Gamers are a fortunate bunch. Unlike the movies, our industry doesn’t have many financially successful trainwrecks (e.g., No Twilight series, unless you count Ubisoft’s Just Dance). Most of the industry’s most lucrative titles also happen to be its best.
Activision’s newest money-guzzler is Call of Duty: Black Ops, and I’m pretty sure that even if this game was just a title screen and three pandas holding machine guns as some explosions sounded around them, the sales would still be ridiculously high — at least for this year. Treyarch wasn’t having any of that, however, and the result is one of the most intense first-person experiences in modern gaming.
Narrowing the sporadic focus of recent Call of Duty releases to a confined storyline is easily the most noticeable and welcome change introduced in Black Ops. No more hectic, utterly random switching between characters this time around. Just a tortured version of Sam Worthington and an angry Ed Harris keep us company throughout the rather mind-numbing and offensively gritty interrogation sequences that bridge the gaps between actual missions.
As the story progresses, not only does the narrative delve further into the nonsensical ramblings of the main character, but also the conspiracies he’s wrapped up in. There’s an underlying sense of uncertainty when it comes to his intentions, and scripted events that occur throughout the missions reflect that. One sequence was actually shudder-inducing — a remarkable accomplishment, mostly because the historical figure depicted in it wasn’t actually alive at any point during my lifetime.
Sadly, the way in which the tale is told doesn’t jive well with the rough-and-tumble, almost painful tone presented throughout. Too often the characters fall into exposition, as if the writers were so terribly afraid that they’d lose the audience (like previous CoD titles) that it would be better to bash gamers over the head with the same lines three times in a row. It’s an M-rated title; the story shouldn’t be written for a 12 year old’s comprehension.
Relying on scripted events to create memorable moments is a staple of the Call of Duty series. Black Ops takes it to another level, one that could easily go either way depending on the type of gamer you are. Those of us who enjoy narrative and “experience” over straight-up gameplay won’t have much to complain about. It’s a crazy, hectic ride in the form of an interactive action movie, though the fun and surprises contained within will wear off on a second look. I felt like I was having my hand held too often as the game dragged me by the arm down the crazy, cataclysmic mountain of scripted sequences. A bit more room for exploration, movement, or experimentation would have been nice, especially since 80% of doors you’ll encounter are only accessible by the NPCs who guide you.
Checkpoint locations were a frustrating issue. Several times I completed a lengthy combat session or a scripted event, only to die seconds later and be forced to experience them all over again. It’s an unfortunate illusion-breaker and when smoke and mirrors are what your single player mode runs on, it’s not acceptable to punish players for so light of an infraction.
The main draw of Black Ops is obviously its multiplayer components, namely the competitive fare. Though the popular core formula introduced in Call of Duty 4 hasn’t been too drastically altered here, players who dedicate themselves to climbing the progression ladder will accrue CP [CoD (Call of Duty) Points -- yay for nested acronyms]. These points provide further incentive to keep playing by allowing you to trade them in for weapon and perk unlocks. They don’t replace the experience system, but are instead earned right alongside it.
The crazed rush to gain the most powerful weapons and accessories has lost my interest in recent months. The core, satisfying mechanics of movement, aiming, and shooting in Black Ops’ multiplayer is the same as it was in the game before, just as it was before that. It’s a testament to the state of the industry in that this year’s version of “X” game is the same as the last one, except incrementally better. Black Ops is no different. Players who liked it before will probably like it again, though I can’t help but feel that without a substantial overhaul in features, modes, or gameplay systems, the Call of Duty series could easily slide down the path of Tony Hawk or Guitar Hero.
Treyarch did themselves a favor by including the Nazi Zombies mode in World at War, and that palate cleansing cooperative endeavor returns for the studio’s follow-up. Playing as a host of historical characters with a comedic twist, there’s great enjoyment to be had in taking out as many brainless zombies as possible with friends, especially if you’re looking for a slower-paced adventure than matchmaking can provide.
There’s not a lot of new-car smell to be found in Call of Duty: Black Ops, but what it does deliver is plenty of “you know this game already, but this time it’s better.” It’s a definite step-up from World at War in terms of design, direction, and writing, though I think it only trumps the series’ previous outing, Modern Warfare 2, in the latter department. Nevertheless, if you had any doubts about the Call of Duty brand’s quality dropping off with the departure of the Infinity Ward crew, neither you (nor Activision) have much to worry about: the new kings of the franchise have kicked their reign off right.
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Things We Liked: Memorable moments and experiences in single player campaign. Same familiar (and great) gameplay mechanics from previous titles. Focused storyline provides the series’ best narrative.
Things We Disliked: Story’s delivery doesn’t match its “M” rating. Multiplayer is beginning to feel tired. Inconsistent implementation of checkpoints. Scripted events and linear level design create a hand-holding feeling too often.
Target Audience: Fans of previous CoD titles. People who enjoy good video game stories. Those who prefer (or can tolerate) experience and narrative over gameplay. Kids with itchy trigger fingers.
(Call of Duty: Black Ops – Developers: Treyarch. Publisher: Activision. Available for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 – Xbox version reviewed. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)
