Black Ops first impressions

[Rewdalf]

It's better than Modern Warfare 2
First impression.

Yes, everyone and their mother who bought Black Ops is going to post a "first impressions" thread.
Just push through it (or, hey, don't even bother posting in a thread you don't like!).

Anyway, to those of you who are interested, I DO think it is better than Modern Warfare 2. Keep in mind though, this is a first impression. I've played for a grand total of one hour. That's it. No, I didn't get it early. No, I didn't wait in line at the midnight launch. I went to gamestop at around 10:30 before my first class and picked up my pre-ordered copy with my friend, sat through school, and played for a bit when I got home.

Ugh, to the actual thread content now...

It feels better.
Recoil, lets start there. It's (I don't want to say realistic) more realistic. You can't aim down the sights and hold down the trigger at long range. No. You have to either control the fire, or manage the stick.
Knifing. No longer a "thing" now. And what I'm trying to say is that it's not going to be a "primary strategy" anymore. I can be, I just don't see it getting too far. You don't have much of a lunge, and I've only knifed once, after a guy ran into me, and honestly that's what knifing should be.
The maps seem varied. Again, I only played on a couple. First impressions tell me there is going to be a range of dashing through hallways, and hiding in corners. It's an FPS game, so naturally you can't escape from campers. Although it's not so much as staying in a corner all game, but more ducking behind a barrel, getting a kill, and moving to a different secluded spot. The game flows more. It's not an hour of silence and nobody to shoot, and then suddenly complete bullet fog. It's evened out.

Er, things I don't like...
One of the only things Treyarch didn't talk about at all, the spawns. Just the regular game spawns. I'm sorry to say that there has been no improvement from Modern Warfare or Modern Warfare 2. There is still a fifty percent chance of you respawning and being killed within seconds. It's been around for ages, so I guess I should have seen it coming.
Although if it ever gets fixed, I swear to god the game will be leagues better...

Anyway, I don't have much else to say. I guess that's all I can muster up after an hour of playing. The currency system is interesting. It gives you more of an incentive to do well, such as contracts and wager matches. I'll be playing a lot more tomorrow afternoon, probably try out wager matches, zombie mode, and start the campaign.

Closing statementes, usually reserved for covering my ass from getting flamed.
1. First impressions, a defenition. Things that I only got a taste of and am commenting on instinctevly. If I say something is good, that doesn't mean it'll stay good.
2. These are all general statements. I don't go into anything specifically, so if you want to argue, then make sure you read correctly before posting...
3. These general statements are also opinions, so if you still want to argue, you're arguing against opinions that probably won't be changed if you post in all caps. Also, trying to combat opinions with facts is stupid. I'm not posting to hear facts, I'm posting to hear other opinions...
4. If you don't like black ops. If you're boycotting activision. Why the hell are you even here in the first place? As nice as I can say GTFO, find another thread to post in. Maybe one you're interested in, hm?

That is all.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I'm very relieved to have enjoyed it immensely so far. Game seems to be far better than MW2.

Helped that I was playing on a good team.

The only things that were bugging me were the RC Cars, the panic knifing, second chance.

I only died from a sniper rifle once in my whole time playing.

 

[Rewdalf]

I'm very relieved to have enjoyed it immensely so far. Game seems to be far better than MW2.

Helped that I was playing on a good team.

The only things that were bugging me were the RC Cars, the panic knifing, second chance.

I only died from a sniper rifle once in my whole time playing.

I was sad to hear that last stand had been moved over, under the alias of second chance.
What made it less cheap though, is the fact that you can now shoot and kill the enemy while they're falling, as opposed to them being invincible for three seconds in Modern Warfare 2...
So now all I have to do is keep firing when they lean backward, and stop firing when they fall straight down. Pretty simple system.

As for sniping, I too have only died once. And guess what, IT WAS SOME ****** HARDSCOPER someone using a sniper rifle for its intended purpose...

