Call of Duty: Black Ops

Treyarch has been under the Call of Duty helm for only a couple of titles now but have failed to hit the mark with iterations that have come off more like stop gaps prior to Infinity Ward´s fullblown mega hits that have ushered into a world of jaw dropping sales and critical acclaim. The question is if the latest entry, Black ops manages to leave its own mark or if it´s just another blip on the radar.

Lets break down the package in its entirety-- there´s a six to-eight hour long singleplayer campaign that offers a ton of gameplay variety and a suprisingly cohesive storyline. The competitive multiplayer rages on in all of its glory and is leaps and bounds beyond anything that either Treyarch or Infinity Ward have offered in the past and if you still have an affinity for some timeless zombie killing, well then rejoice. Call of Duty Black Ops may not provide any radical changes to a forumla that still remains strong, albeit very familiar but if you anchor for more Call of Duty or just want another solid shooter to keep you going for months on end then Black Ops offers fun aplenty.

Lets start with the Campaign. Hellbent on Cold War conspiracies and real life events that occured sometime in the 60´s, the campaign provides a wide timespan that will have you breaking free of a russian labor camp in one moment, and commendering a squad through the scopes of a suborbital SR-71 the next. It keeps you on your toes and the story is structured as a series of flashbacks since an operative named Mason has a ton of repressed information that his harsh captors are after and what follows is quite a memorable jaunt. The pacing is all at once; fast paced, subdued, thrilling and everything in between and though you still jump between different characters, the action largely sticks with Mason to keep the story focused.

Then there is of course the multiplayer that follows the same blueprint as Modern Warfare 2 as you still gain XP, Rank up and

outfit a set of loadouts with different guns, perks and equipment. The catch is that you now acquire currency to spend on all of the customisation options so all of those guns and the attachments that comes with them must be bought and the same goes for just about everything else. To further establish this premise is the addition of time sensitive challenges doubt contracts aswell as Wager Matches where players will have to lock their bets in, in free-for-all game variants. Gun game for example will have you moving through a consecutive ladder of guns with each kill bumping you to the next one, finish among the top three and you´ll recieve a hefty payout or forfeit your bet. In the end though, Wager Matches comes off as abit more of a novelty as credits can be earned just aswell by diving into the core gametypes, which sadly doesnt benefit from any new additions. Killstreaks and perks are toned down signifcantly in ther prowess from past entries which emphasises the gunplay a lot more.

Zombies also a make a grandslam return with new maps and tweaks, though the core remains the same. Hold off a location from a swarm of zombies while buying guns and opening up new areas until the onslaught can longer be kept at bay. Its still addictive and fun, provided you can come across players that are willing to work together.

There is more stuff to talk about but you get the idea. Call of Duty: Black Ops tightly nails the three pillars of gameplay and also boasts the ability for players to make their own highlight reels to share or practice against bots in a simulated multiplayer game. It will keep you busy and entertained, but by now Call of Duty really needs a makeover for it to remain strong as just adding a few additions is no longer a crutch to lean on but for now Black Ops is one of the better entries in the series that will keep you hooked.