We all know that Call of Duty is the Juggernaut of the video game industry with at least a game in the series coming out every year. Black Ops is the latest in the release by Treyarch studios who some people regard as the underdog compared to the disbanded Infinity Ward. A billion dollars in the bank and millions of sales later, does this mean that they have the best Call of Duty in the series? Read on to find out

This is my first Treyarch Call of Duty and the third in the series that I have played and I must say that I am not wowed by the series because of the silliness of the single player campaign and the childish feel of the multiplayer compared to other shooters in the market. This does not mean that I dislike it all, on the contrary, there are some parts of the game that feels awesome and kicks ass like the various elements of the multiplayer.

7.8/10 The single player campaign is short and not worth the asking price because it comes in at only 5 to 7 hours depending on the level of difficulty you set. Black Ops takes place during the cold war. In the beginning, you play Alex Mason, an interrogated Special Forces operative flashed back to Cuba while in the chair. Mason is sent to Cuba to assassinate Fidel Castro when things go awry and you are caught while trying to escape with your friends Joseph Bowman and Frank Woods. While still in interrogation, you get a flash back of your escape from prison with a crazy Russian called Victor Reznov which is where things really get interesting and fast. The thing is that after you were captured by the real Fidel Castro and handed over to America’s enemy, Dragovich, you were brainwashed into doing something sinister that will certainly make you enemy of the State number 1. The whole idea of the interrogation is to get you to realised that you were brainwashed into hiding some mysterious numbers which when broadcast will send instructions to sleeper cells in the US so they can release the deadly Nova-6 nerve gas that would kill millions of people in different cities. We all know this is not going to happen as this is a game and you are definitely going to stop it. This mission takes you to various locals around the world which includes Jungles, Icy areas and swamps. There are various weapons in the game but you are limited to a few and can only carry picked weapons one at a time which limited the overall experience of the single player. The gunplay in my opinion in weak and sounds underpowered compared to other games like Battlefield Bad Company 2. I have a 5.1 surround system and the sound that comes out from a shotgun does not impress. I need the thunderous sound and the ground to shake.

8/10 Zombies is a funny addition to this package which makes you forget the actual length of the single player campaign. You play one of 3 characters and your aim is to prevent zombies from entering the room at all cost. If that actually fails, you can always device a strategy for the incoming stronger enemy with better weapons placed on the wall. The key here is teamwork
7/10 Dead Ops Arcade is an arcade style shooter if zombies is not enough. This is done on top down view of the map and you are place to kill a lot of zombies. The video explains how to unlock it.

9.2/10 Multiplayer is the heart and soul of this game and I do not think I have scratch the surface of this segment yet although I have spent some time fragging some foes online. Leaning has returned and also dedicated servers. I do not own a dedicated server but it is a silly idea to leave it out in PC gaming which would have irritated a lot of PC gamers. Match making is Ok but not great and most of the time not responsive. If you are scared of going online because of the reputation of the multiplayer of being brutal then you can opt in for some training in the Bot mode called Combat Training either alone or with friends. Kill Streaks are an example of why this game will keep you coming back for more. Anytime you kill a consecutive amount of players, you get a reward in the form of napalm strike, mortars, or a SAM turret to shoot down gunships. Customizations of gear and weapons certainly add a lot of replayability to this shooter like flak jacket which reduces explosive impact on the player. CoD points are in game currency earned while fragging foes and earning experience points which can be used to unlock new weapons and accessories in order to be efficient and deadly on the battlefield. Wager matches allow you to bet on Cod Points and the top 3 players split the winnings. The 4 modes in wager matches are: One the Chamber, Stick and Stones, Gun game and Sharp shooter. Weapon customization is in-depth which includes attaching custom made emblems which you can buy with CoD points. Theater mode enables you share screenshots with friends online. There are other modes which have not been explored here but certainly make you want to continue playing this game for months.

8.0/10 Black Ops graphics is getting long in the tooth as it is running on an old engine which ran the first Modern Warfare back in 2007. The facial animation is great and very realistic. From the neck of the character down felt a little rough and does not compare to the awesome face animation. Walking and talking and killing did not feel as if they were stiff which is a good thing. Some maps in the campaign have great textures and large areas of battlefield.

8.0/10 Sound is great all around with great music and soundtrack from the cold war era. Sounds coming from gunshots and grenades should have been better. Voice acting is superb with people like Sam Worthington and Gary Oldman lending their voice to this epic game.

Overall this is a product you buy for its multiplayer which will last you for months. Zombies and Black Ops arcade certainly add value to overall replayability of this game.