RC cars? Only one run-in with it. Me and my friend were advancing towards a building, and I shoot an enemy, prone down to reload, and see a little car speeding towards me. At the last second it turned away, and all I could do was giggle at how silly it looked. They seem pretty decent. I mean, you can net more than one kill if your enemies are grouped, but typically it's good for one kill. I guess you could say they're the the new predator missile, except now you have to find your kill and it isn't handed to you...

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

I'm impressed with it. I didn't think Modern Warfare 2 was that bad, I just thought the maps sucked. These maps are better, and there's a lot of options to navigate them which I appreciate. I like the changes to the sniper, I never really snipe to begin with so I couldn't care if they're gimped to shit, as long as I'm not getting quickscoped. Having shotguns made into a primary class and stopping power removed is exactly what I wanted, so I fucking love that. I can now use the UAV jamming perk and a silencer without fucking myself up too badly.

I haven't had much of an issue with spawns, I generally run to the nearest side of the map when I spawn regardless of what's going on. If I know I just spawned in a clusterfuck I'll just sit in a corner for a few seconds and wait for the arrows on the map to either move (indicated there are team-mates running around alive) or disappear (indicating that someone is still fucking people up somewhere).

I've only played for like 2/3 hours so I could end up getting bored within a week.

On an off-note, does anyone know what's up with the leaderboard? It says I've got like 3000 kills when I haven't, I'll kill 20 people in a game and my kill count on the leaderboard will go up by 200 after the match.

 

[Krion_Vark]

IT WAS SOME ****** HARDSCOPER someone using a sniper rifle for its intended purpose...

Wow you just stirred up every reason why I stopped playing MW2 online. Thank you for that one.

 

[Rewdalf]

I'm impressed with it. I didn't think Modern Warfare 2 was that bad, I just thought the maps sucked. These maps are better, and there's a lot of options to navigate them which I appreciate. I like the changes to the sniper, I never really snipe to begin with so I couldn't care if they're gimped to shit, as long as I'm not getting quickscoped. Having shotguns made into a primary class and stopping power removed is exactly what I wanted, so I fucking love that. I can now use the UAV jamming perk and a silencer without fucking myself up too badly.

I haven't had much of an issue with spawns, I generally run to the nearest side of the map when I spawn regardless of what's going on. If I know I just spawned in a clusterfuck I'll just sit in a corner for a few seconds and wait for the arrows on the map to either move (indicated there are team-mates running around alive) or disappear (indicating that someone is still fucking people up somewhere).

I've only played for like 2/3 hours so I could end up getting bored within a week.

On an off-note, does anyone know what's up with the leaderboard? It says I've got like 3000 kills when I haven't, I'll kill 20 people in a game and my kill count on the leaderboard will go up by 200 after the match.

Maybe it goes by points? 1 kill - 100 points?
But yeah, it seems like the maps can be traversed more easily, meaning camp-y holes are going to be less safe.
Primary shotguns, good move. Now you can only engage close range targets, adding a level of strategy to using shotguns...
Removal of stopping power. Oh hell yes! Now everyone is on equal ground. No more choosing between UAV jammer/Cold Blooded/Ghost and stopping power! Because anytime you don't use it, you blame any lost kills on its absence. I hated that.

 

[Rewdalf]

IT WAS SOME ****** HARDSCOPER someone using a sniper rifle for its intended purpose...

Wow you just stirred up every reason why I stopped playing MW2 online. Thank you for that one.

I honestly thought that a large bolt action rifle with a zoom scope was meant to pick off enemies in the distance. It worked for me at least...
Maybe I've been using snipers wrong all along. That would explain the hate mail every time I'd go 30-0 on derail...

