Is the COD series done?
Graphics: 7.5/10.
When you have sequels to a game most of the time you would think that the graphics would get better right? Wrong, if you look at the graphics from COD: Modern Warfare 2 and then compare them to the graphics of Black Ops you can clearly tell that Black Ops graphics are not as good. It is not that the graphics are that bad it is just that you would expect a game to get better graphics as it continues on, not the other way around.
Story Mode: 8.0/10.
Now this area I was extremely shocked about. Every other COD game in the series I have rated their story modes fairly low and have disregarded them as a disgrace to single player gamers. This one however is actually quite good. You play character Alec Mason who is a highly awarded and recognized Black Ops fighter. When the game starts of you are attacked to a chair and people (unknown to you who, until a later time) are asking you questions about a set of numbers. After this the people questioning you end up searching your previous memories and these previous memories are your missions. These missions range from prison breaks to crazy special ops mission were your mission has been ordered directly from the president himself. The whole story folds so just you wait and see how it ends. Now some people reading this may ask the question if it seems like I loved the story mode so much why did I only give it an 8/10. Yes it is great but the problem is, is that it is once again like every COD game too short. This really pisses me off, loads of people complain each year about the length of the COD game campaigns and yet they continue to make the same mistake of making the campaign only a couple of hours. Come on Infantry Ward and Treyarch learn your lesson already.
Online: 9.0/10.
Once again the COD series brings one of the most addicting online experiences of the year. Yes, once again this is a COD game were you will not get any sleep from. Once this game hooks you in it becomes extremely hard to resist the temptation to play and without realizing it half of your day has gone to waste playing Black Ops. Now onto the actually online experience. I for one do not like the new money system they have set up because I think that it makes the game too easy for people in general and even if you suck it is easy to get money through contracts or of course the extremely popular wager matches. Besides the new money system the maps for Black Ops are not very creative and they feel a lot smaller than previous games. Even with this C Black Ops still offers one of the best online experience so out there so don't pass on the game yet.
Game play: 9/10.
The game play in COD games has always been amazing no matter what the final out come of the game is. When playing it online or offline you will really enjoy the core game play because of the great new guns. Yes, the new guns in Black Ops are a blast. In fact I would go as far to say that they are almost as good as the ones in COD Modern Warfare and that is very hard to do. With that it is hard to say really anything about COD game play because everyone knows what it is like. It is not insanely complicated but it is still great fps game play that you'll crave after your done playing even without the addition of anything new.
Immersion: 4.0/10.
This is by far the area were Black Ops falls short the most. It seems like they make the same mistake every year of not making single player battles seem bigger than one selected area. This is a huge upset because while playing it feels like you are only fighting at the one area and it does not give the game the feel that there is more besides just this one area of the battle. This problem is also present online and each map feels small and closed in. It almost feels like you are playing paintball in the woods with a group of friends instead of feeling like you are fighting one battle in a huge war.
Voice acting and characters: 8.0/10.
Once again this is a COD game with a brand new cast of characters that have extremely realistic acting. The voice acting in Black Ops is perfect and certain characters actors actually even sound like big time actors. This really helps the game when you are playing the campaign because it really brings a feel of realism to the battle. Now the characters on the other hand are a different story. Most of the characters from this new game are not very individual designed and they probably won't stick with you after you stop playing. Of all the characters in Black Ops the one you will come to love the most and the one that might be the only one to stick with you after your done is Woods. Woods is just an all around amazing character and if I say any more I would spoil the game for you.
Sound: 10/10.
The COD series has always had the ability to capture the sound of warfare like no other fps game and they continue this ability in Black Ops. Black Ops sound is absolutely amazing and the noises of warfare are pitch perfect to what you would hear in real life. From the noises of a gun firing to the sound of some guy running, Black Ops has captured every sound of the game perfectly.
Biggest Pros:
-Highly addictive.
-Great guns.
-Fun online that never gets repetitive.
-Classic COD experience.
Biggest Cons:
-Been there, done that.
-Short campaign.
-Little to no immersion.
-Highly addictive.
-Graphics feel like a step back.
Final Verdict:
It might not be the best buy of your gaming life but COD Black Ops is a game worth picking up. It has highly addictive action both online and offline which make the whole experience fairly solid. Now to answer my original question of is the COD series down, here is my answer. Yes in my opinion the COD series is done, with the making of Black Ops the series has really come to a point were they can't do any more to the game without making it bad. So on that note overall, COD: Black Ops is a great game for any fps shooter fan but just remember when playing to not get too addicted to the online experience.
Final grade: 7.9/10.