Mkay, this was my entry to Review Wars 4 and I posted it up to see if anyone else wanted to critique it. The original judges' scres can be found Here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.246006-Review-Wars-4-Results-are-now-live?page=2]. I received 72 points and 2nd place, which I'm quite happy with. Anyway, enjoy.
[img_inline align="left" caption="I know what you're thinking..." height="300"]http://videogames.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops-Box-Art-1.jpg[/img_inline][HEADING=1]Someone reviews his/her GOTY
Black Ops
Review Wars IV entry[/HEADING]
[h4]Genre: First-person Shooter
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Reviewed on the basis of the PS3 version.
[/h4]
[HEADING=1]-[/HEADING]
Let me tell you now that I really did not want to review this game. I highly doubt that I am the only wannabe-reviewer falling back on Black Ops when they realised that they haven't actually played that many games this year. Personally, I was hoping to suddenly remember some brilliant indie game that I had chanced on in the past 11 months. As it seems that I haven't, let's get on with informing you about a game that, in all likeliness, you are already sick of.
In general, Call of Duty games have always stood out for their smooth gameplay, large budgets and the ability for the multiplayer option to happily consume weeks of your life if you allow it to do so. In these aspects, Black Ops (lovingly named "Blops" by some) does not disappoint. Well, for the most part at least- we'll arrive at the nitpicks paragraph soon enough- but it's safe to say that I've played this game a lot, with around two days clocked up in the week and a bit that I've actually been able to play it. Unusually for a Call of Duty game, the majority of this time has been spent in the single player campaign.
And what a campaign it is... for the first time in what could be the entire franchise's history, we are provided with a truly compelling experience. Yes that's right, there is actually a story. But not just any old story, no, a good one at that! Sleep was lost and food grew cold in the efforts to reach the conclusion. Not that cold though as the campaign isn't actually that long, putting it at 6 hours would be slightly too generous, but I would argue that this is a good thing: it allows the action to remain fast-paced without becoming strained and there is a noticeable lack of padding to the game. There are no levels that are there for the sake of extending the playing time, all have their unique aspects and significance to the overall story.
[img_inline align="right" caption="Yes, the military still use crossbows." width="350"]http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/11/09/cod_black_ops_9.jpg[/img_inline]
You play Alex Mason, a captured special forces soldier who is being interrogated by an unknown agency who want to find out what the sequence of numbers being broadcast mean. As it turns out, this sequence is a code to operatives who are planning to release a deadly chemical weapon, Nova 6, on an unsuspecting US population and (for reasons explained) only you can decrypt it. All the missions bar the very last ones are flash backs to the Cold War era as you try to remember exactly how this number sequence became implanted in your head. Throughout the campaign you fight in varied environments such as Vietnam, Cuba, Russia and scattered naval bases.
Some of the ideas that have gone into the campaign are simply brilliant. A mission where you pilot a Blackbird in order to command a squad on the ground, and then experience the action from the squad's perspective when a large conflict occurs remains one of my favourite experiences from any game. Other highlights include watching a Russian guard become impaled on a pickaxe and killing a Vietnamese soldier by pulling out the pins on his grenade belt and pushing him backwards. You've probably deduced from this that Black Ops is incredibly brutal (which it is, well done!) but there are moments were the brutality is taken to a new level to remind as that war is not all fun and games, it's terrifying, violent and life-consuming. Which to be honest is the last message you expect from a Call of Duty game.
Gameplay wise, Black Ops lives up to the standard of the previous game in the franchise, Modern Warfare 2, with smooth movement and tight controls. However, the guns in Black Ops feel a bit more "meaty" and it's quite satisfying filling virtual people with virtual bullets. Most of the time you find yourself doing what you expect to do in a FPS, running around and shooting everyone in sight, but here and there the pace slows down a touch with stealth missions that are beautifully executed. There are other variations to the norm too, most notably a prison escape level that I simply cannot get enough of.
Admittedly, the overall presentation of Black Ops could be improved upon. It suffers from the stereotypical problem of most environments being made up out of various colours of brown, green and grey which is dull if anything. Furthermore the graphics themselves, on the PS3 version at least, seem to be a step back from Modern Warfare 2 and the frame rate stutters far too often to be forgiven. Apparently the frame-rate issue is set to be fixed, but it is frustrating that the PS3 (and the PC too apparently) has been given a sub-par port of the Xbox version.
Despite these minor issues (I've never been much of a graphics nut), the campaign remains truly enjoyable for me. It is, in my mind at least, one of the best First-person Shooter campaigns that I've played, ever. Though the campaign alone is not enough to propel Black Ops head first into the position of my "Game of the Year", the fact that it can be considered only a small part of the overall experience that Black Ops offers solidifies its position hugely.
