OtakuDante's Black Ops 2 Custom Emblems!!!

When it comes to video game customization options there's nothing I like better than something that allows me to express my artistic talent. Games like the original 'Black Ops', and 'Soul Calibur V' rank among the best customizable games. In the original 'Black Ops' they introduced a truly awesome emblem customization menu that allowed the gamer to create almost anything they could imagine. The emblem designs that spawned from this customization mode ranged from the mundane to the truly awe-inspiring. The feature added a more personal touch to the less than personal gameplay. In the case of 'Soul Calibur V' the character customization was just as detailed, if not more so. You could design some amazing custom characters that were each brought to life right before your eyes. Not only that, but you were also able to use the newly created characters in offline, and online gameplay. In retrospect it's features like these that really make a good game stand out even more.

When I got my copy of 'Black Ops 2' I was curious to see exactly how, and if the custom emblem mode had been improved upon. Sadly as I got into customizing my own emblems it became more, and more evident that this custom emblem mode was lacking in comparison to the original. Not only were the available emblems lacking, but the fact that you had to unlock the best ones through gameplay achievements only made it worse. Regardless of this I set out to make the most of what was given, and as you will see I was able to make some interesting emblems with what I had to use ...

These days it seems that the "possibly" upcoming apocalypse is on most peoples' minds in some form, or fashion. Some people think that the Mayans got it right, and that the world will end on 12/21/2012. Others are concerned with a less traditional version of the end involving demise by zombies. There are even some that think we will be visited, and overrun by aliens from outer space. Seeing this as a hot topic I decided to do an emblem based on these theories. What you see above is a product of this imagining. It's basically a zombie piloting a UFO with a few more emblems added in for bonus effects. It was definitely my most intricate design as it took a lot of adjustments, and details.

Sometimes the simplest of emblem designs are the most effective. With this emblem I did a serious amount of tweaking, especially to the soldier emblem in the background. As you can probably tell this once gun wielding soldier is now sporting what looks like Karate stance hands. I had to cover up the gun, and alter the soldier a bit before applying the prayer hands emblem. In doing so this soldier now looks as if he's getting ready to Kung Fu someone's ass. I also added an "Elite" emblem to the foreground as well as some passing bullets to give it a sort of "James Bond 007" appeal. It's definitely the least of my designs, but very effective as I mentioned earlier.

This emblem incorporated a few different things going on in the world today. I wanted to include some details similar to the Guy Fawkes mask that 'Anonymous' has claimed as their own as well as some more ominous features. The half skull definitely gives the emblem it's edge while the fist of power implies a sort of "New World Order" implication. The design is simple, and required little adjustment, or overlapping.

Continuing with the "New World Order" theme I decided to create a more intricately designed emblem. Using a soldier emblem, and a handful of other emblem designs I was able to create a seemingly hidden message. That message of course is hidden though (^.^). On the soldier's chest you will notice several bullet holes. If you pay close enough attention to the pattern you will notice that it is of the constellation, "The Big Dipper". This feature implies a sort of mysterious "Illuminati" presence about it making the viewer ponder what it is I'm exactly trying to say with the design. I'm not going to say it means anything, but then again you may never know (^.^). In front of the soldier figure you can see a faintly present "ELITE" emblem which I have applied to all of my designs in some form, or fashion.

Well, those are my emblem designs for now. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them. If you have 'Black Ops 2', and have yet to make an emblem design of your own I strongly suggest you do so as it adds a personal touch to the game. If you would like to send me some photos of your own creations (assuming they are decent) I'd be more than glad to share them with my readers. Just use the email in the 'CONTACT' section of this blog. Be sure to include a description detailing the inspiration behind your creation as well as your gamertag, or PSN ID.

- Brad (OtakuDante) -