Multiplayer Overview: Call of Duty: Black Ops

[John Funk]

So, to make multiplayer better, they mashed up Counter-Strike and MW2? Right, pass. I had a love/hate relationship with CS:S for about a month. I loved the mechanics, the game types, and the concept; I hated that the game had been around for a long time and everybody playing it was awesome. I couldn't get better, because I kept dying. As for MW2...yeah, I played it for several months, and around the time every 12-year-old on Xbox Live started exploiting every glitch in the game, I got real tired of it.

I'm sure that the multiplayer in Black Ops is great, for people who have hours upon hours to play and get better and earn credits. I want a game that I can hop into at any time and have a blast playing. That's called Team Fortress 2.

I would actually much prefer the Black Ops system than TF2's frustrating random drop mechanic. It's gradual, you unlock things at a constant, rewarding pace, and you are assured whatever you want as long as you put enough time into it without having to achievement hunt.

Classic TF2? Absolutely. Current TF2? Not a chance.

 

[prouler]

awr this puts me in such a strange position. I had fun with the single player, flaws aside I had lots of fun, so would have given it at least 3 stars maybe 4 more 3 1/2. however, I don't like the multiplayer nearly as much. it's weird, it's all there, but really what breaks the multi for me is the guns. shotguns got a huge downgrade, and I'm talking about akimbo BS. also the way that the guns handle recoil seems slightly changed, just a little thing I notice. but the thing that really rubs me wrong is the sound of the guns when it's tied to everything else. really... to anyone who's played the WaW multiplayer and both modern warfare multi, you can tell the difference immediately. as I can tell they still made it based off of the same flow and tactics in maps as WaW then just copy pasted everything that people liked about MW1&2, and to me they just don't synch up as well. really I likes MW2 so much more, but maybe my opinion will change with time.

 

[Necromancer1991]

In before QQ about "useless sniping", there are way less hax and imba weapons here, crossbow = 1 shot kill, balanced by a fairly long reload time, etc, no akimbo shotguns here...

 

[NietzscheKat]

My only complaint is that Shotty's REALLY got toned down, almost too much if you ask me. Ok so now they are a Primary, that's fine if at close range they have an edge, but even with the SPA with Sleight of Hand to fix the reload time I'm constantly shot down first at close, doesn't really make much sense. Other than that the Multiplayer is the best so far.

 

[mjc0961]

Hey Treyarch. Epic Games called, they want their Torque Bow back.

Sorry, that's the first thing I thought of when the review mentioned an explosive crossbow.

 

[Susan Arendt]

And among two different reviewers who might have radically different tastes in games, I'd imagine.

If you're suggesting that Russ doesn't enjoy shooters, you couldn't be more wrong.

 

[ffxfriek]

Sounds good but this is almost exactly halo reach. reach has credits to buy armour not guns and also has "mini contracts" but this MP sounds fun and i must now find someone with this game so i can give it a go

 

[Baby Tea]

Well said, Mr. Funk!
I haven't even touched the SP of the game, actually.
I jumped right into the MP, and it's pretty darn fun to play. Especially with pals.
Nuketown has to be the most frantic, crazy, and awesome map I've ever played in a modern shooter.
You get guys spawning everywhere, because the map is so tiny.
It's fun, annoying, exhilarating, and frustrating all at the same time.

Love it.

 

[soapyshooter]

There is a crossbow in the game? Seriously?

Elite black ops operatives use medieval weaponry?

They are used to take out sentries. Indian, Chinese, Russians, Polish spec ops use them, idk about Americans though

 

[gphjr14]

multiplayer is a blast compared to MW2. Only map that's a problem is the Nuketown there's mainly two respawn points at each side of this small map and often times enemies respawn a few yards away or even worse right behind you. Other than that I'm having way more fun than I had with MW2.

 

[Caliostro]

I don't believe they exploded back then. They also took minutes to wind up.

Yeah, real black ops use those. Quieter than a gun.

Since when is an explosive quieter than a gun? Most of the reason guns are noisy is because of the exploding gunpowder bit... Which is designed to propell a small piece of metal, and thus substantially less powerful (and noisy) than explosives designed to kill people by exploding.

"Ranged" means aren't really quiet. Even with silencers guns are pretty noisy. The best bet is using a sniper at some decent range and going with noise masking.

I suppose a non-explosive crossbow (i.e.: NOT the one in this game) could avoid most of the noise, and subsonic boom, but I question both it's ability to pierce body armor at any decent range, it's ability to remain accurate at long ranges, and it's ability to get a quick (and silent) kill, instead of just stabbing someone who'd be screaming at the top of his lungs while bleeding to death.

 

[Lord Kloo]

There is a crossbow in the game? Seriously?

Elite black ops operatives use medieval weaponry?

I don't believe they exploded back then. They also took minutes to wind up.

Yeah, real black ops use those. Quieter than a gun.

Not having a go at you but generally don't most 'good' Black Ops tend to avoid most people in favour of getting to whatever they have to blow up or who they have to kidnap, etc.