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

Maybe it goes by points? 1 kill - 100 points?
But yeah, it seems like the maps can be traversed more easily, meaning camp-y holes are going to be less safe.
Primary shotguns, good move. Now you can only engage close range targets, adding a level of strategy to using shotguns...
Removal of stopping power. Oh hell yes! Now everyone is on equal ground. No more choosing between UAV jammer/Cold Blooded/Ghost and stopping power! Because anytime you don't use it, you blame any lost kills on its absence. I hated that.

No, look at these pictures. I don't understand this, lol.

Spoiler: Combat Summary

Spoiler: TDM Leaderboard

I'm probably missing something incredibly simple, but what the fuck.

 

[Korten12]

Maybe it goes by points? 1 kill - 100 points?
But yeah, it seems like the maps can be traversed more easily, meaning camp-y holes are going to be less safe.
Primary shotguns, good move. Now you can only engage close range targets, adding a level of strategy to using shotguns...
Removal of stopping power. Oh hell yes! Now everyone is on equal ground. No more choosing between UAV jammer/Cold Blooded/Ghost and stopping power! Because anytime you don't use it, you blame any lost kills on its absence. I hated that.

No, look at these pictures. I don't understand this, lol.

Spoiler: Combat Summary

Spoiler: TDM Leaderboard

I'm probably missing something incredibly simple, but what the fuck.

probably a glitch.

 

[ohgodalex]

I've been having trouble getting into any games with friends. This has mooooore or lessssss ruined my enjoyment of black ops entirely.
Multiplayer games aren't meant to be played alone, Treyarch.

 

[Rewdalf]

Maybe it goes by points? 1 kill - 100 points?
But yeah, it seems like the maps can be traversed more easily, meaning camp-y holes are going to be less safe.
Primary shotguns, good move. Now you can only engage close range targets, adding a level of strategy to using shotguns...
Removal of stopping power. Oh hell yes! Now everyone is on equal ground. No more choosing between UAV jammer/Cold Blooded/Ghost and stopping power! Because anytime you don't use it, you blame any lost kills on its absence. I hated that.

No, look at these pictures. I don't understand this, lol.

Spoiler: Combat Summary

Spoiler: TDM Leaderboard

I'm probably missing something incredibly simple, but what the fuck.

Maybe you're just really good at the game and...don't...know...it?
Yeah that seems messed up, although another good point I forgot to bring up in my main post is that Treyarch said they'd be more active with their game. I've heard that WaW got patches when it needed them, so I hope Black Ops will receive the same care...
MW2 suffered immensly from neglect... It only got two patches, the 1887 nerf, and the Javelin glitch.
Oh, forgot the third one which fixed the giant bug after the stimulus map pack was released.
Still, imagine how much better the game would have been if it had been patched compitently...

 

[Krion_Vark]

IT WAS SOME ****** HARDSCOPER someone using a sniper rifle for its intended purpose...

Wow you just stirred up every reason why I stopped playing MW2 online. Thank you for that one.

I honestly thought that a large bolt action rifle with a zoom scope was meant to pick off enemies in the distance. It worked for me at least...
Maybe I've been using snipers wrong all along. That would explain the hate mail every time I'd go 30-0 on derail...

Same I would lay down in the grass and just look for movement zoom in find the guy shoot end round get bitched at by 12 year olds for hardscoping.

 

[Rewdalf]

I've been having trouble getting into any games with friends. This has mooooore or lessssss ruined my enjoyment of black ops entirely.
Multiplayer games aren't meant to be played alone, Treyarch.

Hm. Seems like you're alone on this one. I popped the game into my Xbox, saw two friends online, and joined in easily.
We stayed together the whole time too. I do seem to recall issues with MW2 though, and how it would sometimes split parties apart and make getting back into one room a hassle. Hope it doesn't persist in Black Ops...

 

[ohgodalex]

I've been having trouble getting into any games with friends. This has mooooore or lessssss ruined my enjoyment of black ops entirely.
Multiplayer games aren't meant to be played alone, Treyarch.

