Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

One of, if not the biggest story in the game industry this year was the implosion that occurred between Jason West/ Vince Zampella and Activision. Ever since March the team over at Infinity Ward (Modern Warfare Dev) has slowly drifted towards Respawn Entertainment. Respawn being the company started by West and Zampella. Because of this debacle the spotlight, for the first time was set over Treyarch who's been handling the Call of Duty games that are in-between Infinity Wards games (CoD 2:Big Red One, CoD 3, CoD World At War). Their last Call of Duty game was World at War which did reasonably well and this is the first time that they're focusing as a whole on one game since they've worked on multiple titles since the beginning of the company. So does the next title in the iconic series surpass it's predecessor which sold 10M in the US alone?

"Communism Has Never Come To Power In A Country That Was Not Disrupted By War or Corruption or Both."- John F. Kennedy

Call of Duty: Black Ops takes place during the Cold War era when the United States and the Soviet Union were the two big powers in the world. They had armies and weapons that would kill the other and spread their different view of things. For the United States it was freedom and Democracy. For the Soviets on the other hand it was Communism. Within the Cold War many key historical events occurred. Because most of the details of the Cold War are classified, Treyarch constructed their own story that is more believable than Modern Warfare 2. To ensure that a solid story was delivered they brought in celebrity actors and a writing vet. David Goyer who wrote the Blade movies and The Dark Knight as well as comic books knocks it out of the park with his work on the campaign. The twist in this game is one that most people will not even see coming and will get them thinking harder about the story and what really was going on. When I did my review for Fallout: New Vegas I said that the sheer amount of celebrity voices was a little overwhelming, Black Ops keeps things the way they were in the era the game takes place in: Cool. Returning from World at War is Gary Oldman, whose character Reznov is at the heart of the story. Also doing voices for the game are Topher Grace, Ed Harris, Ice Cube, David Conrad, and most shocking of all the others: Sam "Future Ahnold" Worthington. Like all his other roles Oldman completely disappears into Reznov and is probably the MVP of the entire voice cast.

"From Stettin In The Baltic to Trieste In The Adriatic, An Iron Curtain Has Decended Over The Continent." - Winston Churchill

 In terms of gameplay, presentation, and enjoyment it's a Call of Duty game so the three are automatically high. It uses the same engine used for World at War and there is definitely a way to tell. As someone who plays practically all the major titles I was surprised at how violent World at War was. It's an interesting experience the first time you shoot someone and they look like they were cut open Terminator: Salvation style. The closest Treyarch comes to that line is shooting someone's limbs off with a hand cannon and watch as they look at their missing arm or leg with one of the most horrified looks in a game. When you are in Vietnam you hear songs like Sympathy for the Devil or Fortunate Son which instantly makes you feel like you were in one of the worst wars of all time. To further keep things immersive headlines from the era are shown and the end of the game leaves you with one of the most shocking revelations you've ever seen.

"The Cold War Isn't Thawing; It's Burning With A Deadly Heat; Communism Isn't Sleeping; It Is, As Always, Plotting, Scheming, Working, Fighting." - Richard M. Nixon

The real appeal of Call of Duty is it's acclaimed multiplayer mode. Ever since CoD 4 gamers have been addicted to the FPS-RPG hybrid and now that Infinity Ward has left the building Treyarch changes up the formula while keeping everything stable. In the previous Call of Duty games you would level up and receive new weapons, emblems, perks, and attachments. Treyarch has now introduced money into Call of Duty. Joining the challenges are contracts which you take to get more money and they start out as simple things like getting 15 kills to hard things like getting the highest score in a game of Capture The Flag. Copying another thing from Halo is a a Theater and File Share. Even though they are copying this it still fits well and feels like it's always been there. Also returning is Nazi Zombies which was a sleeper hit inside World at War. This time you are playing as John F Kennedy, SoD McNamara, Fidel Castro, and Richard Nixon. The original four nameless survivors from World At War return to crush some zombie heads as well. Your goal like always is to prevent zombies from nawing on your innards and also defend the pentagon which seems like a big task to give to two presidents, the secretary of defense, and a dictator. But considering how many people Castro's killed over the years killing some zombies are nothing. The end result of playing Nazi Zombies with your friends and screwing each other over is again; FUN.

   Call of Duty: Black Ops Is The Breakout Game For Treyarch And They Have Now Shown That They Can Handle The Biggest Video Game Series On The Planet. The Mix Of Reveals, Fun Gameplay, Cast, And Multiplayer Makes This The Best Game To Purchase On The PC, 360, And PS3 This Holiday Season.

    Pros

• Great Story
• Fantastic Cast
• Addicting Multiplayer
• Fast Paced GamePlay
• Woven With Replayability
• Future Is Bright For Treyarch
• Killing Zombies Is Always Fun
  

   Cons

• Bugs
• AI Bumps
• Can Be A Little Hectic For Players Who Don't Know What They're Doing