CoD: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Hey everyone! Recently got my game on friday, and since I'm at school right now, figured I'd type up a review for the community.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This game is being played on a 65in Panasonic Plasma TV 1080p HD, with an extensive Bose/Sony Surround Sound System. Played on an Xbox 360 Slim 250g.
This is being taken from the point of view of a college student who is an avid fan of all FPS and RPG games, and I will be as unbiased as possible (dont be afraid, I loved it). Approximately 1.5 days of gameplay have been achieved (not on my primary gamertag).

SinglePlayer:

The SP is magnificent. Unlike other COD games, I felt really into the story, like it reached out its hand and pulled me into it. the pacing is really good, with a nice mix of action AND stealth. Some of the backstory missions are my favorite parts of the game, and I feel it really adds a level of depth to the story.

As for the visuals, theyre amazing in the SP. The blood looks nice and thick, and the graphic voilence is done with expertise. Nothing is more satisfying than to burn some VC to a fine crisp, or slit an enemies throat underwater. The lighting is absolutely incredible, which is most noticable in the mission: WMD, where the sun gleams off of the snow. Other nice lighting effects can also be seen in darker missions taking place in the jungle, or in Hanoi.

Character models: this is easily some of the best Motion Capture I have ever seen in a game. The sound is perfectly matched with the lips, and the new facial expressions really make you feel the emotions of characters in combat, or torture. My only complaint on the topic of Mo-Cap is that some of the dramatic facial expressions during scripted assassinations have been toned down, but this isnt too much of an issue because the gore keeps them intense.

Textures: The textures are excellent in Call of Duty Black Ops. A major step forward from MW2 and previous Call of Duty titles. Up close, these textures are the best I've seen in 905 of FPS games. however, they lose some of their detail at a distance in Multiplayer, but I never had a problem with it, because my own vision is that way (IE: objects do not look as detailed from a distance).

Particle Effects: WHOAH! These particle effects are down right amzing. Explosions are more than just a puff of grey smoke. they contain a very flamboyat array of reds and oranges, and this varies with the size, and type of explosion. For example, the napalm explosions or anything with fire, has low traces of grey, but hi-fidelity oranges with “spits” of fire coming around the edges. In multiplayer, the particle effects are just as good.

Sound: the topic of sound is one which I take very seriously. When using a high-end sound system, I expect the audio to be properly diverted and split. In Black Ops, sound is done with a great deal of detail. When sitting in a quiet section of a map, or a mission, I would fire off a few rounds to see what the echo was like, as well as the core sound and minor details such as shells pinging against the ground (which were present). The fine details in the audio department are there, including great voice acting, with no cheesey lines. Yet not so much detail to where the average person would get lost in the military lingo.

Sound (Weapon Sounds): Being a frequent shooter of rifles, carbines, and handguns, I would say that the weapon sounds are an upgrade from MW2. Yes they have more “oomph”, but in the form of loud cracking rather than the unreal Hollywood audio many people are used to. In my opinion, I like this type of audio more. I do know that many people in the community do not like cracking noises for guns, but in all honesty, cranking up the bass a little bit really helps.

Co-Op: I have not really played much of the co-op, but the core elements of Nazi Zombies are there. You still have the Pack a Punch, Specials which appear from dead zombies, and the constant fear of your virtual life. But this time around, everything has been increased to an unbelievable level. Maps such as Der Reise will seem like a child’s play ground compared to The Theatre of The Dead and The Pentagon. More specifically, the maps are massive, going from more than just horizontal expansion, but actually multiple levels of vertical expansion through the use of several stair cases or elevators. The addition of the new crawler zombies are also a welcome into the Co-Op world we’ve come to know and love. Overall, the Nazi Zombie mode is one which will not be forgotten and will be taken with open arms.

NOW THE MOST IMPORTANT PART FOR MANY OF YOU:

Multiplayer: In my opinion…..the best multiplayer experience to date. Tied with Call of Duty 4.

Balance: I can instantly tell that a great effort has been taken into balancing out this game. There were no clearly overpowered weapons from my standpoint, but this doesn’t mean there are not powerful weapons (G11, L96,).

Balance cont: Major issues such as knife lunge have been reduced. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is slightly less than Cod4/Waw. For those worried about the ballistic knife, DON’T BE. I rarely found frustration in getting killed by it, and overall it’s not a popular side arm. In fact, whenever I was killed by it, I gave props to the player who did so, and sort of respected the skillful kill.

Balance Cont: After the most recent title update, I have no encountered a successful quickscoper, which makes me happy, but I’ll stay off of that point

Killstreaks: My oh My how far we’ve come. Many argued that killstreaks ruined MW2, I agree. But not in Black Ops. Killstreaks such as the chopper gunner, and gunship are great new additions to the franchise, and are much more interactive than previous iterations. I have only been frusturated by dogs…which I feel need to be slightly nerfed in the sense that they only require one bite to kill, but then again, I have only encountered them twice, and feel as if the person earned them. The fact that KS don’t stack also helps the balance and flow for the game.

OVERALL VERDICT: My overall verdict is a 9.5/10. no game is perfect, but Black Ops comes reallllllyyyy freaking close, and will surely be welcomed by players who have been frusturated by MW2. I will add more and more detail throughout the day once I get home.