Call Of Duty:
Black Ops
Overview
In Call of Duty: Black Ops, you play as a man named Alex Mason, who is held captive and is being questioned by an unknown group of people, who say that Alex has information that is crucial to ending the Cold War, and that there is a sequence of numbers that Alex knows of that are a significant code. Problem is, he can't remember. So through a series of flashback memories, Mason slowly realizes what the Cold War is really about, and recieves a revelation about himself and his past.
Information
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Engine: IW 3.0
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows,
Nintendo DS
Release Date: November 9, 2010
Genre: First-Person Shooter
REVIEW
The campaign is set primarily in 1968, but branches in part through the 1950s and even one level in 1945. You play primarily as Alex Mason, who has been kidnapped and is being interrogated by 2 unknown people, and they show Alex a series of numbers, and they claim that all these numbers have a significance in something that they want knowledge of, and figuring out what these numbers mean will lead them to that knowledge. Most of the levels are memory flashbacks of Alex's missions for the C.I.A. and these missions have a link to the numbers.
The story is definitely the best in a Call of Duty game yet, and offers strong variety. There are several twists in the story that will sneak up on you and makes the story suspenseful. The campaign takes you to locations all over the world, including Vietnam, Russia, Cuba, Japan, and even the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
Gameplay still follows the smooth and slick gameplay of past Call of Duty games, with easy controls and not too complicated gameplay setup. You have grenades, flashbangs, and even in some missions, C4. There are a number of new weapons in Black Ops, but some we have see before. You still have stuff like grenade launchers. So, all around, the gameplay formula has stayed the same, but as I have said before, this is not all that bad, as the gameplay is very easy and smooth.
Gameplay still follows the smooth and slick gameplay of past Call of Duty games, with easy controls and not too complicated gameplay setup. You have grenades, flashbangs, and even in some missions, C4. There are a number of new weapons in Black Ops, but some we have see before. You still have stuff like grenade launchers. So, all around, the gameplay formula has stayed the same, but as I have said before, this is not all that bad, as the gameplay is very easy and smooth.
The visuals are about as good as Modern Warfare 2, and the visuals during cut-scenes are pretty good looking, but you will always come across a too smooth surface or an un-detailed surface but these are common in all games.
Voice acting is easily the best in a COD game, the voices of all the characters is very convincing and believable, and there is a noticeably small amount of cheesy lines, which is always good.
The online multiplayer mode of Black Ops usually revolves around two teams on a specific mission. For example in Team Deathmatch the team with the most kills wins, while in Capture the Flag, players take the other team's flags and return it to their own base. Additionally, there is Free For All in which players aren't separated into teams. Not including Downloadable maps, there are 14 different maps.
Black Ops retains the experience points and unlockable reward system that has been kept since Call of Duty 4. The game's multiplayer focuses on socialization and customization. "Create-a-Class 2.0" allows enhanced personalization with appearance items as well as upgradable perks; weapons are extensively customizable with writing, emblems, attachments and camouflage painting. Even reticles can be modified. There are more than one style for an attachment, which allows for a lot more personalized weaponry; for example, the player can choose between a red dot sight or a reflex sight, both of which share many of the same traits, although the red dot fills up less of the screen (something desired by many players). Character models depend on the first tier perk instead of the weapon's type. Furthermore, face paints can be unlocked. New custom killstreak rewards include explosive R/C cars, guided missiles and controllable attack helicopters.
Zombies return from World At War, and things are not nearly as good as the last run, but there are some twists this time around. There are 4 characters: John F. Kennedy, Robert Mcnamara, Richard Nixon, and Fidel Castro. This Zombie mode can be pretty hilarious at times, but only if you have more than 1 player. This mode feels mostly bland and unenjoyable this time around.
The Verdict
Call of Duty: Black Ops is a fresh experience that is worth getting just for its amazing campaign. But the Multiplayer does not bring any big changes, and the new version of Zombies is not at all enjoyable this time around. But, with the campaign alone, Black Ops is an amazing experience that you will keep coming back to.
The Good
- Amazing Campaign
- Shocking Plot Twists
- Great Gameplay
- Great Voice Acting
The Bad
- No big changes made to Multiplayer
- Zombie Mode is not good this time
Score: 8.5/10
