and strategies on taking cover, long-range combat, movement, using grenades, close-quarters combat and tactics, and more.
- Tutorials – Episodes dedicated to teaching players how to use some of the groundbreaking new features available in Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer, including Livestreaming, CODcasting, Leagues, and the “Pick 10” create-a-class system. For example, log into Call of Duty® Elite right now (for free) and watch the tutorial episode on Custom Classes.

3 – Call of Duty® Elite for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II features Zombies support. For the millions of Zombies fans out there, now you can track your Zombies stats and compare them to other players' stats from around the world.

4 – Call of Duty® Elite is the HQ for your complete Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer experience. In addition to tracking your overall performance, new and improved features include:

- Expanded Clan Communications – Clan leaders can communicate directly with their Clan via push messaging to mobile devices for a more social and immediate experience, making tasks like updating the message of the day, or alerting Clan members to upcoming Clan Ops and Challenges even easier.
- Improved Access to Clan Ops and Challenges – Now any Clan member can enlist their Clan into upcoming Clan Ops and Challenges, no longer being solely reliant on the Clan leader to jump into competitions.
- One Button Class Copy – Copying another player’s loadout is now easier than ever. If another player perpetually owns you in Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer, just click a button in Call of Duty® Elite to copy that player’s loadout to try it out for yourself.

5 – Call of Duty® Elite for Call of Duty®: Black Ops II is available where you want it - through your game console, on your tablet and mobile devices, and on the Web. With expanded functionality for tablet and mobile apps, players can now view features like Call of Duty Elite TV, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II Livestreaming – where, in addition to the video stream, players are also able to view the Livestreaming user's stats, view and copy their loadout, as well as explore other useful information.

As I am not very good or knowledgeable about the game check out some genuine reviews:
 

'Call of Duty: Black Ops 2' review -- A surprisingly refreshing return to the front-lines

by Matt Cabral

 

 

 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Is One of the Best Told Stories in Videogames
by Dave Thier
 
Here are some other helpful sites:
 
http://www.blackopsii.com/bo2/weapons-list/
http://au.ign.com/wikis/call-of-duty-black-ops-2

http://www.examiner.com/article/new-black-ops-2-multiplayer-game-modes-coming-five-main-details-for-elite
http://mp1st.com/2012/11/04/call-of-duty-black-ops-2-zombie-weapons-and-equipment-revealed/

http://au.ign.com/wikis/call-of-duty-black-ops-2/Zombies

http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2/images

 

http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2/nuketown-2025

 

 



Strategy guides can be purchased from the Book Depository:

Black Ops 2 Hardcover                                                                                   Black Ops 2 Paperback

 

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius      

Book and Author Review - Gena Showalter

I'm going to review a series of books written by Gena Showalter.  There are only 2 in this series and they are about an ordinary girl who meets with an extra-ordinary accident and becomes endowed with super powers.  But wait there is also a super hunky supernatural good guy.  He is of course sexy, muscled to the max, soft as a marshmallow and as tough as nails.

Playing with Fire

Meet Belle Jamison, barista - currently.  Belle has been leading an ordinary life, wishing for super powers, being unsatisfied with her life, believing that she should be doing more.  She's always late for work and finds it hard to hold down a job long enough to make ends meet.  Her ultimate goal is to make enough money to pay for her father's assisted living care.

 

One day, while on the verge of getting fired, a mad scientist, Dr Roberts, - and I mean MAD - slips a super power formula into her Mocha Latte.  Needless to say the beautiful Ms Jamison becomes ill and while going through the 'change', the delectable Agent Masters comes to her rescue or rather her 'neutralization'.  
They talk, they fight and finally they fall in love and have extremely well written hot sex.  Oh how nice?  I love reading sappy love stories especially when there is awesome hot sex involved.  I'm not going tell how it ends but after a series of mishaps - spoiler alert - a very happy ending.

Twice as Hot

Part 2 in the series and the - spoiler alert - pukily happy couple are planning - you guessed it - their wedding.  Agent Rome Masters is on a mission, which goes horribly wrong and he comes back without his memory of Belle.  He can't remember Belle and is being manipulated by his ex-wife as well to get him back to make a second go of their marriage.  In the meantime, Belle is trying to make Rome remember her but makes a deal with the man who stole Rome's memory that she will go on 3 dates with him if only he gives Rome his memory back.  This man is gunning for Belle's affections and is willing to do anything to win her heart.   There is a moment or 2 when you think it's over but wait there's more!  And that's all I'll say about that.

I personally think it's well written, even if the story line is a little predictable.  There is a few hot make out sessions and Agent Masters is drool worthy!

Gena Showalter wrote the first of the series in 2006 and followed it up 4 years later with book 2.

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.  Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in all over the world. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called "a star on the rise".