Take the Zombies mode for instance, for some it was the highlight of Call of Duty: World at War and the only reason that they purchased this game. It pitches you and up to three other people defending yourself from waves and waves of blood-thirsty zombies. Killing zombies nets you points which can be used to buy new guns or even upgrade the current gun you are using. It's a simple idea that was only ever intended to be a small add on but with the right people it has the potential of being incredibly addictive. Spots, set-ups and routes are memorised by most in order to last as long as possible, but even if you're not going for a record score it is simply a fun thing to do with friends, which is all you can ever ask from a game. What's more, guess who you get to play as...
[small]Meet the gang[/small]
Last but not least, let's have a quick glance at the multiplayer. This time around Black Ops boasts a huge amount of player customisation, a wide variety of game modes, maps and guns and the almost flawless controls that can be enjoyed in the single player. Overall it's pretty balanced and though there are a few problems here and there Treyarch have promised that they will iron it all out and so far they seem to be doing just that. However, on the PS3 at least, the problems with the frame rate and graphics are even more noticeable than in the single player. Many textures seem low-res and the frame rate takes a huge drop whenever explosions happen on screen.
[img_inline align="left" caption="If you don't give me a good score this chap will shoot you." width="350"]http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/call-of-duty-black-ops-screenshot.jpg[/img_inline]There are several new features that more than make up for this though. Black Ops introduces Cod Points, an in game currency that allows you to purchase guns, attachments, camouflage and perks as soon as you have enough money. These points can also be gambled in Wager Matches, essentially free-for-all game types that range from starting the round with only one insta-kill bullet to having to kill the enemy with knives and crossbows only. It is quite gimmicky but in the end it's a very welcome addition to what's becoming a rather tired franchise.
And... well that's it as far as important additions go really, Treyarch know that a winning formula was found in Call of Duty 4's multiplayer and regrettably it doesn't seem like they changed it at all. It does mean that we are still given a great experience but for nothing to really change in three years is disheartening. It possibly even means that I will, at some point in ____________.________________________________________the future, become bored with playing it.
But this does not matter to me because even if this is the case Black Ops would still be my GOTY. The brilliantly executed campaign, a fun zombies side-game and a much-more-than half decent multiplayer join to make a truly excellent game that should be owned by everyone. Though from what I've heard, if possible you should pick up the Xbox 360 version. Thanks for reading.
[img_inline align="left" caption="I know what you're thinking..." height="300"]http://videogames.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops-Box-Art-1.jpg[/img_inline][HEADING=1]Someone reviews his/her GOTY
Black Ops
Review Wars IV entry[/HEADING]
[h4]Genre: First-person Shooter
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Reviewed on the basis of the PS3 version.
[/h4]
[HEADING=1]-[/HEADING]
Let me tell you now that I really did not want to review this game. I highly doubt that I am the only wannabe-reviewer falling back on Black Ops when they realised that they haven't actually played that many games this year. Personally, I was hoping to suddenly remember some brilliant indie game that I had chanced on in the past 11 months. As it seems that I haven't, let's get on with informing you about a game that, in all likeliness, you are already sick of.
In general, Call of Duty games have always stood out for their smooth gameplay, large budgets and the ability for the multiplayer option to happily consume weeks of your life if you allow it to do so. In these aspects, Black Ops (lovingly named "Blops" by some) does not disappoint. Well, for the most part at least- we'll arrive at the nitpicks paragraph soon enough- but it's safe to say that I've played this game a lot, with around two days clocked up in the week and a bit that I've actually been able to play it. Unusually for a Call of Duty game, the majority of this time has been spent in the single player campaign.
And what a campaign it is... for the first time in what could be the entire franchise's history, we are provided with a truly compelling experience. Yes that's right, there is actually a story. But not just any old story, no, a good one at that! Sleep was lost and food grew cold in the efforts to reach the conclusion. Not that cold though as the campaign isn't actually that long, putting it at 6 hours would be slightly too generous, but I would argue that this is a good thing: it allows the action to remain fast-paced without becoming strained and there is a noticeable lack of padding to the game. There are no levels that are there for the sake of extending the playing time, all have their unique aspects and significance to the overall story.
[img_inline align="right" caption="Yes, the military still use crossbows." width="350"]http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/11/09/cod_black_ops_9.jpg[/img_inline]
You play Alex Mason, a captured special forces soldier who is being interrogated by an unknown agency who want to find out what the sequence of numbers being broadcast mean. As it turns out, this sequence is a code to operatives who are planning to release a deadly chemical weapon, Nova 6, on an unsuspecting US population and (for reasons explained) only you can decrypt it. All the missions bar the very last ones are flash backs to the Cold War era as you try to remember exactly how this number sequence became implanted in your head. Throughout the campaign you fight in varied environments such as Vietnam, Cuba, Russia and scattered naval bases.
