I choose to start a new campaign on Veteran, what the hell I am a masochist.
A jeep arrives at a building. Soldiers swarm in. Two main characters enter a vault. They find an old man. The old man warns them that someone is going to attack. The old man is Frank Woods. A flashback starts, it seems one of the men is David Mason, Alex Mason's son. The flashback shows Col. North speaking to Alex, with the current time Mason as his young son in the background. North asks Mason to go into action to save Frank Woods. There are obviously some abandonment issues going on.
Mission 1
The first Mission is in Angola, I am playing as Alex Mason. The objective is to rescue Woods. Old Frank talks of a man called Savimby, who he claims was madder than a hatter. The mission starts with a man trapped in a jeep burning alive. Alex Mason is trying to save him but he can't break the glass. Savimby appears and tells Mason to come away and start a counter attack. We start by advancing across a wide open plain which is full of enemies. We have to follow Savimby's jeep to start with, then take out three mortar operators. We then have to call air support and use it to take out some tanks. The next objective is to kill some jeep mounted gunners, two of them. We then climb onto Savimby's jeep and shoot from it as it advances. The battle is won. The helicopter that was providing air support comes in and we leave Savimby and his men.
Woods tells us that after the events of Black Ops 1 he was taken prisoner in Hanoi.
Mission 2
we are riding on the skids of the helicopter. Savimby's intelligence suggests that Woods is being held on a barge. The helicopter quickly approaches the barge and we land on the back of it under fire. I have to advance and clear the deck of the barge of enemies. Then the gunboat escort starts to attack after they are cleared. Two mounted guns can be used to blow up the boats. Some enemies make it onto the barge and I have to clear them. Once done I have to open a container on the back of the barge. Inside we find about twenty badly decomposing bodies. Woods is here, barely alive. As I take him out of the container a Hind helicopter attacks. I have to pick up a rocket launcher and use it to blow up the Hind. The rockets are guided manually. Once hit enough times a cut scene starts and the barge runs aground. Mason dives in to save Wood's who has fell into the water. I swim to shore with Wood's in tow. I now have to carry him on the ground. We move on through the jungle and come to a village, there is a radio mast. Hopefully I can use it to get extraction. We see children being used as soldiers. We now sneak through the village and past enemy soldiers using cover and long grass. I am prompted by the man I am following what to do and when. I am told to get to the radio while my friend takes care of woods. I move on, find some ammo and weapons then move into the village and in through a window. I find a man using the radio. I point the gun at his head in cut scene, he smashes the radio rather than help us. Men burst in. I take the man hostage at gunpoint. He continues to be an asshole and pulls a grenade pin. I shoot him and jump out the window. I now have to run back to Woods and my friend. We run headlong through the jungle with the village complement of enemies on our tail. At specific points I have to stop and make a stand. Then move on further. Jeeps attack also. At the beach a Hind comes in and all looks lost. However the Hind attacks our enemies not us. It is Savimby and we are rescued.
Mission 3
We are now playing as David Mason in 2025.
Frank talks about the man we met at the radio. He survived and has become a leader of a drug cartel, his name is Raul Menendez. He rises in time to become a leader of a terrorist organization named Cordis Die. A mineral that is controlled by the Chinese has become important. The mineral is called Celerium.
We start halfway up a cliff, using special gloves to hold onto the rock face. We then use a rope to swing each other along the rock face. I reach a ledge and a tree is hit by lightning. It snags on the rope and almost takes us both over the edge. Another soldier intervenes and we are freed from the rope. I now have to use a wing suit to reach the camp of the enemy. This is quite a fun little flying section. On entering the camp a cut scene shows that some of the enemy have invisibility suits. This becomes a typical push through the map fighting mission. I come to a temple door after a while and the team blow it open. Inside we find a very large metal door. Inside this lab we find one of the invisibility suits. Things go quickly bad in the labs and we are attacked. There are small robot gun droids here. We push on and go down in an elevator. After some more fighting we come to a room and find a man in a crate. His name is Erik and he is a scientist. He tells us that Celerium will create better microchips. He asks that we get him out alive and he will tell us everything. We are attacked again and have to defend the area. Once done I have to open a door with Erik. Inside we enter a computer room and Erik gives us a small grenade sized object which he calls the Celerium drive. He tells us that it has more processing power than all of the armies processors combined. It uses quantum entanglement. Erik is shot while he speaks and we are back into battle. I have to make my way through the building. Eventually I come to more of our soldiers who have arrived. I have to make my way to an admiral Briggs who we explain about the Celerium to.
