Call of Duty: Black Ops

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1770 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 966 out of 1770
  2. Mixed: 419 out of 1770
  3. Negative: 385 out of 1770
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  1. msherry9
    Mar 26, 2011
    6
    I'm a little disappointed that the Call of Duty franchise has hit a point in the series' history where any subpar developer can slap the words "Call of Duty" on the front cover and it will become the most successful selling game of all time. Yes, Black Ops is still an excellent game, but I'm giving it a 6 because the game had a ridiculous amount of hype and yet, it delivered absolutelyI'm a little disappointed that the Call of Duty franchise has hit a point in the series' history where any subpar developer can slap the words "Call of Duty" on the front cover and it will become the most successful selling game of all time. Yes, Black Ops is still an excellent game, but I'm giving it a 6 because the game had a ridiculous amount of hype and yet, it delivered absolutely nothing new or inspiring to the table. As another user critic said, the game is doing nothing except receive a piggy back ride from Modern Warfare 2. If Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 switched release dates, MW2 would be the best selling game of all time. You could not tell the difference between which game was released first. The only reason that Black Ops is as successful as it is, is because of one reason: it is more new. I am not exaggerating this when I say it. It is not superior in any way, but rather actually a degrade in many aspects. To start, the graphics are literally the exact same. And in some cases, it somehow manages to be worse. I have absolutely no idea how, and I still have don't have an answer to this day, other than the engine is worse the MW2's. On the topic, since the engine is different, the entire feel of the game isn't as smooth as MW2 feels. I can't describe it too well, it just feels clunkier, and the hit detection is worse. The single player is very good, despite having another extremely short campaign. You can complete the campaign on Normal difficulty in probably 3 hours tops, so if you don't have online, I highly urge you to not buy this game. The storyline of the campaign is very original in my opinion, and the ending was very well-written. Despite this, it was a little anti-climatic, as I'm used to a pulsating thrill-ride the last ten minutes of a standard Call of Duty campaign. Voice-acting was extremely well-done, and there's some recognizable names behind the acting such as Ice Cube that really deliver an astounding performance. Some of the missions are a little cliche, a mere, "Been there, done that" feeling that you have already experienced this in other installments. Moving on to multiplayer, this is where I feel that I was disappointed the most. Sure, Black Ops has their original Nazi Zombies, but let's be honest, would you really pay $60 for just that? It's fun for awhile, but not enough to warrant a purchase alone. The multiplayer maps online are merely a host of mediocre maps that are nothing memorable. They involve a lot of camping spots and chokepoints that enemy players are constantly hovering around. Also, because so many of them are not as largescale as MW2's maps, sniping essentially goes out the window. On the topic of snipers, they themselves are worthless weapons in comparison to any assault rifle, and it is not uncommon to be called a noob for using one. The weapons are unbalanced, and everyone uses either the FAMAS or the AK74u, which is to be expected, since both of these guns are far superior to the others. The sound quality has actually become worse than on MW2, and the killstreaks available to you are boring or borrowed from MW2. One example is the Chopper Gunner; sound familiar? Amidst this darkness are some great new addions, however, such as the ability to customize your own personal emblem. Also, the addition of contracts is a rather cool idea, and some new game modes such as One in the Chamber are a blast to play. Overall, there are some great additions to Black Ops, but they don't add up to much. And they certainly don't add up to an entire purchase of a brand new game that feels, looks, and plays like MW2. If you have your copy of MW2 stlll, it would be best if you stuck with that. If not, I guess Black Ops would be a worthy purchase since that's what everyone else plays.… Expand
  2. pirodev
    Nov 22, 2010
    7
    I couldn't help but be very excited for this game because it was so well marketed and the expectation was that it would be better than modern warfare. Needless to say there was a big let down. The campain was good, but felt forced, with no real new ideas. I had hoped that it would be more of a solo mission without your team members which usually only add to the mass confusion when tryingI couldn't help but be very excited for this game because it was so well marketed and the expectation was that it would be better than modern warfare. Needless to say there was a big let down. The campain was good, but felt forced, with no real new ideas. I had hoped that it would be more of a solo mission without your team members which usually only add to the mass confusion when trying to shoot your way to safety. The game is called black ops but it never really felt like Black ops. Theres still a ways to go before Call of Duty will get character development right, and a truly engulfed story line.

