A Cold War replayed on the edge of the future, drones and betrayals, Black Ops II hits hard from the opening mission.

On gut feeling, the community places it ahead of nearly three quarters of all games. And the detail leans clearly the right way when it comes to playing. Rediscovery ahead of 96% of titles, the feel of a controller right up top too, even if that is on few votes. Fun, the desert island, it all follows. Then comes the fracture: connection collapses, almost last, ahead of only 4% of games, and the art style stays low. There is the tension: a game you love to fire back up, a thrill in your hands, but one you never really bond with. Pleasure without attachment.

That is the paradox of the great service shooter. Technically lethal, sharp, tuned to the millimeter, but rarely the game you talk about with a shaking voice. Where a Half-Life or a BioShock leave a mark, Black Ops II leaves adrenaline, not a scar.

So, for whom? For you if you want instant thrill, gunplay that snaps, sessions you restart endlessly. Much less if you are after characters that stick to your skin or art direction that haunts you.