Mission 4
This mission is back in the past, in 1986 in Afghanistan. I am playing as Alex Mason.
A little of Menendez's back story is explained. He grew up in poverty in a war torn country. His family were killed by accidents and the CIA. He hates America with a vengeance. Mason and Woods meet with some Chinese soldiers on horseback Their leader is Named Zhao. They give us horses and we have to ride with them to meet the Mujahedeen. I come into some caves and meet a leader of the Mujahedeen soldiers. He wants weapons not soldiers. We have to prove our worth to him. Russians are about to attack. On cue they attack and we have to go back outside and get back on our horse.
We must ride to a choke point then start fighting. I am told to pick up a rocket launcher to attack the armored vehicles that are approaching. I have to reach a point where I can find the rocket launcher, then destroy two armored vehicles. I then have to blow up demolition charge in the ruins and block the way for any other armor trying to get through this way. I now have to take out two tanks that are approaching the base from another direction. Then helicopters attack, I have to try and hit them on horseback using a rocket launcher. Handily there is an aircraft lock on mode on the rocket launcher I have. After knocking out the hind More tanks are approaching, I destroy two more. I then ride on a bit and have to get into a cave entrance where an ammo cache has been taken by the enemy. A BTR arrives to make life hard along with some helicopters. I have to cross a rope bridge to get to the cave entrance. Once the cave is cleared I am told to ride back to base. A cut scene shows a large tank and more armor arriving. We ride in a fairly suicidal fashion at the tank. This is almost a total cut scene. Our horse falls on us and I have to QuickTime out from under it. Then I am saved and jump onto the back of the tank and drop a grenade inside. A Russian emerges to fight us. He is know to us as Kravchenko.
After the battle we see his interrogation. As Kravchenko is brutalized we see the numbers flashing in front of our eyes. We have to tap X to resist the urge to shoot Kravchenko. We needn't have bothered. He is shot anyway. The Mujahedeen then turn on us and betray a deal with Menendez. We are left in the desert to die. We are saved by Reznov.
Mission 5
In 2025 we are briefed on a man named Tian Zhao who is pressuring Russia to join China. Menendez is courting war between China/Russia and the USA. Our mission is in India
There is a tutorial here for a change to the game. We have a selection of units, including a robotic dog like walker. We can switch between their views and also move to a tactical view from above and move and select units. With the tutorial completed I can now start the mission to defend the base. Which is horrendously hard. The a.i. on my side seems incompetent. They can't be left to do anything right and will be guaranteed to lose their defense points to the enemy. Three points must be defended. Once they are taken the enemy get inside the factory and if they get into the control room the mission is lost. I have to survive of ten odd minutes it seems to win. There are enemy heavy units, robotic dogs etc. along with soldiers. I am only given three attempts to complete the mission then chucked back to a menu and told to get my shit together. It appears that I must complete story missions to gain strike teams with which to play these missions. I am hoping that these are a type of side mission.
Mission 6
I am now heading to Nicaragua in 1986 in pursuit of Raul Menendez.
We see Mason and Woods with Panama soldiers outside the residence of Menendez. Then a cut scene shows Menendez with his sister, she is lying in bed, we don't see her face right away, only her hair and shoulder under the bedclothes. A knock comes to the door and Menendez moves to answer it. One of his men is at the door, he is shot in the head before he can speak. Soldiers burst in and grab Menendez. He watches angrily as the soldiers begin to beat up Josephina, his sister. He breaks free and kills one of the men hurting her. They grab him and inject him with something. He awakes on a hill handcuffed. A leader appears and kills the men holding him and un-cuffs him. Menendez beats him up and takes his gun. I now have to get back to the house and find Josephina. I fight my way through the village. At times we get specific guns and occasionally use a knife. It seems that in this enraged state Menendez can take more damage than usual. I eventually reach the house again and in cut scene find Woods, Mason and friends in the house. A grenade is thrown and Josephine is killed. In 2025 Woods confesses to losing it when he saw Menendez. Due to his treatment of him. Torturing and killing his men and leaving him in the cargo container to die.
