Black Ops - Big D Impressions

This is it, Hotel Delta we are Oscar Mike! The game that's supposed to steal away MW 2's crown and do justice to the franchise. Jaison and I both picked it up launch day like good little robots, and after a hastily arranged first date we've both formed some opinions on the game.

If you've read the site at all you can probably tell that I am gay for Treyarch, and had really high hopes for Black Ops. So, does it deliver? Hell yes!...or Hell no...depending who you ask. I really enjoy the game for various reasons, none of which Jaison will agree on, so I will tell you about why this game is awesome and then he can tell you why it is terrible...if he feels like it, I guess. Whatever.

First off, singleplayer. It's awesome and even though I am only a couple hours in I already agree that it is the best in the series. This is mostly due to the fact that they actually try and give your character...well, a character. Instead of being a nameless grunt you are actually somewhat important. You talk to your team and feel like an equal part of it. It's no "RAMIREZ DO EVERYTHING!", even though they certainly do tell you what to do and where to go at every turn. It feels like you should do it to help your buddies, not just because Captain Fuckstick told you to.

The actual plot so far has been pretty interesting, if not particularly original. It gives you a compelling reason to go to different places and kill guys with various weapons, which is all I really ask of it. I have to give it a hand for being lightyears ahead of MW2's plot which was not only stupid but aggressively stupid.

Gameplay is very much what you'd expect from a COD for the most part. They do throw in some excellent twists at certain points though which I will not spoil. If you're down for some very well executed COD action then look no further, but if you're searching for a revolution look elsewhere.

But who cares, multiplayer is why everyone bought this game anyway. And it is pretty great. There are tons of maps, modes and unlocks to play with. My favorite additions are split screen online and a robust stat tracking system. You can even compare where you're hitting other players the most. I seem to favor the left leg for some reason while Jaison is pretty even. We both seem to focus of the crotch equally. What does that mean?

I like most of the maps except for Nuketown which is terrible and the jackholes that keep voting for it need a good punch in the chops. Gameplay has seen some really big balance tweaks which I am very stoked about. There is still the requisite amount of bullshit, for sure. But most of the game-ruining stuff from MW2 is thankfully gone. No more commando, One man army, models, tac knife, harriers or quickscoping.

Knifing and lag are still big problems but I guess it wouldn't be COD without them. Jaison has been raging pretty badly but overall I have been pretty chill, as indicated by my low SPM (Swears per minute) seen here.