    That being said, I do think that the multiplayer experience is a improvement. The perks are more even, the maps are better with numerous entry ways into every building, customization is great, stats/leaderboards are well thought out, and the new free for all game modes are fun (but you cannot gain xp, only cod points).

    As for Zombies I could'nt be bothered, I miss the spec ops, which was my favorite feature for Modern Warfare 2. Overall: Campain - 6 Multiplayer - 9    … Expand
  3. Shortstack_519
    Jun 19, 2013
    7
    As my First Cod game, I think this one is my favorite. It isn't that good of a game, but I poured countless hours into zombies and online play. And as much as I'm done with Cod me and my friends did enjoy our time with this one.
  4. Sammechu
    Aug 2, 2013
    7
    CODBO is not one of the best games ever in any way, but it is one of my favorites. Zombies is what makes the game really stand out, without that it would just be a game with a slightly decent story and an alright multiplayer experience.
  5. xLeTudex
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    I am a big fan of the franchise and have played all the games. Its just seems all the good work done by Infinity Ward making the best shooters ever in the Modern Warfare games, are undone each year by Treyarch and their 'attempts'. World at War was disapointting and so is Black Ops. The campaign has decent action, but is so linear and the same throughout. I would love a different pacing inI am a big fan of the franchise and have played all the games. Its just seems all the good work done by Infinity Ward making the best shooters ever in the Modern Warfare games, are undone each year by Treyarch and their 'attempts'. World at War was disapointting and so is Black Ops. The campaign has decent action, but is so linear and the same throughout. I would love a different pacing in missions instead of the same old routine in killing enemy after enemy running towards you between an objective down a corridor. Zombies is just the same as in World at War, nothing new. Multiplayer can be fun, but also make you feel suicidal. LAG LAG LAG. Its a good job they put wager matches in because this is the only mode thats keeps me playing, they are a lot of fun. My advice, stick to Modern Warfare 2.… Expand
  6. grandpajoe6191
    Nov 8, 2011
    7
    Okay. "Call of duty: Black Ops" is a game in a situation called "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained". It's like copying MW2 into another CD and selling it back, except that it has different titles and more **** graphics. The zombies are the only stand-alone con that makes me play this game with my friends. Either than that, I'm ready to sell this ****
  7. dupplawt
    Mar 23, 2011
    6
    Call of Duty Black Ops doesn't do much to advance the series or change up the 'winning formula' that Call of Duty 4 established. Developed by Treyarch, they have once again made only refinements to the multi-player experience. The removal of juggernaut and stopping power perks is a good idea, as well as toning the kill-streaks down. But there's still some questionable decisions. RC-XD andCall of Duty Black Ops doesn't do much to advance the series or change up the 'winning formula' that Call of Duty 4 established. Developed by Treyarch, they have once again made only refinements to the multi-player experience. The removal of juggernaut and stopping power perks is a good idea, as well as toning the kill-streaks down. But there's still some questionable decisions. RC-XD and second chance being the main negatives of the multi-player experience. Luckily, there are lobbies to avoid the nuisance of the aforementioned perks. The ability to go split-screen online is a massive bonus, and the 2 zombie maps included are good for a few hours. The campaign was poor and although slightly longer than Modern Warfare 2, it was boring and generic **** and with no ability to play the game any differently to the millions who have likely played it. Nonetheless, the content including multi-player and zombies, including the top-down Dead Ops, are all decent but fail to break any new ground for the series.… Expand
  8. Sliggs
    Dec 26, 2010
    6
    Ok, some of these review scores are ridiculous, im seeing 0's? There are much much worse games out there than Black Ops. I agree its not as good as MW2 by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't mean its a bad game. Treyarch introduced some cool new feature like the customisation, and theatre mode, some credit has to be given to Treyarch for introducing theatre to the series.Ok, some of these review scores are ridiculous, im seeing 0's? There are much much worse games out there than Black Ops. I agree its not as good as MW2 by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't mean its a bad game. Treyarch introduced some cool new feature like the customisation, and theatre mode, some credit has to be given to Treyarch for introducing theatre to the series. While Treyarch got some things wrong they got some things right that Modern Warfare 2 did not. The Assist points are fairer, killstreaks (no nukes and kills from killstreaks do not count towads awards) etc. Dissapointed with the campaign but thats only compared to other COD games, as mentioned before there are much much worse games out there than this. This is an honest opinion and a fair score in my opinion.… Expand
  9. peopgamer
    Feb 15, 2011
    6
    Every year their is Call of Duty game, and now its beginning to show. Im bored of the same gameplay and graphics engine, I want something new. It was new in Call of Duty 4. Fair enough the single player cinematic but again its only 6 hours long, as seen in the past 6 games. The multiplayer is just not as good as World at War or Modern Warfare 2, its not compelling. I think a Call of DutyEvery year their is Call of Duty game, and now its beginning to show. Im bored of the same gameplay and graphics engine, I want something new. It was new in Call of Duty 4. Fair enough the single player cinematic but again its only 6 hours long, as seen in the past 6 games. The multiplayer is just not as good as World at War or Modern Warfare 2, its not compelling. I think a Call of Duty game every year is too much. A… Expand
  10. claychastain
    Nov 24, 2010
    7
