“Where am I? Where’s Reznov?” – Alex Mason
By now, much of the hype surrounding Call of Duty: Black Ops has come and gone. Many players have had the chance to check out the game (if they’ve wanted to) while others have already made up their minds to either wait or just take a pass altogether. Our review is aimed at the latter group, the ones who have made up their minds about the game already, who have decided based on previous experience or a preconceived idea about the companies involved, to pass on the game altogether. The point of our review is to tell those players that they are making a mistake. Simply put, Call of Duty: Black Ops is as close to perfection that a console FPS can get. Don’t make the mistake of missing out. Allow us to explain why…
Most gamers are familiar with the concept that each installment of the Call of Duty franchise has been developed in recent years on an alternating schedule between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, with Treyarch being largely the red headed step child of the two for most of those years. One has to think that the semi recent events between Activision and Treyarch were deemed as a bit more of an ‘acceptable loss’ by Activision based on their early time with COD:BO. At this point, readers may be wondering where we’re going with all of this, it’s this: Throw any preconceived ideas about Treyarch out the window on this one. They don’t apply.
The first thing that Treyarch did with COD:BO was to enlist the help of famed writer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Blade 2 and 3, etc. etc.) to craft a well rounded, wholly functional story that ties every thing together. The story is set during the first Cold War, starting us off just after World War II’s conclusion and finishes up in the Vietnam era. The story skips around a bit so there is some backtracking here and there but this only takes place during flashback sequences, so we never felt like we were experiencing regurgitated material. The story is heavy on the concept of mind control, backroom politics, and the overall sense of paranoia that surrounded the era in which the game takes place. While they’re aren’t as many ‘WOW’ moments as COD’s past, the story maintains an exceptional pace throughout and keeps the energy level high the entire time. It’s a gripping tale and while there may be some loose ends, overall gamers will be hard pressed to find a story so well crafted in any genre, much less an FPS. The single player campaign of COD:BO is as cinematic as games get. While the game is a work of fiction, the historical content and character familiarity make it a much more immersive experience.
Looks don't count in the jungle...
Going back to the ‘WOW’ moments of the game a bit, some of our favorite elements of the single player campaign were the scripted sequences. Two of our favorites in particular (without giving away some of our other favorites that would be potential spoilers) were the ability to partake in a spy mission inside an SR-71 Blackbird (as an aviation nut, this is by and large our favorite plane of all time) as well as a bit of an homage to the film The Deer Hunter that we can’t truly go in depth on without spoiling the moment. Moments like these are what separate COD:BO from the pack, in that each moment feels like it’s building towards something greater yet at the same time when it’s over there’s a bit of disappointment in that it ended.
Visually and audibly the game is superb, featuring exceptional voice talent backing the story. Treyarch is using a beefed up version of their World at War engine for the in game graphics, running at a smooth 60 frames per second (we saw little to no slow down, despite heavy on screen action) and does utilize 3D imaging which the game renders itself, so for those with the hardware capable of processing the game in 3D, have at it. The voice over work is done by a star studded cast and really adds a dimension to the game by making it just a little more believable. Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Ice Cube, Topher Grace, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Gary Oldman are just a handful of the talented actors lending their voices to the game. Some of the work done graphically in game is the by product of motion capture technology done to accurately duplicate the movements of area specific military, such as the Spetsnaz. We really enjoy the level of authenticity granted to the game, and applaud the extra effort to get right what was already in place. Rather than slapping a new coat of paint on the World at War engine, Treyarch beefed it up and improved on an already exceptional framework.
Some vast improvements have been made to the games control scheme, mostly just by tightening up what was already in place and making the controls more responsive. One of the new and improved functions in the game is the ability to dive from a run. If players are sprinting and then hold the crouch button, they will perform a dive action that allows for players to go from a full spring to a prone position in a matter of seconds. We can’t stress enough how welcome of a change this is, especially for multiplayer action. Speaking of multiplayer…
In terms of console FPS games, Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer is easily the most robust package on the market today. In our opinion, it’s the closest thing to an actual FPS RPG to date, not counting games like Bioshock which are hybrids. With COD:BO, players get a game with a staggering amount of content to enjoy, enough that the multiplayer alone would be worth the $60 price tag. The standard set of TDM, CTF, HQ, and so on are all present and accounted for. Also included are the now standard COD modes for hardcore players which disable key features such as the HUD, turn on friendly fire and things like that.