I think they put the crossbow into the game as a mimic of Rambo and his use of crossbows since he was meant to be a gun-ho deniable operative in the cold-war era, seems to be who they based the main character on as well.. but thats another story..

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Does anybody have any interesting words on the difference between this and MW2 specifically for split-screen local multiplayer?

Yes - you start off with everything unlocked, so don't need a separate levelling system.
Also, there's a much greater selection of maps than in MW2.

It's fun so far, it's just that the credits system means that it takes a little longer to work out the best weapons/attachments/perks systems for your classes, as every purchase is a risk of sorts. This isn't necessarily a flaw, but slant the game a lot more towards those with the time to test these things than is normally the case. I guess that's what the combat training mode (or 'ZOMG bots!' as I like to call it) is there for.
The wager matches are brilliant, although 'sticks and stones' frequently feels as luck-based as Mario Kart wii, with the tomahawk replacing the blue shell.
My main issue with the multiplayer is that I'm not very good at it... Still, loving the absence of stopping power and quick-scoping, and I love the RC-XD!

 

[SturmDolch]

Gahhhhhhhhhhhh! You plus my friends have persuaded me to get this!

 

[Dirty Apple]

So, to make multiplayer better, they mashed up Counter-Strike and MW2? Right, pass. I had a love/hate relationship with CS:S for about a month. I loved the mechanics, the game types, and the concept; I hated that the game had been around for a long time and everybody playing it was awesome. I couldn't get better, because I kept dying. As for MW2...yeah, I played it for several months, and around the time every 12-year-old on Xbox Live started exploiting every glitch in the game, I got real tired of it.

I'm sure that the multiplayer in Black Ops is great, for people who have hours upon hours to play and get better and earn credits. I want a game that I can hop into at any time and have a blast playing. That's called Team Fortress 2.

I would actually much prefer the Black Ops system than TF2's frustrating random drop mechanic. It's gradual, you unlock things at a constant, rewarding pace, and you are assured whatever you want as long as you put enough time into it without having to achievement hunt.

Classic TF2? Absolutely. Current TF2? Not a chance.

I apologize in advance for coming off as a fanboy, but with TF2's new trade system it's not really that difficult tracking down whatever weapon you want. TF2's bigger problem is it's spam-a-lot approach to gaming. But that's another topic.

O.T. I'm intrigued by the CS:S/MW mash-up. I'd already placed this game and its multiplayer on the kiddie pile. It might be worth a look afterall. Nice review.

 

[Protocol95]

I don't believe they exploded back then. They also took minutes to wind up.

Yeah, real black ops use those. Quieter than a gun.

Since when is an explosive quieter than a gun?

Well you don't have to use the explosive arrows, you have the option to use normal ones.

Anyway I pretty much completely agree with you there though I haven't touched wager matches due to fear of losing my cash.

 

[jimduckie]

crossbow ? money system? old weapons ? that is why i'll give this game a pass but if you get it or have it ... have fun

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I don't believe they exploded back then. They also took minutes to wind up.

Yeah, real black ops use those. Quieter than a gun.

Since when is an explosive quieter than a gun? Most of the reason guns are noisy is because of the exploding gunpowder bit... Which is designed to propell a small piece of metal, and thus substantially less powerful (and noisy) than explosives designed to kill people by exploding.

"Ranged" means aren't really quiet. Even with silencers guns are pretty noisy. The best bet is using a sniper at some decent range and going with noise masking.

I suppose a non-explosive crossbow (i.e.: NOT the one in this game) could avoid most of the noise, and subsonic boom, but I question both it's ability to pierce body armor at any decent range, it's ability to remain accurate at long ranges, and it's ability to get a quick (and silent) kill, instead of just stabbing someone who'd be screaming at the top of his lungs while bleeding to death.

Real Black ops wouldn't use the explosive ones, I know that. He had said they don't use crossbows at all, no mention was made of explodey ones.

Crossbows can be extremely lethal, and fairly accurate. Medieval ones could hit targets hundreds of feet away, to say nothing of modern ones. The impact alone might break bones or knock someone out, and regardless screaming isn't as loud as a gun. Plus it's harder to tell where it came from. And I highly doubt the Vietcong had armor vary often...

 

[kouriichi]

Alot of the things that plagued previous COD games are gone.
Infact, the only one left is camping, and at times, its extreamly easy to get rid of that pest.

This, in my opinion, not only lives up to the hype, but completely surpasses it in some aspects.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

There is a crossbow in the game? Seriously?

Elite black ops operatives use medieval weaponry?

I don't believe they exploded back then. They also took minutes to wind up.

Yeah, real black ops use those. Quieter than a gun.

Not having a go at you but generally don't most 'good' Black Ops tend to avoid most people in favour of getting to whatever they have to blow up or who they have to kidnap, etc.

I think they put the crossbow into the game as a mimic of Rambo and his use of crossbows since he was meant to be a gun-ho deniable operative in the cold-war era, seems to be who they based the main character on as well.. but thats another story..

Yeah, but they'd often need a way to kill, say, a sentry a range, fairly silently. Thus, a crossbow. Not saying they'd use it every mission or anything, but still.