Roundup of Pre-Order Deals for Black Ops 2

Black Ops 2 is set to release on November 13, with gamers ready to tackle the latest Call of Duty game on their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC. There’s little doubt that CoD’s loyal audience will make it one of the best selling games of all time once it does hit store shelves, but the savvy gamer already knows that pre-ordering Black Ops 2 is the way to go because of the deals given out for doing so. In this article we round up all the pre-order deals for Black Ops 2 so that you can figure out for yourself where the best place is to buy the game in anticipation of the release. If you haven’t done enough reading yet, check out the article Is Black Ops 2 Worth Your Money as well as our Black Ops 2 Preview.

Black Ops 2 – Double XP Weekend

Getting double XP on the first weekend of gameplay should result in seasoned players enjoying a very productive weekend as rusty players and complete noobs jump into the game to get slaughtered. Veterans will be rewarded right off the bat with double XP should they pre-order Black Ops 2. The caveat is that you get the game from one of the participating retailers, specifically Wal-Mart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy, Amazon, or even Steam (PC only of course). The Double XP Opening Weekend will be from November 16 through 18 so Call of Duty gamers will see some action before the real multiplayer carnage begins.

Black Ops 2 – Nuketown 2025 Map

If you put down the money now for Black Ops 2, you’ll not only enjoy the latest Call of Duty game to hit the market, but you’ll also get a code to download “Nuketown 2025” which is a futuristic version of the old Nuketown map. This map is said to be small and simple, yet versatile enough to be exploited by a wide range of gameplay styles. It’s an arena-style map and one of the old favorites from the first Black Ops. This deal seems to go along with the previous one and can be had from most (if not all) of the major retailers.

Fourth Wave / Last Chance at GameStop

Whatever you might think of the retail chain GameStop, there’s no denying they do a decent enough job trying to give you a value-add incentive to shop there instead of elsewhere. They’ve run three previous waves of pre-order bonuses for Black Ops 2 gamers, with this fourth wave being the last deal offered. This last wave for the upcoming Call of Duty game allows you to choose from one of three different options. The first is a Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 exclusive MQ-27 Dragonfire In-Game Player card. The other two are entries into GameStop sponsored contests, specifically Choice #2 which will give you a land, sea and air tour of Los Angeles.  Choice #3 enters you to win a Black Ops 2 branded Kawasaki Teryx4 vehicle. The previous deals for the Map and the Double XP weekend also apply to those that get the game early at GameStop.

Wow a Free Magazine with Call of Duty on the Cover?!

From the sarcastic “Hold on to your hats!” department, Best Buy is apparently offering up a free issue of “Gamer Magazine” that includes an article with some hands-on preview of Black Ops 2. If you like to read on the toilet and don’t have a tablet, then this might be worth your time. Otherwise, nice try Best Buy. Call of Duty has a rabid and loyal fanbase that simply demands more than this so we’re not exactly impressed with this attempt at a deal that is supposed to go above and beyond the competition, like GameStop.

Overall Thoughts

The Double XP Weekend seems like a nice enough effort and getting a revamped Nuketown map from Call of Duty fame is another nice enough perk, so you’ll definitely want to order through one of the retailers offering that deal. The GameStop offering does give you a small in-game item if you go that route or a chance to win something that may or may not float your boat. Certainly the Call of Duty crowd probably could have dreamed up a lot better perks than these but we’re all in the same boat – we want Black Ops 2, we want it now, and waiting for it sucks. In the meantime, if we uncover any more decent pre-order deals, we’ll report them for you right here at Gaming Illustrated.