    This isn't a bad game, but it isn't anything new. The single player didn't engage me at all and I had no idea or interest in whatever the plot was supposed to be about. Kill a Russian or something, just like every other game ever made. There are ridiculous moments in it and too many uses of "cool factor" slowmos that are more cliche than cool. As well, there are times when infinite numbersThis isn't a bad game, but it isn't anything new. The single player didn't engage me at all and I had no idea or interest in whatever the plot was supposed to be about. Kill a Russian or something, just like every other game ever made. There are ridiculous moments in it and too many uses of "cool factor" slowmos that are more cliche than cool. As well, there are times when infinite numbers of enemies rush trenches in mind-boggling simplicity that makes the entire game feel fake. The multiplayer is essentially the same as MW2 -- if you've played that, you played this. It's okay, but I dislike the maps. They're murky looking and not as fun to play in. All of the things that have frustrated me about MW2 are now compiled with all of the things that frustrated me about WaW and it's not enough to keep me playing.… Expand
  11. uncleowen
    Nov 14, 2010
    6
    I hope everyone enjoys broke ass servers, laughable spawning, and a cliche campaign. If so your in the right place. If not you'll probably stop playing the campaign at Khe Sahn. When you quit to multiplayer you'll try to connect with your pals but oh no we can't all get in a game together. Next you'll be by yourself in a game. Maybe I'll snipe you'll say. Nope, says treyarch we nerfedI hope everyone enjoys broke ass servers, laughable spawning, and a cliche campaign. If so your in the right place. If not you'll probably stop playing the campaign at Khe Sahn. When you quit to multiplayer you'll try to connect with your pals but oh no we can't all get in a game together. Next you'll be by yourself in a game. Maybe I'll snipe you'll say. Nope, says treyarch we nerfed sniping cause nuke boosters along with other **** **** about it. How about a shotgun, Oh please! Pros: map balance, emblem customization, rc car killstreak, crossbow, prison break mission, and dead ops arcade.… Expand
  12. zealot027
    Dec 16, 2010
    7
    I'm disappointed, to say the least. World at War is by far, to this day, my favorite Call of Duty game EVER. I thought Call of Duty 3 was a good game, too. Accordingly, I had high expectations for Treyarch. I can't say I hate Black Ops, because I don't, I just don't LOVE it. First off, let's start with the perks - The Campaign blew me away. I thought it would be a Modern Warfare 2-styleI'm disappointed, to say the least. World at War is by far, to this day, my favorite Call of Duty game EVER. I thought Call of Duty 3 was a good game, too. Accordingly, I had high expectations for Treyarch. I can't say I hate Black Ops, because I don't, I just don't LOVE it. First off, let's start with the perks - The Campaign blew me away. I thought it would be a Modern Warfare 2-style thing with a little more stealth and set in the 60`s. Hey, I wouldn't have had a problem with that, Modern Warfare 2's Campaign was great for me. Black Ops blew that out of the water... It was amazing. I'm not the most skilled player out there, Regular is about where I'm at. Every CoD game prior to this bored me at some point and just seemed too hard... Never did this happen in Black Ops. Treyarch's story is amazing, and I'd buy "Black Ops 2" or whatever just to see what else happens to Mason and Hudson and everyone... I actually felt attached to the characters this time. Next - Zombies. Kino Der Toten is one of the best Zombie Maps out there, better than the amazing Der Riese, which, until now, was my favorite map. Dempsy, Nikolai, Takeo and Richtofen are hilarious, and they can make an impossible situation to overcome all the brighter. Plus, I've never had so much fun slaughtering zombies as a Presidential Aid... Ever! "Five" is another great map in Zombies where you play as JFK, Robert McNamara, Richard Nixon and Fidel Castro as you hold off hordes of the undead in the Pentagon. How that makes any sense, I don't know. Just go with it. Split-screen System Link and XBL is also a great feature, even if it is only 2 players - my brother and I both have our own Xbox and Black Ops, so we're never short of players for a zombie match. The game's graphics are good, but not great - Reach's outshine them by a long shot, but Black Ops, like W@W, has very realistic gore in it, which Reach lacks. Now for the negatives... Multiplayer. Most people only play Call of Duty anymore for the online Multiplayer. You guys, back off, Black Ops's MP is awful. The maps are basically just a bunch of corridors and a few back alleys with windows to give people a "sniping perch." FAIL. Fifteen feet isn't nearly enough room to merit a sniper rifle use... heck, an MP5K would work better. Speaking of that, SMG`s seem to dominate the maps due to the lack of space. Snipers, as said before, out of the picture. LMG`s need a little room to use... The Stoner 63 is the only one worth using AT ALL, but you can't get that until you've bought all of the other LMG`s that you'll likely never use. AR`s are still useful, and Shotguns, primaries again, are actually usable to the same degree of effectiveness as, say, the M60 (LMG). All the weapons shoot a lot better than MW2's, though, so on the only good maps, Jungle and Array, it's actually fun to use them - heck, you can even snipe on these maps! I'd like to complain about the unlock system, though - I love the emblem creator and the fact that you can buy any perk you want at any time, saves me a lot of crap. But I no longer feel encouraged to use a weapon a lot so I can unlock all the attachments. In MW2, I'd stick with the M4 or whatever until I'd gotten everything, except Extended Mags (too hard for me lol) and the Shotgun (I loathe Noob Tubes, I only managed to unlock the shotgun for my absolute FAVORITE guns). Now, you buy each gun for 2000 CoD points, and then any attachment for 1000 - Suppressors are 2000, and Noob Tubes are 3000. Then you're finished. I don't want to waste my CoD points trying out different attachments. MW2 MADE you use them to get XP and more attachments. I now LOVE the ACOG Scope on the ACR - I never would've used that if the Thermal Scope hadn't been involved. There's no motivation here. I didn't realize that I liked the M16 with an ACOG Scope until just recently, whereas I'd have used it the instant I got it to get that Thermal (Infrared, in BO) Scope.