Some of the ideas that have gone into the campaign are simply brilliant. A mission where you pilot a Blackbird in order to command a squad on the ground, and then experience the action from the squad's perspective when a large conflict occurs remains one of my favourite experiences from any game. Other highlights include watching a Russian guard become impaled on a pickaxe and killing a Vietnamese soldier by pulling out the pins on his grenade belt and pushing him backwards. You've probably deduced from this that Black Ops is incredibly brutal (which it is, well done!) but there are moments were the brutality is taken to a new level to remind as that war is not all fun and games, it's terrifying, violent and life-consuming. Which to be honest is the last message you expect from a Call of Duty game.
Gameplay wise, Black Ops lives up to the standard of the previous game in the franchise, Modern Warfare 2, with smooth movement and tight controls. However, the guns in Black Ops feel a bit more "meaty" and it's quite satisfying filling virtual people with virtual bullets. Most of the time you find yourself doing what you expect to do in a FPS, running around and shooting everyone in sight, but here and there the pace slows down a touch with stealth missions that are beautifully executed. There are other variations to the norm too, most notably a prison escape level that I simply cannot get enough of.
Admittedly, the overall presentation of Black Ops could be improved upon. It suffers from the stereotypical problem of most environments being made up out of various colours of brown, green and grey which is dull if anything. Furthermore the graphics themselves, on the PS3 version at least, seem to be a step back from Modern Warfare 2 and the frame rate stutters far too often to be forgiven. Apparently the frame-rate issue is set to be fixed, but it is frustrating that the PS3 (and the PC too apparently) has been given a sub-par port of the Xbox version.
Despite these minor issues (I've never been much of a graphics nut), the campaign remains truly enjoyable for me. It is, in my mind at least, one of the best First-person Shooter campaigns that I've played, ever. Though the campaign alone is not enough to propel Black Ops head first into the position of my "Game of the Year", the fact that it can be considered only a small part of the overall experience that Black Ops offers solidifies its position hugely.
Take the Zombies mode for instance, for some it was the highlight of Call of Duty: World at War and the only reason that they purchased this game. It pitches you and up to three other people defending yourself from waves and waves of blood-thirsty zombies. Killing zombies nets you points which can be used to buy new guns or even upgrade the current gun you are using. It's a simple idea that was only ever intended to be a small add on but with the right people it has the potential of being incredibly addictive. Spots, set-ups and routes are memorised by most in order to last as long as possible, but even if you're not going for a record score it is simply a fun thing to do with friends, which is all you can ever ask from a game. What's more, guess who you get to play as...
[small]Meet the gang[/small]
Last but not least, let's have a quick glance at the multiplayer. This time around Black Ops boasts a huge amount of player customisation, a wide variety of game modes, maps and guns and the almost flawless controls that can be enjoyed in the single player. Overall it's pretty balanced and though there are a few problems here and there Treyarch have promised that they will iron it all out and so far they seem to be doing just that. However, on the PS3 at least, the problems with the frame rate and graphics are even more noticeable than in the single player. Many textures seem low-res and the frame rate takes a huge drop whenever explosions happen on screen.
[img_inline align="left" caption="If you don't give me a good score this chap will shoot you." width="350"]http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/call-of-duty-black-ops-screenshot.jpg[/img_inline]There are several new features that more than make up for this though. Black Ops introduces Cod Points, an in game currency that allows you to purchase guns, attachments, camouflage and perks as soon as you have enough money. These points can also be gambled in Wager Matches, essentially free-for-all game types that range from starting the round with only one insta-kill bullet to having to kill the enemy with knives and crossbows only. It is quite gimmicky but in the end it's a very welcome addition to what's becoming a rather tired franchise.
And... well that's it as far as important additions go really, Treyarch know that a winning formula was found in Call of Duty 4's multiplayer and regrettably it doesn't seem like they changed it at all. It does mean that we are still given a great experience but for nothing to really change in three years is disheartening. It possibly even means that I will, at some point in ____________.________________________________________the future, become bored with playing it.
But this does not matter to me because even if this is the case Black Ops would still be my GOTY. The brilliantly executed campaign, a fun zombies side-game and a much-more-than half decent multiplayer join to make a truly excellent game that should be owned by everyone. Though from what I've heard, if possible you should pick up the Xbox 360 version. Thanks for reading.
