Following in the footsteps of 2009’s megahit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops has a lot to prove both in gameplay and the record breaking sales of its predecessor. Black Ops is officially the seventh game under the Call of Duty banner, and the biggest challenges it faces are a saturation of military first person shooter games on the market and the daunting task of living up to the Call of Duty pedigree. Even Modern Warfare 2‘s campaign was hard pressed to compare with the success and emotional ride that was Call of Duty 4‘s single player experience. However, that is not to say that Black Ops does not stand on its own, as game developer Treyarch really stepped up to the plate make a game package that fans of the series want.
At first glance, Black Ops doesn’t shine like Modern Warfare 2 did. The graphics feel dull compared to the crisp visual flair found in the previous Call of Duty title, and Black Ops seems to make an attempt to cover up the somewhat bland colors and character models with a grittier palette and audience-blinding flashes among the campaign story elements. Inevitable comparisons aside, graphics aren’t everything as long as the gameplay holds up, which it does in Black Ops for the most part.
The single player campaign of Black Ops takes the player through various locales, from the dark interior of an interrogation room to the jungles of Vietnam, and features a story that revolves around the paranoid times of the Cold War. Undoubtedly, some fans of the series will find the story to be ridiculous, while others will enjoy it and prefer its plot to that of Modern Warfare 2 or even previous Call of Duty titles. Where a player stands with the wild ride that Black Ops offers also dictates how a player will respond to the level design. As always with the series, the experience is linear, with over the top scripted events that can be discombobulating for some and thrilling for others.
One area in which Black Ops benefits from following up Modern Warfare 2 is an opportunity to make changes and tweaks in the multiplayer and game mechanics that people grew to dislike over time. Alterations have been made to balance out weapons and kill streak rewards to avoid having anything be overpowered, and also to prevent cheaters from finding loopholes in the system to boost their stats.
Kaleb Mckinnon, a sophomore in civil engineering, enjoyed the changes made in the multiplayer that improve upon the online experience found in Modern Warfare 2.
“The thing I’ve enjoyed most about Black Ops so far is the ranking system they have,” Mckinnon said. “You gain ranks like you did before [in Modern Warfare 2] but there is also money, which you use to buy upgrades for your weapons with.”
Black Ops also adds some entirely new aspects into the multiplayer mix, including remote controlled explosive cars as kill streak rewards, and an all new “Wager mode.”
“You can play wager matches where you bet some of your money on a match and if you win you gain more money,” Mckinnon said, “and having this money aspect in the game makes it so you can have a lower rank than other people but still be outfitted better than those with higher ranks. It’s all really cool.”
The changes and attempts at balance in the multiplayer for Black Ops will be proven over time as players get more accustomed and the online experience is truly put to the test. But for now, it is clear that developer Treyarch has heard its audience and has modified the multiplayer to be an answer to all the complaints fans had with Modern Warfare 2.
Sean Kudrick, a freshman in civil engineering, prefers the story in the previous Call of Duty game to the twisting ride in Black Ops‘ campaign.
“The story in Modern Warfare 2 is a lot better, but I think the multiplayer in Black Ops is better,” Kudrick says. “The online multiplayer is awesome, and customization is amazing.”
Mckinnon agrees that the single player could have been much more.
“I enjoyed the story in Modern Warfare 2 more, but I’d say that the [multiplayer] gameplay in Black Ops is better. It has more options to customize your character, different maps, and with the kill streaks they brought back the attack dogs.”
Disappointing visuals and mixed feelings concerning the single player campaign keep Black Ops from truly living up to its name, but fans of Call of Duty‘s multiplayer should be pleased with all the changes implemented to improve the player experience while playing online. With all its strengths and weaknesses, Call of Duty Black Ops is an answer to most (if not all) of the complaints fans had with the multiplayer of its predecessor, but it’s lacking the punch that has made the series so great in previous years.
