GRENADA!

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Xbox 360 & PS3

The most anticipated game of the year? The most hyped game of the year? The best game of the year? Many will herald these titles to the new Call of Duty in the long line of the franchise and after finally playing it; i can see why it got given these king-like statuses. The game is truly spectacular in all areas, i don’t think I’ve come across a game so realised and so evolved that it scares you that you’ve only played about 10% of the game. There’s a fantastic single player, hidden games, the inclusion of the fan favourite Zombie mode and of course, the big hitter, the multiplayer, which i can officially say i’m addicted to. Thanks Call of Duty! Playing it solidly and only getting to level 20, only unlocking about a tenth of the weapons and extra things, you just think that you could spend weeks and weeks doing this. The prestige levels both that are there for the hardcore fans that only plays this game. Its crazy how many people have just gone from Modern Warfare to Modern Warfare 2 to now Black Ops. Millions of people. And millions of people can’t be wrong.

Starting with the single player, sure it’s not long and it does fly by pretty easily but it never feels repetitive and regarding your skill levels, you’re never continually killed over and over again to the point where you hate the game and you put it away. It’s smooth and the varied mission types are great, from flying copters, boats to sneaky missions, all out wars, tunnels, prisons, empty ships, it keeps changing and these varied areas make Call of Duty, what it’s always been labelled. The best war game on the market. Sure it’s not tactical and doesn’t involve that amount of skill, just shooting things until they die. You could easily breeze through the game if you were a newcomer, and if you’ve played COD before then this will be easy. The settings from Vietnam to Russia, its more focused compared to Modern Warfare and the story of twists and turns will keep you guessing. You always get a great ending with a COD and this one delivers. The whole game is told through the perspective of the imprisioned solider which you’ll meet in the start up menu. I don’t want to give too much away as it ruins the game. But trust me, the inclusion of the numbers and the psylogical impact on the main character only adds to the tension and the importance of what you’re doing. You’re not just killing tens of soldiers because they are there, your killing them to save someone, your killing them to help the world. It may sound weird, but you get engaged pretty quickly.

Now moving onto the bonus parts of the game, the multiplayer and the zombie mode, both are fantastic in their individual way. You can now play with friends online with other players across the world and it’s a great addition. Plus having the zombie mode, something I’d play with friends until the wee hours back in World At War, you know it’s one of those things for a drunken play at 3 in the morning. The multiplayer has some fantastic maps and some fantastic new types of game, including wager matches where you gain experience and points and you can gamble those points which are used to buy items against other players. So for instance if you win a wager match, which you pay 10 points to play, you can get 30. It’s an added incentive to play, plus a certain game type in this area is one of my favourites: Gun Game. Where for every kill you move up the ladder of weapons, starting with a horrible pistol and ending with the Tomahawk. It’s a great great game and it’s a shame it’s not included without the wager aspect. But i’m a big fan of Team Deathmatch any day and have spent many hours playing it.

If you have an Xbox or a PS3 and you don’t have this game, go now, stop reading and go buy that game. Sure it might ruin your life, but it’s truly worth it.

VISUALS: Sure it’s not as crisp as Final Fantasy or Drake, but cinematically, it’s bar none. 18%
SOUND: Easily on form with sounds again with the whole department of gun sounds, environment and even including music heard during that time. 20%
GAMEPLAY: Doesn’t feel as repetitive and easily one of the best FPS out there. 19%
LASTING APPEAL: You have everything you could want; it’s pretty much having 4 games worth of material in there. 20%
SPECIAL FEATURES: Where do i start? Single Player, Multiplayer, Zombie Mode, Zombie Arcade? 20%

97%

Simon Childs