    Final thoughts - Good Game. Campaign gets 8.25/10 (Due to shortness). Zombies gets 10/10, and Multiplayer gets 3.5/10, terrible, save for that rare match on Array where I can crawl up onto the radio tower and snipe for a while.    … Expand
  13. Tatsuhiko
    Jul 10, 2011
    6
    Single player is forgettable and fails to suck you into it's plot. Multiplayer is what people actually buy the game for and it still lacks in everything. Lag issues, awful respawn points at times, but I will say this though: The multiplayer is certainly better than MW2...although no CoD games compare to CoD4.
  14. Neelyry
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    First off id like to say i have great high speed internet and never ever lag in any games. Except for this, lagged out of my second online game. This game has terrible servers, almost always making u lag no matter how much you pay for the internet per month. Everytime i turn this game on it makes me want to go back to medal of honor. That game never lags and was seriously underrated. MOHFirst off id like to say i have great high speed internet and never ever lag in any games. Except for this, lagged out of my second online game. This game has terrible servers, almost always making u lag no matter how much you pay for the internet per month. Everytime i turn this game on it makes me want to go back to medal of honor. That game never lags and was seriously underrated. MOH is the most realistic shooter, and so far from what ive seen it blows Black Ops out of the water. Rent MOH and tell me im wrong… Expand
  15. Berlitzexpert
    Nov 10, 2010
    5
    Hoorah! This game is gonna sell like gangbusters due to a great marketing campaign and franchise recognition. Sad, as this is just about the only positive thing I can say about this game. First off, it is not half the game "Medal of Honor" is, especially the single player. True, the plot might be intriguing, but the execution is laughable. Just by virtue of being a Treyarch game thatHoorah! This game is gonna sell like gangbusters due to a great marketing campaign and franchise recognition. Sad, as this is just about the only positive thing I can say about this game. First off, it is not half the game "Medal of Honor" is, especially the single player. True, the plot might be intriguing, but the execution is laughable. Just by virtue of being a Treyarch game that doesn't completely suck, this somehow translates into being on par with the best in the genre? Right...