We now see a different side to events at the mansion from Mason's view. We watch until the Panama soldiers come in then we go down to join the fight. I have to fight my way through the village against Menendez's men. I come to the villa and we learn of Menendez's escape from captivity. I have to fight my way into the villa, which is heavily defended. Once the courtyard is cleared I have to go and clear out a cocaine bunker. Hudson, the boss, is concerned about Wood's revenge vendetta against Menendez, he fears he will kill him rather than capture. He asks us to keep an eye on Woods. I run through the drug basement and come out the other side. Woods is going crazy and taking risks to get at Menendez. Eventually I come to the corridor with Menendez and Mason struggles to stop Woods killing him and fails to stop him launching a grenade.
Menendez is dead and his body is taken away.
Mission 7
In the future the Younger Mason is haunted by memories of the past. He realizes that it was Menendez who kidnapped him as a child and killed his father.
The mission here in 2025 is to capture a second in command of Menendez and question him.
We are in Lahore Pakistan. The area is flooding badly. We start in what looks like a market. We have two dog robots, which we can use to fire rockets for us by painting a target.
I move through the market taking out the enemy soldiers and a drone. I then move out onto the streets. The flooding is getting too high for the robots so they are moved to higher ground and can be used to provide cover. I move along the flooded street until a tidal wave forces us to get off the street into an alley. We see some civilians who aren't in a good state. Next we find helicopter type unmanned drones which are being used to kill the civilians. I have to avoid their spotlights following Harper around. then take out some enemies and enter the sewers. In the sewers we talk to the admiral via video link on our pip boy. He tells us about the base up ahead. I sneak out onto the rooftops and kill two guards. I then have to scan the crowd below in the courtyard to find Menendez. I do and use the surveillance technology to listen to his conversation. He moves out of range and I have to get a new vantage points on him. All the time avoiding drones. I move around the base a bit more continuing to listen to Menendez. He eventually reveals that he is onto us and has led us into a trap. We escape by diving into the water and swimming for it. I come out into corridors and are fighting enemy soldiers. We come outside and have to use the robots to clear a way to a vehicle so we can escape. Once in the vehicle and driving/flying section takes place where we switch between a drone and the jeep. Eventually we reach the plane sent to extract us. The Chinese general is waiting for us and tells us that an enemy of Menendez is a friend of his.
Mission 8
Studying the intelligence gained from our spying on Menendez the gang decide that he is using a place called Colossus in the Cayman islands as a base to launch his cyber weapon called Karma.
We Arrive by plane at Colossus which is a huge island resort. We are dressed as civilians and out gear is hidden in shielded cases. Passing through security we enter the resort and take an elevator. Harper gets out and we move on down into a basement. We encounter PMC security and kill them. Next We take out a tiny robot spider and send it into a ventilation shaft. This is a little bit of mind-bending puzzling as the robot scuttles through the vents sticking to walls, floors and ceilings. Some places have to be jumped to and there is a electric bite the spider can deliver. The point is to get to a guard who has retina pass access to the server room. The robot spider drops on his head and zaps him then scans his retina. we now can get into the server room ourselves. This is a fight scene as the PMC troops are inside the server area. After clearing the room we find out using an ill conceived minority report style swipe interface that Karma isn't a thing, it is a person. A woman, one we saw earlier as Harper got out of the lift and bumped into. We now have to gat back into the elevator and find the girls whose name is Chloe. We have a hard fight back to the lifts with the PMC troops. As we are in the lift Harper finds Chloe on the dance floor. Defalco comes in and starts shooting hostages until Chloe shows herself to him. He then orders his men to open fire. We have a bullet time like scene where we kill his men on the dance floor, then are off after Defalco and Chloe. The local security are in disarray but are starting to fight back. The place is starting to look like a warzone instead of a resort. I fight on, aided by my men and the security forces. The resort is put onto terrorism footing, which means that anyone with a weapon will be attacked by the robot drones. This adds to the chaos. I reach Dealco just as he get into a plane and leaves with Chloe.