Check out Gena's personal website for further information about her upcoming books.  Gena is also on Goodreads.

Check out Gena's books at the Book Depository.

I've read a few other books written by Gena and I have to admit I was never disappointed.  If you've never read any of her books I highly recommend her.

Blacklisted is about 2 girls who just want to have fun.  Camille has the hots for bad boy Erik, who, unbeknownst to Camille is an Alien Investigation and Removal agent.  This book is more for young teenagers, but I still enjoyed it.

Oh My Goth is about a fiercely individualist Goth girl who wakes up to discover that the whole world has gone Goth and she's actually -- gag -- popular.

Jade Leigh is a nonconformist who values individuality above all else. She has a small group of like-minded Goth friends who wear black, dabble in the dark arts, and thrive outside the norm. They're considered the "freaks" of their high school. But when Jade's smart mouth lands her in trouble -- again -- her principal decides to teach her a lesson she'll never forget.
Taken to a remote location where she is strapped down and sedated, Jade wakes up in an alternate universe where she rules the school. But her best friends won't talk to her, and the people she used to hate are all Goth. Only Clarik, the mysterious new boy in town, operates outside all the cliques. And only Mercedes, the Barbie clone Jade loathes, believes that Jade's stuck in a virtual reality game -- because she's stuck there, too, now living the life of a "freak." Together, they realize they might never get back to reality...and that even if they do, things might never be the same.

This too is a book for young adults/teenagers, but still an enjoyable light hearted read for us older folks.

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

New 'book review' Book!

I finally remembered to buy a new 'book review' book.

In honour of this auspicious occasion I'm going to write down a list, call it a wishlist, if you like - of books I'm going to endeavour to read over the holidays.  That's from NOW until late February 2013!

These books have already been acquired, but I just have not had the time to read any one of them.

And because I've lost my first 'book review' book, I'm going to have re-read some, which are earlier books in a series.  Very frustrating!

This list is not going to be alphabetical, because that would just take forever and I don't have that kind of time.

Justin Somper

Justin Somper is the British author of the children's horror novel series Vampirates.Justin Somper is the British author of the children's horror novel series Vampirates. He was born in St Albans and graduated from Warwick University. He worked as a publicist before starting his writing career.

Vampirates

Dead Deep (2007)
1. Demons of the Ocean (2005)
2. Tide of Terror (2006)
3. Blood Captain (2007)
4. Black Heart (2009)
5. Empire of Night (2010)
6. Immortal War (2011)

Nancy Fairbanks

Culinary Mystery with Recipes - I have read a few of these books and they are excellent, very entertaining.  Because I don't have my trusty books I don't remember which ones!

1. Crime Brulee (2001)  2. Truffled Feathers (2001)  3. Death A L'Orange (2002)  4. Chocolate Quake (2003)  5. The Perils of Paella (2004)  6. Holy Guacamole! (2004)  7. Mozzarella Most Murderous (2005)  8. Three-Course Murder (2006)  9. Bon Bon Voyage (2006)  10. French Fried (2006)  11. Turkey Flambe (2007)  12. Blood Pudding (2009)

Rachel Caine

Weather Warden

I started reading this series, but unfortunately due to time constraints I had to stop. I'm now going to re-start with Ill Wind - it looked promising when I was reading it before ;-)
1. Ill Wind (2003)
2. Heat Stroke (2004)
3. Chill Factor (2005)
4. Windfall (2005)
5. Firestorm (2006)
6. Thin Air (2007)
7. Gale Force (2008)
8. Cape Storm (2009)
9. Total Eclipse (2010)

This Author also writes the Morganville series - I have a friend who has read this series and she swears they are great, so while I don't actually own any of these books I am going to buy them and start reading!  Check out the Book Depository for great prices on books and best of all FREE delivery to anywhere in the world!

Morganville Vampires

1. Glass Houses (2006)
2. Dead Girl's Dance (2007)
3. Midnight Alley (2007)
4. Feast of Fools (2008)
5. Lord of Misrule (2008)
6. Carpe Corpus (2009)
7. Fade Out (2009)
8. Kiss of Death (2010)
9. Ghost Town (2010)
10. Bite Club (2011)
11. Last Breath (2011)
12. Black Dawn (2012)
13. Bitter Blood (2012)
14. Fall of Night (2013)

Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She lives in Colorado.

Hush, Hush

1. Hush, Hush (2009)
2. Crescendo (2010)
3. Silence (2011)
4. Finale (2012)

I've read the first one in the series and it was fantastic.  I've also purchased 2 & 3 in the series but have not had time to read them.  Over the next few months, I plan to re-read 1 and then read on to the next 3 (once I've purchased the final one in the series - that is!)

Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.  Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in all over the world. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called "a star on the rise".