Hm. Seems like you're alone on this one. I popped the game into my Xbox, saw two friends online, and joined in easily.
We stayed together the whole time too. I do seem to recall issues with MW2 though, and how it would sometimes split parties apart and make getting back into one room a hassle. Hope it doesn't persist in Black Ops...

I've read about a lot of people having similar problems on other forums, but I haven't read anything about potential fixes. Zombies works fine, but getting into a game is just impossible

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Question for you al...

Anyone else find the first Vietnam mission in Khe Sanh very badly signposted?

I was stuck tearing apart the infinitely respawning enemies for 20 minutes before I realised you were supposed to kick the napalm barrels. The objective marker was about 20 metres away from them.

 

[Arayis]

Question for you al...

Anyone else find the first Vietnam mission in Khe Sanh very badly signposted?

I was stuck tearing apart the infinitely respawning enemies for 20 minutes before I realised you were supposed to kick the napalm barrels. The objective marker was about 20 metres away from them.

Is that the bit where you start at the top of the hill and have to get to the bottom and go right? If so I just ran for it and prayed I didn't get killed before the checkpoint kicked in. That was after half an hour of dying over and over, I didn't know you had to kick barrels down at them...

 

[Nedoras]

Question for you al...

Anyone else find the first Vietnam mission in Khe Sanh very badly signposted?

I was stuck tearing apart the infinitely respawning enemies for 20 minutes before I realised you were supposed to kick the napalm barrels. The objective marker was about 20 metres away from them.

I had that same problem. At first I just thought I had to advance to that point and wipe everyone out. I sat there for ten minutes confused to why they wouldn't stop coming, until my AI partner kicked one of the barrels himself. I felt a bit stupid, but not so much because as you said, the marker is a bit away from the barrels. Plus the game never really let you know what to do. They just mentioned the barrels and that's it really. Shooting them did nothing, so I assumed they would be used later for something.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

IT WAS SOME ****** HARDSCOPER someone using a sniper rifle for its intended purpose...

Wow you just stirred up every reason why I stopped playing MW2 online. Thank you for that one.

I honestly thought that a large bolt action rifle with a zoom scope was meant to pick off enemies in the distance. It worked for me at least...
Maybe I've been using snipers wrong all along. That would explain the hate mail every time I'd go 30-0 on derail...

Same I would lay down in the grass and just look for movement zoom in find the guy shoot end round get bitched at by 12 year olds for hardscoping.

Ahh, what pisses people off is Quickscoping, that is, using the rifle at medium to close range and flash scoping to get a quick 1 shot kill.

Anyone who gets mad over rifles being used at long ranged to interdict targets unaware of your presence is just being silly.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Is that the bit where you start at the top of the hill and have to get to the bottom and go right? If so I just ran for it and prayed I didn't get killed before the checkpoint kicked in. That was after half an hour of dying over and over, I didn't know you had to kick barrels down at them...

That's the part, yeah. Thought it was a very poorly organised section of the game, even more of a sore thumb due to the rest of the campaign being so good.

I had that same problem. At first I just thought I had to advance to that point and wipe everyone out. I sat there for ten minutes confused to why they wouldn't stop coming, until my AI partner kicked one of the barrels himself. I felt a bit stupid, but not so much because as you said, the marker is a bit away from the barrels. Plus the game never really let you know what to do. They just mentioned the barrels and that's it really. Shooting them did nothing, so I assumed they would be used later for something.

Yeah, it's very badly signposted. And my AI partner didn't even kick the barrel, he just stood there barking at me to 'do it' and I was just going to myself 'do fucking WHAT???'

 

[Not-here-anymore]

I love the RC car! Just watching people run screaming from the tiny thing is hilarious! Many a time I've let enemies run past me because they were sprinting away from a tiny little buzzy thing. But you can't outrun it - it doesn't need to rest, it doesn't need to sleep, it doesn't need to eat. It knows no fear, and someday, just when you think you've escaped, it will find you...