Mission 9
Young Mason and Woods argue outside. He asks for the truth about what happened to his father in Panama. We are now back in the past, in panama playing as Mason. We meet up with Woods and McNight at a house and talk about the plan. We are here to smear Noriega. We are to plant drugs to smear his name. In the future Woods talks about the commander for the mission, named Hudson, and how he felt off. We are now in a boat, helicopters and planes are making bombing runs all around us. I land on the beach and then make my way up to the target area. All hell lets loose and I am fighting. I move past a villa and then into a hangar. I go up onto the roof and clear it, looking to gain high ground advantage. On the roof I go into the next hangar using the skylight and get the drop on the enemies inside. I then work through this hangar to the ground. I come out onto the airfield, here a plane is waiting for Noriega, We clear the area. I am told by radio that Noriega is in a hotel. We make our way into the hotel and Find Noriega. Once he is captured we are told by Hudson to escort Noriega to a location for prisoner exchange. The mission is changing under us. We are moving through the slums, Noriega ask for a weapon to protect himself. Hudson orders us to give him one. Which I am sure will turn out to be a bad idea. We come out into the streets and meet up with the fighting again. We have to make our way through the heavy fighting. We move into a hospital like area and as I move to help a nurse who is hurt I ambushed. Woods saves us and we then are fighting again. Noriega has slipped away in the confusion, we give chase. I catch Noriega and as we chat with him a target designator is thrown into the room, a gunship begins raining fire down. I have to run and jump to escape. We reach the objective, an army checkpoint. Hudson tells Woods that we have to trust him. Woods and Noriega take an elevator to the top of the building. Noriega apparently knows the location of a target even more important than he is. He tells Woods that it is Menendez. He tells him to look through the scope of his sniper rifle. I do and two men are holding a hooded man who is struggling. Noriega tells us to take the shot. I do and in cut scene we go and examine the body. It turns out to be Mason, Wood's has shot his best friend. Menendez appears and shoots Wood in both knees. We then see him kill Hudson, Hudson had helped Menendez due to the fact that he had kidnapped his children. Menendez tells the young David Mason to remember his pendant. Wood's collapses from loss of blood.
Mission 10
In 2025 David Mason works out that the cyber attack is going to affect both China and America. It is also going to happen the next day. The admiral is putting a plan in effect to capture Menendez in Yemen. Our character here is a deep cover CIA asset called Farid.
We start in Menendez's camp, he asks us to follow him. We see him meet Defalco. We go out into a courtyard where many of Menendez's followers are gathered. The American attack commences. Menendez is indeed expecting it. He is ready to blow the plane that appears up. we are told to meet Menendez at the citadel and split up. He still seems to think Farid is on his side, so far anyway. I now have to fight through the streets with Menendez's men against Yemen forces. There are drones and robots to fight. Eventually we meet up with Menendez again, he shoots Harper's plane out of the sky and we are told to execute him. I am given a choice here, to shoot Harper or try and Shoot Menendez. I take a go at Menendez knowing it won't work. He shoots Farid. We now take on an American role and go after Menendez. Now I have control of the drones and can target where they go to. I am heading for the citadel, which is an ancient fort. At the summit of the citadel we capture Menendez. However it is too easy, he obviously wants to be captured.
Mission 11
David brings Menendez in chains onto the destroyer. He is interrogated and tortured. He tells his interrogators that he will speak only to David Mason. Menendez obviously has a plan. A passenger jet is heading for the Obama. Suddenly Menendez is free and holding a gun to our friends head. He tells us to put on the cuffs then knocks us out. We come around some time later to hear alarms. Menendez is gone. We are now fighting through the ship. I have to try and make my way back to the bridge to get control of the ship back. Some robot emplaced guns have been turned against us. I get to hack one and take out a room full of enemies. In the bridge there is no way to get control back. I am back to trying to find Menendez again.
