Call of Duty: Black OPs

Justin demanded that he do the Call of Duty: Black OPs review pretty much around the time the game was announced. You’ve heard him numerous times on the show these past few months so his love of the series is well known.

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Like all other politically incorrect first person shooters, Call of Duty: Black Ops has been followed by an outcry from the American right and from other countries that are portrayed in less than flattering fashion in the game. This review will not cover such details or concern itself with the ethical dilemmas and controversies that befall the first person shooter genre.

The newest installment of the Call of Duty franchise is at once similar to other games in the series and distinct. The single player campaign, while suffering a tad in the logic department, is effective with its use of A-list actors, multiple plot points, and story devices. The campaign is unique from the other Call of Duty games in that much of the game involves flashbacks. While there is a logic flaw with playing a mission in a flashback, because it would be impossible to die inside of a memory, the structure works exceptionally well. The campaign also seems to be a tad longer than the other single player modes in the franchise. If yapping teenagers and the frenetic pace of the live setting is not for you, the single player campaign should be satisfying for the old-school first person shooter enthusiast.

While the single player campaign is engaging, Black Ops’ strengths become very apparent in the multi-player department. Treyarch has added several additions and improvements that make the multiplayer experience unique and highly enjoyable. One such addition is the wager match. Through wager matches the player can bet money on small matches that involve unique scenarios. One such example would be “One in the Chamber,” wherein a player has only one bullet and three lives. There are three other games modes under the umbrella of wager matches and they are all highly addictive. It occurred to me the other night (yes, I realize there is a shift in point of view and tense at this point of the review) that I haven’t had so much fun on a small head-to head-game since Goldeneye for the Ninentendo 64. Specifically, there is a mode on Goldeneye where a single bullet will kill the opponent. My friends and I would use the automatic weapons or explosives in this mode, which usually meant the first person to fire would win. The games were super short so it was key that you placed yourself in the most secure part of the map. “One in the Chamber” reminds me of this mode due the damage of one bullet and the short duration of the matches. Long periods of silence are followed by short bursts of excitement, screams, carnage, and death.

Another great inclusion is the RCXD car, which comes after a three kill-streak. The player controls the car with a remote from a secure place on the map. While driving the car, the player sees the car in third person mode. Hitting the left bumper on the controller gives the car a burst of speed. Once the car gets within striking distance of an enemy, pulling the trigger detonates the car and hopefully eliminates the enemy. Driving the car and getting a kill, or several, is probably the most satisfying way to eliminate an enemy in any Call of Duty game.

There are other small tweaks to the live experience, like the ability to accrue Black Ops currency in order to unlock weapons, thereby bypassing the need to reach a certain rank before an item can be unlocked. The currency system is an interesting twist. There was a satisfaction to reaching a certain rank before being able to unlock a weapon in the previous Call of Duty games. However, the change is a welcome one.

While there are many great changes that make this game highly enjoyable, there is one aspect that has remained from Modern Warfare 2. The element leftover from the aforementioned over-hyped game is the piloted helicopter that comes after an eight kill-streak. Firstly, it is nearly impossible to shoot down the helicopter without dying 20 times before the helicopter is destroyed. Secondly, piloting the helicopter, unlike the RCXD car, is absolutely devoid of fun and excitement. Your enemy appears in black and white and is miniscule on the map. Once you target the enemy, which happens in less than a second, you pull the trigger and your enemy disappears. I raise a practical question: how is this fun for either participant? There is no enjoyment in piloting the helicopter, it’s probably less exciting than a Kenny G release and that’s not a good thing. There is also no enjoyment that takes place when you respawn and succumb to turret fire a second later. Let it also be known that Modern Warfare 2 sucks. It was the addition of such things like the piloted chopper that made Modern Warfare 2 the biggest misstep made since the Portland Trailblazers drafted Sam Bowie in the 1984 NBA draft.

While Black Ops isn’t the masterpiece that Modern Warfare is, it has its place within the franchise of Call of Duty. Comparisons to World at War are fitting; both games follow a Modern Warfare installment and both have elements that distinguish themselves in the franchise. Black Ops is not the flagship of the franchise; it’s also not the second best game in the series, that distinction goes to the much under-appreciated World at War. Think about it this way: If the Call of Duty franchise were the 1987 Lakers line-up, Black Ops would be James Worthy. Black Ops is more than a solid first person shooter. The unique structure of the single player campaign and the re-imagined elements of the multiplayer mode make this game more than deserving of all your spare time.

Sidenote: There have been murmurings that the next Modern Wafare will take place in space. It is clear the franchise needs a reboot of some kind. One can only hope that Modern Warfare 3 reformats the series in the same way that the first one did. Black Ops takes the formula set out by Modern Warfare and does as much with it as it possibly can.

My final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

(1 out of 5 stars would be Ecco The Dolphin and a 5 out of 5 stars would be Diablo)

Justin