Thrillstreak- Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

Much like the pivotal operations which serve as the game’s narrative impetus, Call of Duty: Black Ops represents a critical juncture for Treyarch. Success with the title could allow the developer to ditch its status as second-string studio, removing the collective dissatisfaction associated with the studios’ work on Call of Duty 3. Of course, public discontent might also cause Activision to disavow its relationship with Treyarch, potentially pushing the developer back to game porting duty. Advantageously, Black Ops is an overwhelmingly gratifying title- with main modes complemented by likable mini-games.  Yet, the game also makes enough baffling blunders to make players wonder why the time devoted to these diminutive diversions wasn’t spent polishing the core components.

Black Ops‘ single-player campaign adheres to the shifting perspective of its predecessors, changing  protagonists and propelling players across the earth at a breakneck pace. From careening down Cuban streets during the Bay of Pigs operation, busting out of a Soviet gulag, slogging through the rice paddies in ‘Nam, and then doing some reconnaissance in an SR-71 Blackbird, the title speeds along at a wonderfully unrelenting  velocity. Unifying each of these globetrotting assignments is super-soldier Alex Mason, who acts as the players guide through flashbacks tinged with equal parts Cold War paranoia and visceral violence. Like any good first-person shooter, each weapon in Black Ops delivers a satisfying ballistic payload; guns offer a convincing amount of kick and stopping power. Cleverly, missions often develop to a firearm-fetished crescendo, granting players a riotous chain gun or crossbow with explosive bolts to finish each stage with a limb-blasting finale. 

Yet, amidst Black Ops blissfully chaotic set-pieces comes a handful of incidents which can throw gamers out of an otherwise immersive game. One example: during the Battle of Khe Sanh, players are instructed to clear a trench positioned along a foothill. From their elevated position, gamers may instinctively man one of the stationary machine guns on the hillside- until they realize their efforts are futile against an infinite surge of foes. It’s not until players trigger an environmental object that the rush halts; unfortunately, the game’s compass doesn’t even players in the right direction. Sadly, a few of these easily-remedied moments detract from the game’s otherwise impeccable pacing.

Admittedly, most players will be purchasing Black Ops to be a part of the game’s lively multiplayer community; they won’t be disappointed. From being able to record entire matches (saved remotely for up to seven days), allowing players to customize their own perks, and even adding a currency system so gamers may wager on their own proficiency, nearly every new inclusion is a shrewd success. Now, gamers are given freedom to direct their online career- earning 1,000 Call of Duty Points (Or ‘CP’s) with every level advancement. Instead of having earning new weapons at specific thresholds, players can buy their own loadouts and killsteak items. While there’s bound to be a favored benefit boulevard for players (right now- the Remote Control earned with a triple killstreak is exceedingly popular and powerful), hopefully Treyarch can foster variety through diligent tweaking. Each of the game’s maps are skillfully designed, providing verticality and size while accommodating an elevated pace.

Black Ops also trots out their beloved bullet fodder- undead Nazis, which serve as stumbling targets in the title’s  co-operative mode. Initially, players are given an antiquated theater to defend against waves of zombies, but the fun really begins once players unlock the Pentagon map- which features some pretty amusing dialog between Cold War luminaries Nixon, McNamara, Kennedy and Castro. Later, a third component in opened offering a heart-warming surprise to players; between the reward at the conclusion of the single player campaign and this treat, Black Ops seems eager to please gamers.  While I was satisfied  with these co-op components, they never rose to level of Modern Warfare 2‘s Spec Ops playgrounds.