Today, I did something I didn’t think I would end up doing this year. Like millions of other gamers around the world, I went into a shop and bought Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Why is this strange? Well, it isn’t really, but up until today I’d managed to suppress any desire whatsoever to play Activision’s latest blockbuster. Not for any particular reason. Don’t get me wrong, there are countless reasons why any one person would wish to ignore both Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, but my reasons never became anymore complicated than “I can’t be arsed.” I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to play it, a feeling which didn’t really improve even when the game was sat – bought and paid for – on my desk at work. For some of the reasons outlined in my first article as a permanent writer at Tap, I have long since abandoned Modern Warfare 2 and never envisaged myself rushing back to the series anytime soon.
So why did I buy it? I don’t really know. I’m a sucker for good advertising, I’ll say that much, and part of me thinks I eventually caved in as some sort of warped obligation as a gamer. A bigger part of me however wants to think I did this simply for Treyarch. Cast aside as the second studio during the Infinity Ward glory years, Treyarch suddenly find themselves with a golden opportunity to step upto the primary developer plate. I also loved World at War probably more than I’ve loved a Call of Duty game since the PC original, and despite a heap of bad press just for being Treyarch, I thought it featured a better single player than either of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare outings. What little intrigue I have for Black Ops is founded upon these foundations and these foundations alone.
I’ve played it a little, extending to a solitary campaign mission and about 10 minutes of multiplayer, so I won’t be judging the game just yet. No doubt I’ll follow this up with a First Impressions over the coming days. Unless the game leads me to Modern Warfare 2 levels of frustration first, that is.
Email the author of this post at matc@tap-repeatedly.com
I have nothing fresh on my gaming system at the moment and I saw this post and thought, Steam! Sure enough it’s there, but for 60 coin of the US realm. Ouch. I enjoy these games, but not that much. Going to have to wait till xmas to see if there’s a sale.
I’m going to grab my copy this afternoon. The parts I’ve most enjoyed of the last few have been the non-traditional ones: the zombie levels and the Spec Ops missions.
I’ve lost my taste for the online play. It’s not that I mind getting shot in the head from a remote perch by a ten-year-old, it’s that I mind then having to listen to the little twat gloat.
Good luck with it, Mat. I stayed away from World at War precisely because I hated Call of Duty 3 so much, which was my first impressions of Treyarch.
Ah, some Treyarch love at last! They deserve it. Awesome little devs, cast in the role of mindless subervients producing the ‘second sequels’.
People forget these are the guys who made Die By the Sword in the late nineties; games chiefly concerned with DISMEMBERMENT FOR FUN – that they later came very close to creating heaven in game form with the openworld driving/running Zombie-GTA game, Dead Rush – tragically cancelled late in dev.
They ain’t just a faceless little band doing as they’re told. They had spirit – once. And showed they retain it with the zombie mode of World at War, the art style of the undead and arenas.
They also emphasise the extreme violence of war a lot more effectively than did Infinity Ward, for the most part. If I’m playing a war game, I’d rather see the honest (or even exaggerated) consequences of Bullets + People. It’s part of the experience to feel guilt for the implied pain and suffering you inflict, which in turn makes you question the value of your objectives and all in all gives another part of that ‘soldier experience’, however shallow and light-entertainment the games may be.
Treyarch have the sense of fun Infinity Ward lacked.
Oh, and regarding Call of Duty 3, xtal – were you aware they were given only eight months to create it? It’s rubbish, yes, but.. I suddenly felt a rush of sympathy when I learned that, long after release.
I want to play this because apparently, you get to go to Mt Yamantau:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamantau
(The anecdote at the end is win)
I love this trailer. http://www.hulu.com/watch/191519/call-of-duty-black-ops-a-soldier-in-all-of-us
What grabs me is a few seconds in the middle when a plump (and very pretty, if I may say) gal pops off a big round while making Serious Face followed by a cut to her leaning against a wall with a look of wonder and satisfaction. The did-I-just-do-that? half-grin perfectly captures the pleasure of video games.
Fink: Your link is US only.
Sheldon: Thanks for the link, that was a fascinating if brief study =)
I’ve seen that hulu spot before. Very effective how it shows people from all walks of life enjoying the game inside the game and not the usual three teenaged boys slumped on a couch in a living room in Any Town.
Here’s a YouTube link that might work better…hopefully.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pblj3JHF-Jo
One interesting feature bundled with Black Ops is the ability to draw your own player logos, along with your own clan tags and other call signs.
The result? Well I’ve spent just a few hours with the multiplayer and I’ve already come across numerous Nazi logos (with various degrees of quality) and Nazi related tags. Oh, and just spotted something what someone else has seen and uploaded onto NeoGAF,
http://imgur.com/BhOMl.png
Refer back to my original article. That all may re-apply very shortly. Theres no accounting for class..
I had the chance to play Black Ops briefly with a friend on Friday – being co-op people, we tried the training missions (got killed by bots) and the Zombies game, which was lots of fun despite our sucking. Then we switched over to Splinter Cell.
The lack of a Spec Ops type of co-op game in this one really hurts it, in my opinion.