White Rabbit Chronicles
1. Alice in Zombieland (2012)
Intertwined
1. Intertwined (2009)
2. Unraveled (2010)
     aka Unravelled
3. Twisted (2011)
Tales of an Extra-ordinary Girl
1. Playing with Fire (2006)
2. Twice as Hot (2010)

Robert Gregory Browne

Robert Browne is an AMPAS Nicholl Award-winning screenwriter who ran screaming from the movie industry and jumped into writing novels.

His first novel, KISS HER GOODBYE, was recently produced in Chicago as a pilot for a CBS Television series tentatively titled THE LINE, by Sony Pictures and Timberman/Beverly Productions, with a script written and directed by Michael Dinner.

Novels

Kiss Her Goodbye (2007)

Whisper in the Dark (2008)
Kill Her Again (2009)
Down Among the Dead Men (2010)
The Paradise Prophecy (2011)
Trial Junkies (2012)
I have to admit I've read 'Kill Her Again' and it was great.  The twist at the end was so unexpected that I still can't believe it!  I would definitely read more of this authors books, which is why I have purchased 'Down Among the Dead Men'.

Alex Duval

Alex Duval was born and raised in Paris, before moving to California to pursue a career in fashion photography. Alex loves all sports, especially surfing. When not writing books, Alex loves watching movies, especially The Lost Boys, and visiting art galleries around the world. Alex has homes in both Paris and LA.

Vampire Beach

1. Bloodlust (2006)
2. Initiation (2006)
3. Ritual (2007)
4. Legacy (2007)
5. High Stakes (2008)
6. Hunted (2008)

Thomas Emson

Maneater

1. Maneater (2008)
2. Prey (2009)

Vampire Babylon

1. Skarlet (2009)
2. Krimson (2010)
3. Kardinal (2012)

Novels

Pandemonium Road (2011)

Darren Shan

Darren is a massively successful author of numerous fantasy and horror books for both young people and adults.His most famous works include the 12 books of The Saga of Darren Shan; the 10 books of The Demonata, The City Trilogy; The Thin Executioner and his most recent series of 4 books, The Saga of Larten Crepsley. A movie of Cirque Du Freak was completed in 2009. 

By the start of 2010, Darren's books were on sale in every continent, in 39 countries, in 31 languages, and have been children's bestsellers in America, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries. The books have topped adult bestseller charts in Hungary, Japan and Taiwan. In total, his books have sold close to 15 million copies worldwide.

Saga of Larten Crepsley

1. Birth of a Killer (2010)
2. Ocean of Blood (2011)
3. Palace of the Damned (2011)
4. Brothers to the Death (2012)

Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell has written four novels, Shiver, Cleave, Lovesong and The Bride Stripped Bare, and one non-fiction book, Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart. Her work has been internationally critically acclaimed and translated into many languages.

Bride Stripped Bare

1. The Bride Stripped Bare (2004)
2. With My Body (2011)

Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT, her YA dystopian thriller (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011!), while she was supposed to be doing homework. This was a decidedly good choice that will unfortunately make it difficult for her to someday lecture her future children on how important it is to get your homework done.

Insurgent Trilogy

1. Divergent (2011)
2. Insurgent (2012)
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Story (2012)

Steven Dunne

Steven Dunne is 50 years of age and have been writing since he left university in Kent in 1979. He spent some time being a freelance journalist writing for The Times, Independent and Guardian.

D. I. Damen Brook

1. The Reaper (2007)
2. The Disciple (2010)
3. Deity (2012)
4. The Unquiet Grave (2013)

Rachel Vincent

A native of the dust bowl, Rachel Vincent is the oldest of five siblings, and arguably the most outspoken of the bunch. She loves cats, devours chocolate and lives on flavored coffee. Rachel's older than she looks--seriously--and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

Werecats

1. Stray (2007)
2. Rogue (2008)
3. Pride (2009)
4. Prey (2009)
5. Shift (2010)
6. Alpha (2010)

Soul Screamers

My Soul to Lose (2009)
1. My Soul to Take (2009)
2. My Soul to Save (2009)
3. My Soul to Keep (2010)
4. My Soul to Steal (2011)
5. If I Die (2011)
6. Before I Wake (2012)
7. With All My Soul (2013)
Reaper (2010)
Never to Sleep (2012)
I've read some of the Soul Screamers books and they are great - that one will be the first series from this author I will be tackling!  Just in case I run out of time!

I think that should do for now.

I plan to start reading as soon as possible.  What I want to do is write a review as I finish each book and hopefully do a little research about each author and story as well, but we'll see how I go - no promises!

The information about the authors is taken from the Fantastic Fiction website.  I find this site great for information about authors, their books and also new release books.  My friend put me onto this site and I don't know how I ever got along without it!