"Finally, one of the most anticipated games of 2010 has finally arrived. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" is the latest installment of the award-winning "Call of Duty" franchise. "Black Ops" builds off of the successful elements of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," while improving on weak areas.
"The game begins with the character, Alex Mason, strapped to a chair while being interrogated by a mysterious man behind fogged glass. During the interrogation, Mason flashes back to his covert operations, which comprise the main campaign. The campaign takes players through actual events in history in which black operations took place. The story begins as the player invades Cuba during the Bay of Pigs invasion in an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro. The player then travels to the Vorkuta Gulag in Vorkuta, Russia, where Mason assists in a breakout with his friend shifts Viktor Reznov.
"The setting then shifts to Vietnam, where Mason aids in the fight against the Vietcong. Mason’s main mission is to destroy a deadly Nazi super weapon, Nova-6, which would devastate the world if it fell into Soviet Hands. While this is happening, Mason tries to find out why there is a series of numbers infused in his head, which came from a radio broadcast station, making him forget knowledge and distorting his perception of reality. This provides a pleasant twist at the end of the campaign that is a fresh experience when compared to the usual Call of Duty plot device of killing off main characters.
"While the campaign is strong and can stand on its own, despite its semi-short length, the heart and soul of the "Call of Duty" franchise lies with its multiplayer experience. A fresh array of new multiplayer maps and retainment of the fan-favorite game modes make the whole experience very enjoyable. Players unlock objects at certain levels, and much of the content in multiplayer is bought by the player with "Call of Duty Currency," earned by completing challenges and matches. This makes upgrading weapons much easier than previous games, without having to complete everything in order to unlock upgrades. For players new to the "Call of Duty" experience, "Black Ops" gives those players a new mode titled "Combat Training." "Combat Training" gives new players the ability to adjust the difficulty of different bots, and allows the player to choose game modes they want to play without feeling overwhelmed by more experienced players online. "Combat Training" also gives experienced players more training, allowing them to have an edge on their competition online. The improved multiplayer also gives its users new game modes to play in, such as "Barebones" and "Wager Matches." "Barebones" strips down game modes to the basics, with little to no kill streaks. "Wager Matches" give players the ability to make bets on how well they will do and how well their team will do.
"Returning to the series is the very popular game mode, "Zombies." In "Call of Duty: World at War," it gave the players the task of fending off a hoard of hungry Nazi zombies to see how long they could last. "Black Ops" gives the player three new ways to have zombie-killing fun. One mode allows players to fight off more Nazi zombies, while another has players fending off U.S. Army zombies in an underground bunker as John Kennedy, giving him the title of "John Kennedy: Zombie Slayer." The final mode is called "Dead Ops Arcade," a third-person zombie shooer that is only unlocked once the player has broken Mason free from the chair.
""Call of Duty: Black Ops" is an enjoyable game that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy. Whether you play it for the campaign or to have the thrill of fighting other players from around the world, "Black Ops" has something for everyone. The twists and turns along the main story keeps players intrigued, while tying it all up in the end, alluding to a possible sequel.
