Call of Duty: Black Ops | B+

Call of Duty: Black Ops is possibly the most anticipated game release of the year. Following the immense success of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Treyarch, another branch of Activision, manages to retain familiar mechanics that are now indicative of the Call of Duty franchise while adding a few new twists to give Black Ops a unique feel.

Black Ops takes place during the '60s, following CIA operative Alex Mason as he conducts covert ops in Vietnam and other locales around the world. The story is compelling and is told through a series of flashbacks, which gives the narrative a fragmented and chaotic tone that does a good job in keeping the player interested. The missions themselves are varied and take place over different locations and environments, while level design is brilliant and memorable. The campaign will take about seven to nine hours, depending on difficulty.

Mechanically, the game is overall pretty good. Character models are not as impressive as in Modern Warfare, and it's less cinematic and fluid as Modern Warfare 2, but the environments are detailed and attractive. The AI, though not awful, is still prone to do some pretty stupid things. Most notably, friendly AI seems to have a nasty tendency to wander into the player's line of fire. This is usually not a problem, as plot specific NPCs are unable to die, but it can be annoying when they yell at you to "Watch your fire!" A few small matters aside, the focus on the campaign is an improvement over Modern Warfare 2.

Though the campaign provides great entertainment, similar to Modern Warfare 2, the multiplayer is what draws many to Call of Duty. With each level, players gain experience and access to new weapons and options that allows them to customize their class. Weapons and accessories are plentiful and are typical to the '60s era in which the game takes place. There is one major difference in terms of the level system: Once a player unlocks a weapon, they cannot use it immediately, but only after purchasing it with COD points. For example, if a player wants to unlock the AK-47, they must first reach level 38 to gain the option of purchasing it and then they must pay 2,000 COD points to be able to use it. Fortunately, COD points are easy to acquire. They are earned by killing enemies, leveling up and completing matches. Furthermore, COD points can be gambled by taking on challenges. Though it may strange to Modern Warfare veterans, the COD point system is easy to get used to, but it seems to discourage experimenting with different combinations of weapons and perks.

In addition, the Nazi Zombie mode makes a return from Call of Duty: World at War. In this hilarious one-four player co-op mode, players assume the role of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro and Robert McNamara as they fight through waves of zombies in the Pentagon. This extra add-on is a great addition that adds more value for your purchase.

Black Ops is a great game. It doesn't exactly shock and awe the public in the same way Modern Warfare 2 did but is still worth playing despite a few small problems.