Call of Duty: Black Ops is an enjoyable FPS in both single player and multiplayer.
The single player campaign revolves around Alex Mason being captured and trying to discern what a string of random numbers mean. Black Ops plays into the Cold War elements as opposed to the World War II or modern conflicts. This makes the game a much more shadowy, thriller type of shooter. I genuinely enjoyed the story mode, in spite of it being short.
Of course, it goes without saying that the meat of Call of Duty is multiplayer. Black Ops delivers many times over. Packing eight different modes for online multiplayer including the obvious Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, Black Ops is certainly not lacking in variety.
What makes Black Ops better than most online multiplayer experiences is how it handles your character. You're not just some stock character to choose. You have options to choose your weapon loadout, some appearance choices, perks, contracts and killstreaks.
Perks and killstreaks deserve special mention. Perks are bonuses that you can choose at the character loadout screen. These perks can vary but some include the ability to muffle your footsteps, have two attachments on your weapons, or even get killstreaks earlier among other things.
Killstreaks are in match bonuses one achieves for killing a set number of people. They, much the perks, are highly variable and get be selected on the character loadout screen. Some of the options include summoning attack helicopters, dropping care packages, and even sicking dogs on enemies.
If there is one thing that I didn't enjoy, it was the uneven pairing. Black Ops pairs you with the closest available party instead of those in your skill range. This means you could be a level one character fighting against 50 elites. So be prepared to die often. However, there is a mode called combat training that allows you to spar against computer generated versions of your friends, giving you time to practice your skills.
Zombies man, zombies. The mode that has appeared in World at War returns. It's a joy to play, pushing you and your friends to surivive as many rounds as possible before being overwhelmed. The game initially only comes with two maps, but others are available through DLC. There's also an isometric view zombie shooter game reminiscent of things like Contra. It follows the same premise as the regular Zombies, but you have more lives instead of just one.
Visually, the game looks very clean and runs great. Characters look lifelike and environments are beautiful. I don't think there's anything I can say bad about the visuals. Of course, there is the option to play the game in 3-D. The 3-D was passable, but nowhere near the level of the God of War Origins collection where the depth on the screen seemed to go on forever.
For sound design, Call of Duty: Black Ops is supreme. A classic rock soundtrack supplemented with top dollar voice acting. These aren't just good voice actors, they actually got big name stars like Sam Worthington to do Mason. Even the DLC has stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar doing vocal work. Guns and explosions sound realistic as well. The sound for Black Ops is truly epic.
If you enjoy FPS, then Black Ops is definitely your cup of tea. There's tons of value here. You can choose to do the main story or some combat training alone, split screen co-op some Zombies, or go all out and find as many friends as you can for some good old Team Deathmatch. Black Ops comes with tons of options and that's great.
Black Ops isn't inherently revolutionary by any means, but it provides hours of entertainment. If you can overlook the match pairing imbalance, you'll be pleasantly satisfied with the gameplay here. Since the game has came down in price, it's definitely worth it.
The Good: Excellent visuals, epic sound design, superb voice acting, simple and effective gameplay, tons of multiplayer options, Zombies is back, perk and killstreak options make multiplayer fun and unique.
The Bad: Imbalanced pairing for multiplayer leads to new players being paired with veterans.