Treyarch take us to the shadowy side of the Cold War in this spectacular shooter that squares up to MW2
Format: PS3, Xbox 360 (version played), Wii, PC, DS Dev: Treyarch Pub: Activision
Out: 09/11/10 Players: 1-4, 2-18 online
Making your skin crawl is a beauty in entertainment that recent games have only begun to exploit in such a way where it actually works. I’m not talking about the kind of hyper violence that you see in the likes of Manhunt, which was just laugh/wince entertainment. I’m talking about sitting, attached to a chair, covered in what can only be your own blood, as you look on a multitude of screens showing different Cold War scenes, a diffused voice asking you about the numbers.
Torture interrogation scenes have never been done so well. A game that’s uncomfortable? Who would’ve expected that from Call of Duty? Black Ops single-player campaign is one of the greatest stories told in the Call of Duty series.
You, mostly, play as Alex Mason: a Special Operations agent that gets wounded at the Bay of Pigs invasion, and quickly gets involved a psychological war. The story is told as you are interrogated about your past to aid with a manhunt, which you are then transported to a multitude of locations via flashbacks. To explain more of the story would be sheer lunacy, as it’s perfectly pitched to you.
A clearly defined beginning, middle and end, with a beautifully crafted twist and a focus on Cold War brainwashing. This isn’t just a Michael Bay equivalent of Hollywood emotion, like Modern Warfare 2. It’s the more actiony equivalent of Forrest Gump. There is one downside to this though, nothing is perfect after all, but it the game is brimming with an overbearingly patriotic sense of Americanism.
As you move through the different levels, darting between Cuba, Russia, and Vietnam, you get the classic Call of Duty formula, in the way that it’s embedded in factual history to create hyper realism. Nazi chemical weapon experiments, Communist expansionism and underhanded CIA dealings are the dish of the day.
You can really tell that now Treyarch have been able to shake the shackles of World War II, they’ve been able to really push their creativity. And it shows through in not only one of the best stories this year, but also one of the best looking and sounding games also.
Not much, technically, sets this apart from Modern Warfare 2. Textures are the same and weaponry has the same grunt behind it. It’s more about how the presentation is used, and it is at its most skilful throughout Black Ops. Massive set pieces, psychological scenes where the world literally falls apart, it’s all here and fantastically realised. But there’s something new that has been missing from previous CODs.
Tension. Pure, unrivalled tension. You walk through a maze of tunnels, you’re flashlight showing the way, and your only tool to be used for spotting the Vietcong as they rush you. There’s not many enemies in this scene, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in anxiety. One shot at an offending Vietnamese and his leg flies in a cacophony of blood and screaming. It’s a scene that really manages to get under your skin in the beauty of simple, awkwardly tense urges.
But, of course, this is merely half the story, and the part that most people will unfortunately ignore. What you have here is another Modern Warfare 2 juggernaut of multiplayer that you’re going to find extremely difficult to put down before it consumes a good majority of your time.
The same industry leading gameplay is clear as day here, with the same razor sharp controls and high speed, on-the-fly tactical play. Perks are more relevant to their time (just a simple chopper gunner instead of a ridiculously overpowered AC-130). The focus this time is shifted upon a currency to buy everything from attachments to Gamer Card backgrounds. You can also place wagers on matches, which creates some insane new game types never before seen in the realms of COD, or take up limited time contracts to earn more money.
It all works to create a unique ecosystem that sort of sets this apart from Modern Warfare 2 in its style and execution. In my own opinion, it’s a better setup that gets you to invest more time into it, but it’s open to anybody’s interpretation because they offer such closely matched multiplayer experiences. However, this isn’t what people are going to think. Black Ops is Treyarch coming to power. They’ve matched Infinity Ward in all areas, and even surpassed them in the story and presentational feast.
Black Ops is a better game than Modern Warfare 2. And even with Infinity Ward’s excellent track record of ‘originality’, I can’t see their next Modern Warfare (if it’s released) besting this. Maybe people just see the brand name, regardless of what developer is behind it. Let’s see it as a formidable challenge, as this is the best shooter to come out this year. Infinity Ward, show us what you’re made of.
Jason England
Tags: activision, call of duty, shooter
