By Cody Heintz, Assistant Business Manager
Call of Duty: Black Ops is another great addition to the gaming behemoth even if it feels familiar. Unlike previous installments in the top selling First Person Shooter series, Call of Duty: Black Ops doesn’t take place during World War 2 or in the modern era; this game takes place during the Cold War. In this game, by Treyarch, you play as either Special Forces Captain Alex Mason or CIA Agent Jason Hudson as you battle from 1961 to 1973. In this game you have to battle around the world from Latin America to Russia and finally in Southeast Asia you and your team have to find a deadly nerve toxin called “Nova 6.” You will also have access to many new weapons the series such as ballistic knives, dragon breath shotguns and a crossbow with exploding arrows.
The Campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops clocks in at a solid 8 hours of game play and has a lot of intense fire fight moments and scenes. At times,though, there is so much action that it feels like Die Hard 4 on steroids. Also, like most Call of Duty games, the graphics and sound are great and are the centerpiece for the campaign.
The presentation of the game impresses on many different levels whether it is the explosions of a firefight or the awesome soundtrack or the voice acting of Gary Oldman, Sam Worthington or Ed Harris. Unlike other COD games the story in Black Ops is very innovating and intriguing, as there are a couple of twists in the game that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud. The variety of the game types in the campaign is also a strong point as you are always doing something new. You are not only fighting as foot solide but you also ride a bike and fire a mini-gun from a helicopter. Even though the game play is solid and well designed, there is still the feeling of déjà vu when compared to previous COD games.
Even though the single player mode is vastly improved when compared to last year, the main selling point of the game is still multiplayer mode. The multiplayer game is as usual competitive and fun but is starting feel stale because it brings nothing new to the table. Many of the new weapons from the campaign are back with some new ones like a remote control car that explodes and kills on contact. Unlike previous COD games where the main way to customize your character is through leveling, Black Ops include something called COD Points. COD Points, earned through levels, are used to purchase new weapons and upgrades but are not refundable so you better choose carefully. There is also the inclusion of theatre mode, which allows you to watch and save previous games to show off to friends. There is also training mode where you and a buddy in split screen can play against bots to improve skils needed to succeed in he multiplayer mode.
Returning from Call of Duty: World at War is zombie mode. But unlike the previous one in this one you can play as historical figures as you battle through and defend the Pentagon. In this mode you can play as former Presidents, such as Richard Nixon & John F. Kennedy to former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara and former Cuba Dictator Fidel Castro. In this mode you have to battle through hordes of zombies you try to survive and get better weapons. This mode is also very funny as the characters in the mode are saying their most famous lines in the most hilarious voiceover. This mode is perfect for just rampage and killing off steam as you battle zombies after zombies.