I fight my way to a control room and get a technician to begin running a facial recognition scan of all the cameras in the ship for Menendez. We see Admiral Briggs trying to reboot the servers to gain control of the automatic defenses. Then we see Menendez waiting outside. The scene shifts to Menendez's point of view, he is speaking to Defalco. It appears Briggs is falling into Menendez's trap, he expects him to do this and has put measures into place to take the server room when he does. Briggs triggers the reset and Menendez can come inside. In the server room we sneak up behind Briggs. A cut scene shows Menendez holds a gun to his head and drag him into the main part of the room. Two soldiers and Salazar are in the room. Briggs tells Salazar to shoot through him to kill Menendez. Salazar reveals he is working for Menendez and shoots the two guards. We are then back in control of Menendez. An option to kill or wound Briggs appears and I shoot him in the leg. Menendez sits at the controls. He takes out his glass eye and breaks it, revealing an SD card. Menendez inserts it and it uploads a virus into the computer and then on into the entire military networks. Back with David we are trying to reach the server room. I crawl through a vent and into the server room, it is too late, Menendez is gone, his work done. We go after him. Menendez has left in a fighter, however Salazar has surrendered. David speaks to him and then Harper kills him. We now basically have to escape the sinking ship. we fight out onto the deck and have to make our way to a working plane. Eventually I make it across the war zone and Harper and Mason get away in a plane.
Mission 12
Section and Harper are now with the President on air force one. They realize that Menendez has used American drones to attack China. He is also using them on US soil as well. Air force one is attacked and shot down. The president is put into a humvee and is being taken to a shelter. However the drones start to attack the city at random and the humvee is blown off the road. We are now on foot in a warzone with the president. The first job is to take out the drones attacking with a Sam turret. I then am joined by a plane which is here to help us. I am given a choice, to rappel or take sniper duty. I take sniper, which mean I stay up on the overpass as the rest take the president down on ropes to the ground below. I then join them when I have cleared the area. On the ground we are to get the president into a vehicle. I am then to drive the lead vehicle, clearing the way. This is a quick driving section through the crazy exploding collapsing streets. Until a truck rams us and knocks us out. I come to and we now must fight onwards on foot. I have to advance along a street filled with soldiers and claw robot dog like things. We are now heading to try and save the French President, I don't make it in time. The pilot of the plane who has been assisting us is hit and puts the plane down. I then have to get to her. As I do an explosion of some kind goes off. We are knocked out for a period. When we wake up the plane is vacated and Anderson is taken away for medical attention. I then get into the plane. What follows is a fairly random and annoyingly short but varied control scheme flying section. I eventually manage to not knock into buildings and take out the drones to end the sequence.
Mission 13
Menendez has been tracked to Haiti. We must stop his control of the drones before they attack China. We are flying in and dropping in on wing suits. The planes are being blown up by missiles as we approach and it is a crazy descent in to land.
One the ground we are accompanied by a large force and meet Menendez's troops head on.
I fight through the entrance to the compound under heavy fire. There are cloaked invisible troops here. I fight my way into the buildings and through factory type areas. Then up a large mission control like room. After killing everyone here we try and hack the signals controlling the drones. Menendez has a further surprise. He appears on all the large screens in the room. He urges the oppressed to rise up while the American war machine is broken. Then he blows up all the drones which would have done the rising up for him. we are now chasing Menendez as he appears to be trying to get off Haiti.
I move through the exploding complex fighting all the way. Eventually I reach a cut scene. We fall through the floor as it collapses and end up falling almost on top of Menendez. I shoot Defalco in cut scene QuickTime and then stab Menendez disabling him. I am given the choice of killing him or capturing him. I choose to capture him.
Cut scenes show us loading Menendez into a plane. Then we see a computer tech explaining that the virus that Menendez released is crippling and unstoppable. It is affecting power stations. We see Menendez in prison and he is aided by electronic means to escape, killing guards in the process. we then see him arrive to visit Frank woods, where he kills him. We then see Menendez at the grave of Josephina, where he sets himself alight.
445 achievement points for one play through on veteran mode
Time taken 15 hours.
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