Back in Black! Killocity returns for COD:Black Ops with some advice: QUIT WHINING!
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS REVIEW PREFACE: I just want to say, I have read what many other reviewers have said about this game. At this point, I have just over 24 hours invested into the title. I have completed the campaign and prestiged in the multiplayer. Let me make one thing clear from the very beginning: This game is not, nor does it pretend to be, a sequel, or in any way tied to, Modern Warfare 2. This is a major issue that many reviewers simply can not get past. Yeah, MW2 was a pretty title from a graphical stance. But it suffered alot in many other areas. Black Ops is a stand-alone game, and what it does it does very very well. Unfortunately, many of the MW2 fanboys only care about a game being pretty...that's why they LOVE MW2 so much and consider it to be a perfectly flawless title. I, myself, enjoyed the first Modern Warfare much more. This review centers around the fact that Black Ops is its own game within the Call of Duty franchise and it is judged and scored based on what it merits. Thank you.
GAMEPLAY REVIEW: Many people have had issues with the gameplay in this game. It should be known immediately: If you are used to Modern Warfare 2's control, this is going to take some adjusting. You may be used to 30 kill games. Well, remember, you have been playing that same game for over a year now. This is new.
Black Ops gameplay online and off is very tight and fluid in my opinion. One thing that didn't really change is the actual control buttons. If you are a veteran to previous COD games, this is simply pick up and play. I have always thought that the control layout for COD is the best possible layout for an FPS, and this game solidifies this in my mind.
The campaign does a great job of blending storytelling with action sequences and keeping things varied. There are alot of events that happen, which I will not reveal, but suffice to say, they really draw you into the action around you and make you feel like you are doing something important in the war. Online gameplay is your usual COD gauntlet. Maps are much more varied this time, and boy, the camper veterans do NOT know what to do about it. Many, many times I have come across someone hiding in a corner waiting for someone to walk by. In Black Ops, almost every wall you can hide behind has a way to get around it. That is to say, if you are stationary, there is really no way to watch your back 100 percent of the time. This is to inspire people to get out onto the map and play, and to make an attempt to avoid the hated snoozefest campy matches that have absolutely taken over the online in MW2. The elimination of the nuke perk, as well as making kills from killstreaks not count towards the next killstreak, also serve this purpose very well. When I first played MW2, I was wondering exactly how you could throw a reward of a game-ending killstreak out there and not expect everyone in the community to be gunning for it every single game. In Black Ops, you have to earn your kills the old fashioned way.
One issue I have found though is that it is very easy to airstrike yourself even if you are inside buildings. I like to use the B-52 carpet bomb killstreak, and I have to be careful not to be in a building under the bomb path in order to stay alive. Other than that minor annoyance, though, things are pretty good. There is a nice number of maps in multiplayer also, so things tend to stay pretty fresh and varied. Like previous COD games, there is a lobby vote to determine the map played. There is now an option for random also, so if you don't like either map shown, you can feel free to roll the dice.
GRAPHICS: I think this game looks great. People talked about how MAG was a good looking game, which I thought was absolutely wrong. Black Ops is definitly a nice-looking game, but it doesn't break any graphical boundaries. However, the aiming is much more accurate...no more missing by 10 feet in killcams like we had with MW2. There is also no more lunging with the knife either..something I do not miss at all.
SOUNDS: The game does a pretty good job in this department, particularly with grenade explosions. If you listen, you can hear the difference between a grenade exploding on dirt and one exploding on rock. The falling debris sounds totally different. To me, that's pretty good. Voiceovers are also very well done, but they should be as the high paid voice actors no doubt get the credit. However, the sound of the helicopter guns are very weak. It doesn't sound anything like a chain gun..more like a laser of some sort. THAT disappointed me, because the propeller noise of the chopper sounds AWESOME. I had to dock them some for that, and for some of the other weapons that aren't bad, but just not quite up to par. Medal of Honor definitly takes the cake for the sound effects award in my book, and that's just me speaking honestly.
CONTROL: Like I said, tried and true. Pick it up and play. And if you haven't played a COD game before, well....I doubt you would buy Black Ops.
ENTERTAINMENT: The campaign was a great one time through, but I don't see myself going back through it again. Multiplayer is where it is at in all COD games, and this is no exception. With 15 levels of prestige to go through, this game can really get you and keep you hooked for months. I truly feel this is where you get your money's worth with FPS games, and this game delivers. It truly is an experience that just can't be duplicated, as Medal of Honor knows. Sure, it sticks to alot of the same COD style stuff...but isn't that what we all know and love? I bought Black Ops because I wanted more of the same, with some new things thrown in. And that's what I got.
CLOSING: Call of Duty: Black Ops is a very solid FPS game. I never got into the zombie mode, but I know alot of people loved the zombies in World at War, so I leave that to them. The campaign is rock solid, and the multiplayer is absolutely bottomless entertainment. If you only get one FPS game this year, I truly feel this is the one to get. Halo:Reach on 360 did not hook me like this game has. Medal of Honor just didn't have that "x" factor in it's gameplay to really hook me. But despite the hatred of MW2-dominating noob-tubers and Commando, Lightweight knifing noobs who have had their beloved crutches taken away, Black Ops deserves a solid score. It isn't perfect, mostly due to some needs in the sound effects department and a relatively short campaign with a somewhat transparent storyline, but COD:Black Ops certainly sticks to the golden rule: stick with what brought you to the dance: Solid control, a good storyline, and endless multliplayer. Treyarch's Black Ops is definitly Mission Accomplished.