Will Call of Duty: Black Ops II come to Wii U?

By Anthony John Agnello June 11, 2012

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When will Call of Duty and Nintendo finally get together? Sooner rather than later according to industry analysts.

The Wii U isn’t the first time that Nintendo has released a new machine with the grand promise that it will renew its relationship with the unfortunately named “hardcore” gaming community. This goes all the way back to Gamecube. Back at 2000’s Spaceworld, Nintendo’s personal version of the Tokyo Game Show, the Gamecube was touted as a graphical powerhouse that played discs instead of cartridges and with a controller that wouldn’t keep third-party ports of the machine. When the Wii rolled around 6 years later, Nintendo tried to get people all hot and bothered with how the Wii remote could be perfect for first-person shooters. Now Wii U is supposed to be the HD console game enthusiasts have been waiting for.

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Forget the fact that the enthusiast audience Nintendo wants is already looking at a new generation of hardware that makes the Wii U look like an abacus by comparison. Nintendo needs not just the core but the true average console game player, the person who buys Madden NFL and Call of Duty and nothing else each year. As of now, Wii U doesn’t have much to offer that player, but that might change by fall.

Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said, according to Games Industry International, that Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a likely Wii U launch title later this year. A holiday release “should contribute to incremental sales of the title and also the Wii U console.”

Activision Publishing head Eric Hirshberg didn’t deny that it would happen. “We take out time to get our ducks in a row before pulling the trigger. We don’t have any announcements today but we will be supporting Wii U.” He went to describe how the Call of Duty Elite subscription service makes an ideal fit for the Wii U’s tablet controller as Activision has already developed a number of second screen perks for Elite subscribers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II may be available on Wii U, but it’s hard to imagine many players will flock to the platform. The series multiplayer community needs an easy to use online interface, which is one of the primary reasons the Xbox 360 outsells the PlayStation 3 version of the game in the console space each year. Nintendo hasn’t fully outline Wii U’s online component yet, but early word is that it will be less than user friendly.

Will Call of Duty: Black Ops II be on Wii U? Maybe, but Activision’s greatest investment on the platform lies elsewhere, namely with games like Skylanders that cater to the same family audience Nintendo’s machines always cater to. Even after all the protestations to recommitment to the core audience.

Anthony John Agnello

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…

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The best Wildcards in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

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The concept of a Wildcard might sound like a risky endeavor in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but this part of your loadout isn't random at all. We haven't seen this system since Cold War, and even those who remember it from that game will need to learn all the new cards there are in Black Ops 6. You can only equip a single Wildcard on your loadout, but they are powerful enough to completely redefine your playstyle. So far, there are only six to unlock while grinding through the levels with your friends, but picking just one is still a tough choice, especially if you want to use a permanent unlock on one after hitting Prestige. We've ranked all the Wildcards in Black Ops 6 so you can always have the winning hand.
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There is a level of personal preference in which Wildcard you will find better than others, but in most cases, the ones we've ranked as the best will help every player gain an edge in online matches. Here's our ranking of each Wildcard from best to worst, along with what level you unlock them at.
Perk Greed - Level 54
The last Wildcard you unlock is easily the most powerful. Perk Greed lets you unlock a fourth Perk to your loadout instead of being limited to three, which can borderline break the game if you choose the right set of Perks. It is also the most versatile of the Wildcards since it gives you the most options to play with instead of a specific bonus you may not find useful. It can also more easily unlock the special bonus buff you get for equipping three Perks from the same category.
Gunfighter - Level 33
Right in the middle of the unlock list, Gunfighter is one Wildcard you could easily make a case for over Perk Greed in some situations. This one increases your attachment points for your primary weapon by three. If you're rocking a top-tier weapon already, this Wildcard can let you tweak its stats even higher. We rank it second because it only applies to one weapon and thus is a bit more limiting.
Overkill - Level 24
For such an early Wildcard, Overkill is quite a powerful choice. This card lets you equip any weapon (except melee weapons) in your Primary and Secondary slots instead of the ones typically reserved for each. That means you can build a loadout with two Primary weapons and be far more versatile on the battlefield. Instead of having to trade off range, damage, rate of fire, mobility, or any other aspect of your game, you can cover almost all your bases by picking two Primary weapons that cover each other's weaknesses.
Prepper - Level 45
Field upgrades are powerful, don't get us wrong, but having two instead of one isn't always that much of a game-changer. It's a bit less useful than Gunfighter only because field upgrades are more situational and require more attention to use to their full potential. If that's you, then this is a great choice.
Danger Close - Level 38
Who doesn't want another grenade, Molotov, or combat axe? Is getting a second Lethal worth the Wildcard slot, though? Not in our opinion. Most of the time, Lethals are used in desperation or as a way to deny enemy movement for a time, and even then, they are risky because of how vulnerable you are while using them.
Tactical Expert - Level 15
The first Wildcard you get is better than nothing, but only just. It's exactly like Danger Close, only you can hold two Tacticals instead of Lethals. This is, by nature, a little worse since Tacticals don't have the ability to kill an enemy (unless you get super lucky and you directly hit an enemy with one who is on low HP). You can get some use out of them, but you're better off upgrading as soon as you have another option.

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