Black Ops features exceptional lighting effects.
Some of the newer features to multiplayer in COD is in it’s level of customization. Players can now create their own game variants to play and share with friends, much like Halo has done in the past. While not all players will see the use or get much out of the chance to do so, the ability now exists to create custom emblems to display on guns. Accompanying this is the ability to create custom player cards as well as having clan tags engraved on the sides of guns, if players choose to do so. Like we said, not every player will embrace the ability to do this sort of thing, but for those who are into the idea of heavy customization, the opportunity exists. As we mentioned earlier, much of what makes Black Ops stand out is the fact that it handles much like an RPG in the form of an FPS.
As in previous iterations of the Call of Duty series, players will have challenges set before them to earn what amount to experience points. Players can also earn points by accumulating kills and accomplishing game specific objectives but make no mistake – completing challenges is the fastest and easiest way to level up. This in essence will keep most players from becoming ‘too good’ with one particular weapon as players are thus encouraged to use multiple load outs and custom weapon sets. Using these experience points is where the real fun begins and fortunately players won’t feel as though they’re being left in the dust as accumulating these points is fairly quick and easy.
Experience points can be used to buy things such as weapons, attachments, more layers and graphics for emblems, camo, face paint and extra perks. The ability to unlock any and all of these at players leisure rather than following a linear path allows for players to choose their experience to a degree, though not everything is available to unlock from the start. Essentially, this levels the playing field to a degree where as in the past only players who put in countless hours of game time had access to the upper echelon of weaponry and custom load out options.
Black Ops also introduces a new type of match called ‘Wager Matches’ which lets players essentially gamble their prior winnings (experience points) against other players in hopes of finishing specific match types in the top three overall. These matches are specific to wage events only, and consist of games such as ‘One Bullet’ where each player starts the round with a gun and one bullet, and ammo is only given out with a kill, whether it be with a gun or with a knife. The wager matches are certainly worth trying out but in the end we opted for standard multiplayer as it was just our personal tastes to spend our earned XP on more content rather than risk losing it to others. This mode is definitely a unique experience though and is worth trying out. We enjoyed our time with it but ultimately opted to devote our time elsewhere. Some players will opt for what we did, while others tastes will push them towards the wager matches.
The Hind missions are exceptionally fun.
Wrapping up the COD package is a return of Zombie mode, with three different versions for players to enjoy. Players will be able to play a revised version of the Nazi zombies mode experienced in World at War as well as two all new zombie games. One version, entitled ‘Five’ (as in Defcon 5) pits players in the role of either JFK, Castro, Nixon, or McNamara as they battle a zombie outbreak in the pits of the Pentagon. This mode alone will provide hours of entertainment. While players will want to play on their own to most easily obtain the in game achievements, playing with friends will provide the highest level of fun. The other form of zombie laden goodness is called Dead Ops Arcade, which handles like a top down arcade shooter from the early 90′s. While we didn’t spend a ton of time within this particular mode, it was well executed and handled decently. Clearly this won’t be a selling point for the game, but as an unlockable it certainly warrants at the very least a play. One other thing we really liked that we were able to unlock in the game was the entire text version of the classic game Zork. For those unfamiliar with Zork, it is a text based adventure game which sees players navigating dungeons in hopes of finding treasures and along the way battling monsters and eventually earning the title of Dungeon Master. It’s a ground breaking game and while today’s audience likely won’t spend more than 10 minutes messing around with it, does merit some attention as well.
While we’re having a hard time granting any game a perfect score, we find no reason not to with Call of Duty: Black Ops. The biggest nit we can pick with this game is that sometimes during multiplayer matches on smaller maps, the spawn points get cluttered and we wound up being killed before we could even move. This was a very small, and infrequent issue though and ultimately not one to even really be considered a detriment to the game. The theme of Black Ops is one of customization but also one of accessibility. In many ways, the team at Treyarch has taken what Infinity Ward has perfected with the COD franchise and combined many of those elements with what Bungie has perfected with the Halo franchise. Clearly Black Ops isn’t geared toward the Halo crowd but for those who have felt in the past that being ‘good’ or simply enjoying Call of Duty meant spending 20 hours or more a week playing the game, those days appear to be over with Black Ops. For this reason, we make Call of Duty: Black Ops our first perfect ten, and have to consider this game a must buy for everyone.
Overall: 10 out of 10
