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Black Ops II is the ninth main title in the Call of Duty first-person shooter franchise and the sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is set primarily in the near future of 2025 with one third of the game also taking place in the late 1980s. Players follow the interconnected stories of Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and David Mason, while the antagonist, Raul Menendez, carries out a decade-long vendetta at the heart of the single-player campaign. The plot centers around a new conflict between China and the United States over rare earth elements (REE) and their manipulation by Menendez.

Regarding the gameplay, Black Ops II introduces sandbox-style missions called Strike Force, allowing players to command troops and drones from an overhead view, with the ability to switch to first-person shooter controls. The multiplayer features familiar game modes and a ranking system. A new ten-point system for customizing loadouts is introduced, and killstreaks are renamed "scorestreaks" to encourage objective-based play. New scorestreaks like lightning strikes and unmanned dragonfire drones are also added.