Call of Duty: Black Ops - Review

Some would say that all the very best war films have Vietnam in them. Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Forest Gump, Tigerland; they all have that one country/war in common. It’s perplexing that the gaming industry, an industry almost built on copying Hollywood, has rarely delved in to this conflict in any serious sense. It just so happens that Treyarch, the “underdog” when it comes to Call of Duty development, has chosen to include Vietnam in their latest edition to the long running and famed series. You won’t be spending the whole time in Vietnam though, Call of Duty: Black Ops features a whole host of new places for you to shoot people in. The game also features the most in-depth story of the franchise so far. Rest assured you won’t see the twists and turns of this story coming and while you will be surrounded by a new cast of characters there is one face you may recognise.

Story

The story of Call of Duty: Black Ops is played almost entirely through flashbacks. You are Alex Mason, a member of the Studies and Observation Group (SOG). Alex wakes up to find himself strapped to a chair in an interrogation room, with a distorted voice barking at him about a set of numbers. After asserting that he has no idea what they are talking about Alex looks back on past events and this is where the gameplay takes place. Without wishing to spoil anything I’ll say that an assassination attempt on the life of Fidel Castro goes awry and Mason is captured. This is only the tip of the iceberg and the story goes so much further than you could imagine, with twists aplenty.

Gameplay

 

The gameplay of Call of Duty: Black Ops is very much similar to your basic Call of Duty set up. The changes are small, your character feels more weighty than Modern Warfare 2 for example and by extension is slower in movement. This serves to make the game a much more deliberate affair; you can’t run and gun quite as easily with the movement speed. You have to plan and execute your movements with at least a little bit of precision, or your enemies will make swiss cheese out of you. To balance this the game is easier than the last two instalments in the series. So far I’ve only played through on recruit (default difficulty for the first playthrough, always) and I’d say I died less than 15 times. This is a stark contrast to the possible hundreds of times I died in Modern Warfare 2 or WaW and while it punishes your mistakes you’ll never feel unfairly treated. The game took me around 8 hours to complete but I’m sure it could be done quicker than this. I’ve heard of people finishing it in just over 5 hours on the day it was released!

Presentation

 

Call of Duty games always surprise me with their presentation. When you consider that since Call of Duty 2 the games have been running on upgrades of the same engine, it’s damned impressive the leap between each game. While the graphical difference between Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops is a small one it’s definitely noticeable. Denser particle effects, oodles of dynamic lighting and a huge increase in the amount of enemies on screen really do a lot to wow the player. Some textures are less crisp than MW2 players will be used to but it’s not noticeable due to the fast pace of the game. The game also boasts impressive fire and smoke effects, making the flamethrower rifle attachment an absolute JOY to use. As with World at War, Black Ops features grim and brutal dismemberment throughout to convey the realities of war. You won’t get a chance to examine the wounds of dead enemies due to the hazardous nature of the game, but if you’re squeamish I suggest you switch off the mature content when prompted.
The sound effects for the guns are spot on and the explosions sound better than ever. Sound mixing in multiplayer has come up against criticism by many fans of the series, complaining that they can’t hear nearby footsteps or silenced gunfire. These issues are being addressed by Treyarch we are assured. Voice acting is suitably top notch in Black Ops, with convincing lines and delivery all round. You won’t recognise many voices in the game but the talent won’t go un-noticed to you. The score is similarly brilliant in its pacing and subtlety at one moment and dramatic intensity at the next.

Conclusion

 

Call of Duty: Black Ops builds upon the foundations of both World at War and Modern Warfare 2 to craft an experience better than either of them.  The sterling presentation mixed with tweaked gameplay and an engaging story elevate it above any of the previous entries in the series.  For a great Call of Duty single player experience you must play this game, you wont find any better in the series.  It’s unafraid to tread new ground and pull hard on your heartstrings.  In short it is a great game.

9/10