Well.. it's better than WAW.
Let me start off by saying Fuck the VGA's. Fuck everything they stand for. Sgt Woods the 'best character of 2010'? The only other original character in the nominations was a Mr John Marston, who actually was a character. However, I did learn one thing from the VGAs, and that was how Treyarch thinks they "worked their asses off" for the game. Excuse me a second but: LOLLLL!!!!!!
You mean, they "worked their asses off" by making a game using recycled graphics and recycled game modes? The only 'fresh' thing here is bloody annoying stereotypes in the Zombie mode's first level. Yes, Russians drink vodka, and yeah Americans think they're tuff, and who can forget the sexually questionable German?
I'll admit, the wager matches (the other 'new' thing) can be fun, but I've found not many people play them because you don't get XP from it.
The splitscreen online? All I can say is "Finally." Actually, not entirely true. I thought COD would never EVER have split screen online. Why? Because Activision is really that evil. You wanna play with your friends? Buy another copy. Just seemed to fit their business practices perfectly.
Or was it Treyarch that decided "Oh shit, this game is wayyy too much like MW2, how can we 'vastly improve' on it some more?"
And the story? The predictable story that failed to make me go "WHOA." like it really really wanted me to? How the characters "don't have time", but have allllll the time in the world to naturally progress through allllll of Mason's missions and listen carefully to his batshit insane stories all the way through. There are some cool parts in the story, like the prison break and the gung-ho Americanism of the Boat Ride in 'Nam, but there's other parts that just don't make any sense like Woods and Mason CONVERSING THEIR ENTIRE PLAN in the game of Roulette.
Also, whose bright idea was it to hire a comedic JFK impersonator? Or an Australian for Alex Mason? I could almost swear he yells "CRIKEY!" near the climax of it all.
So you got your familiar multiplayer, an updated zombie mode, a nonsensical (if somewhat involving) story, and.... yeah. Definitely Treyarch's best effort in the series, but still nowhere near IW's gold standard.
Buy if you're a fratboy and all your friends play it all the fucking time.
Rent if you're one of those (smarter) bi-annual COD buyers
