Official Site: http://www.callofduty.com/blackops
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC & Wii
Release Date: November 9, 2010.
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-An intriguing story told in a different manner than most within the Call of Duty series
-Lots of customization in multiplayer that offers a lot to experiment with
-The ability to play 2-player cooperatively for zombies and for online play
-Item acquisition and levels are much easier to obtain
Cons:
-Lots of problems in both single player and multiplayer
-Single player lacked polish and were filled with flow breaking events
-Multiplayer suffers from lag, a limited number of maps, and numerous bugs
-Extra DLC cost $15 each adding up to $30 total (enough to buy another game)
The game is filled with bugs, questionable design choices, and frustrating gameplay in both single-player and multiplayer which eventually brings me back to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Despite these setbacks, Black Ops is still able to deliver a daring story and an exciting competitive multiplayer that has me coming back for more. The addition of allowing a second player to join multiplayer online and co-op in zombies along with a currency system which simplified item acquisition made it much easier to overlook the tarnish in graphics and notable lag. For those deciding whether to get Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops in its current time, I'd say it's okay to buy and play both as there's enough difference to enjoy each one in its own right.
Graphics
Many people complained about the graphics, and I honestly don't think it's the most important aspect in a game. I do think that certain design choices in graphics is incredibly important if it affects the gameplay though. I noticed some of the problems players had with the graphics such as extremely pixelated shadows, some textures were blurred and archaic, and a lot of the models weren't as smooth as previous installments in the series. My problem with the graphics were all the colors, shadowing, textures, and models were mostly dark, muddled and ambiguous. This was something I didn't like about a lot of the older Medal of Honor games and some of the early Call of Duty games since it impeded on the ability to find your way around the environment, look for cover, or spotting enemies. Thankfully, the entire game doesn't suffer from this problem (especially in multiplayer when it really matters). The game is also horribly optimized as it can barely run at all on my computer at the lowest settings (which is why I got the PS3 version now) The graphics are decent enough to make for an enjoyable experience though. It's neither incredible nor is it horrendous. I only hope that future Call of Duty games will have distinguishable models, cleaner textures, dynamics in contrast and color, and make it easier on the eyes when playing. Graphics: 7/10
Audio
I know I have been spoiled by Medal of Honor's (2010) spectacular audio, but I will do my best to judge with unbiased views as possible. The musical score wasn't too bad and they're recognizable, but they're not memorable. I don't really expect First-Person Shooters to have music that I'd hum to anyways, so I don't judge too harshly on music for audio. The voice acting was pretty incredible as it really brought the characters to life. I was happy to see the return of Viktor Reznov from Call of Duty: World at War in which Gary Oldman returned to do the voice for once again. The voice talents really brought the story together as the story is told through various flashbacks between the main character and the people he interacted with. The guns weren't very impressive in sound and my friends and I joked a lot about getting shot by something that sound like pellet guns or party poppers; however, the recordings for each gun is distinctive. Like many other FPS games, such as counter-strike, it can be used to a players advantage on how to counter the uses of each gun. In fact, one of my favorite sounds is the "click" of a suppressed shotgun since it's something enemies can't hear! Like the graphics, the audio was decent and was enough for the game to be enjoyable. Audio: 7/10
Gameplay
I actually didn't like the story of the campaign at first since it was jarring and the flow of it was broken many times. But near the end of the game, the story pulled through and made everything previous more important and have some sort of significance to the conclusion. Part of the disconnected transitions in the story was due to the gameplay. There were many events in the campaign that felt unnecessary and halted the flow of the game as the player would have to stop to play some sort of gimmicky side game. The triggers in the game were pretty obvious too which often caused glitches, a break in the flow of the game, or just made the player feel out of place in the game. There were times when the player couldn't continue unless they were at a certain spot, killed a certain enemy, or perform a certain task and was not told to. Medal of Honor (2010) also had this problem and really affected the experience. Multiplayer is much like many other FPS games and struggle through similar problems such as lag, spawning in front of enemies or having enemies spawn camp, and broken team balance where all the high points are on one side while all the low points are on the other. There are of course some positive points to the multiplayer. There a lots of combinations and customizations to work with, a 2nd player can join in, challenges can be taken like quests and give players a special objective to fulfill while playing each time, the currency system makes getting the weapons you want easier, and leveling isn't such a grind anymore (not that it really matters other than unlocking the ability to buy an item). The maps feel very limited, and there doesn't seem to be any particular map I really liked. Getting more maps means paying $15 for each map pack. The decision to do such a thing was most likely the publisher and not the developers. The modes are like the ones from previous games. Deathmatch can be fun, but it can also be very frustrating. Team-based modes such as capture points are usually one sided, but it can get pretty exciting when both teams do very well. Players take a bit more hits than Modern Warfare 2 before dying, but it doesn't seem like it if you're going against players who know what they're doing and get single-shot kills off you. As anger inducing as multiplayer is, I still go back to play it (especially with a friend over). Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value
The graphics in Black Ops isn't as nice as Medal of Honor, the team play isn't as encouraged as in MAG or Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and the gameplay isn't as unique as say Halo 3 (I can't say "Reach" since I haven't tried that one yet) or Crysis 2, but it has the aspects that keep players coming back for more. The game is still much easier to pick up, learn and play than most FPS games which is more welcoming to players of all skill levels (and it shouldn't be of all ages since there's so many parents complaining about their kids playing these games). The Prestige concept rewards players by taking a big risk of resetting to level 1 and working their way back up again. It really tests the player's persistence, skill, and ability to progress. The ability for a 2nd player to join in for online multiplayer is one of the big ones for me and for many others since friends who usually come over don't have to idly sit and watch or take turns handing the controller over and can instead join in and enjoy (or suffer) the game together. There are times where I do have to take a break for the game since it's just too much playing constantly and wanting satisfaction because it's hard to get. Call of Duty: Black Ops, despite many problems and tarnish from its predecessor, is still a ton of fun and can be played for a very long time. Replay Value: 10/10
Overall
Even though I'm giving Black Ops a slightly lower score than Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor (2010), it's still the game that's more often played than the other two due to the fact that it's the only game I can play mutiplayer with when friends come over. I do think that Black Ops is fun, but I think it could've been better (without charging players $30 for the extra content). Singleplayer isn't something I'd like to play over again, but I really enjoyed the story. Zombie mode is a fun distraction from multiplayer once in a while, but it's not something I'd play for long durations. Multiplayer is still infuriating on many levels, but it can be very enjoyable at times (especially with a buddy). Black Ops could have been better, but it's a solid game for any FPS gamer to play. Overall: 8/10
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