Old School Gamer Review
Being an old time gamer who only plays FPS games, I was going to pre-order COD Black Ops, but was glad that I didn't after the initial user reviews came out. After reading that it was an unfinished product that had numerous flaws, I decided to wait until the issues were fixed and the retail price dropped before purchasing it.
The Black Ops Single Player storyline was weak, actually stupid would be a better description. The campaign was too short and didn't deliver more than a few hours of entertainment. Too much effort was made in cut-scene animations to back the weak/stupid storyline. It was nothing less than disappointing.
Of course, most of us don't buy FPS games only to play the campaign, we buy them to compete with other players online, and that is where the meat of this game is, in multiplayer.
As expected, COD Black Ops plays and feels like COD MW and COD MW2. Being a noob to Black Ops, I haven't quite yet figured out all the changes made in the perk settings/weapons options. The one positive improvement I like so far, is the idea of being able to purchase the weapons attachments you want, instead of having to earn them by using attachments you don't like. Although I would prefer to have full customization of my character, weapons and perks, instead of being stuck with complying with those the designers come up with.
The weapons are Cold War era, although there is an inconsistency with the M-16, the only assault rifle that is available at the beginning of multiplayer, which only fires in 3-round bursts, although the M-16 rifle at that time period had the option of being fired in single or automatic.
As is usual with the COD series, it is lacking in map variety, unless you want to purchase the add-on map pack, which means the game will become less interesting once you memorize the maps. So your only option is to either buy the map pack, or wait and spend the money on MW3.
The maps themselves are okay, although there seems to be much less interactivity with objects, such as exploding cars and barrels. There are a few large maps, but none that compares in size with those of MOH 2010. One map that is particularly disappointing is called 'Nuke Town,' which for some reason is the only map that numerous servers host. Seriously, what a waste of bandwidth!
And speaking of servers, although I really didn't like the hosting method of COD MW2, where it was like listening to an 8-track tape player that switches tracks in the middle of a song, I was actually getting used to it. I forgot how many losers there were hosting gaming servers. Not only do you have servers that only host one small and stupid map, like Nuke Town, but you have real idiots that make up stupid rules, like no running, no jumping, crouch only, no tubes, etc., as well as all the morons trying to push political correctness or their religion down your throats.
Overall, COD Black Ops is disappointing, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. At $60.00 retail, I would pass it up, but if you can find it for less than $30.00, then it may be worth investing in.Read full review