    Going on, the color palette in "Black Ops" is horrendous, the graphics are generally bland and the scripting just as present as in every other title out there. However, this game gets away easy in reviews when it comes to this. Why? It's "Call of Duty".

    Aside from the visuals, the sound design is also mediocre. Listen to this next to "Medal of Honor" on a sound system (or heck; just your TV) and tell me which has the better sound mix. Hint: It is not "Black Ops". In fact, "Medal of Honor" has the best sound mix I have ever heard in a game. It is truly an acoustic marvel, and deserves to be heard.
    Adding insult to injury, a set of spastic, drugged-out-of-their-minds and pathetically acted scenes is what we get to tie everything together. "Black" did this in a much better way in 2006. On the Xbox and PS2, nonetheless.

    Also, many have made a point out of the ethical dilemma one faces when setting a FPS to a real world war. How the situation demands respect and thought. In this regard, in whatever way "Medal of Honor" failed to do so in regards to the current war in Afghanistan absolutely pales in comparison to the travesty Treyarch gives us here. JFK as a zombie-killer side-by-side with Castro? Now there is respect and historical accuracy for you! The Infinity Ward games, while being ridiculous at times, at least knew where to draw the line. Not so here. "Black Ops" is a dumb game by design and proud of it.

    In short:
    I will return "Black Ops" to my game retailer and get a title worth playing instead. "This years Biggest Disappointment"? Achievement unlocked.    … Expand
  16. dexitron
    Nov 10, 2010
    7
    I own all the call of duty games in the series for PC. Played them til my eyes crossed at times.
    The single player game was fantastic challenging without being too frustrating, astounding plot, phenomenal graphics, compelling characters. It felt like a six and a half hour interactive movie. Single player campaign was miles above MW2 in my opinion, and I thought MW2 could not be topped.    I own all the call of duty games in the series for PC. Played them til my eyes crossed at times.
    The single player game was fantastic challenging without being too frustrating, astounding plot, phenomenal graphics, compelling characters. It felt like a six and a half hour interactive movie. Single player campaign was miles above MW2 in my opinion, and I thought MW2 could not be topped.

    The Multi-player has a very WAW fell with modern weapons even some that did not exist in the time frame of this game setting, but I'm glad they stretched reality there it makes for a better experience.
    Updated but not revolutionary is the best way to describe multi-player.

    The co-op portion was very disappointing, I like the zombies don't get me wrong but I wanted
    the co-op experience similar to MW2. Not to mention just endless waves of zombies gets old quick. The co-op in MW2 had hours of excitement for me and my friends. We had to function like a small Spec-ops team to complete the maps. You needed: communication, precision, and teamwork to do the missions. Not like Multi-player where no matter what organization an communication you try to establish everyone runs around and does there own thing. There is a "Combat Training" mode you can play privately with your friends, but event the AI runs around like decapitated chickens. If they offered non-zombie co-op maps in the future maybe ill buy them (maybe) or hold my breath waiting for it to return next year.

    Overall a great game. I'm glad to see the franchise grow and improve. It would be a perfect 10 but
    multi-player did not blow me away like COD4 & COD6, and no good co-op which makes the game playable again and again.    … Expand
  17. Panek1873
    Nov 15, 2010
    7
    Copy/past from Call of Duty 6(((((There are not ANY brainf*ck moments(But it have story!!!And first in history i like fire and gameplay really different
  18. bigtimechief
    Nov 16, 2010
    7
    It's hilarious how many people give this game a zero. Really? C'mon. If you want to find where the whiners throwing temper tantrums are located, check the user reviews on any Call of Duty game. A zero represents an absolutely unplayable game in which the disk would be best used as a coaster. This game in now way resembles an uncompleted game. Despite it being more of the same, this is aIt's hilarious how many people give this game a zero. Really? C'mon. If you want to find where the whiners throwing temper tantrums are located, check the user reviews on any Call of Duty game. A zero represents an absolutely unplayable game in which the disk would be best used as a coaster. This game in now way resembles an uncompleted game. Despite it being more of the same, this is a game you won't want to miss.… Expand
  19. ste88883
    Nov 14, 2010
    7
    The solo campaign is short but well made but its the multiplayer and zombies that people really buy this game for. Sure it's alot like MW2 but thats no bad thing in my opinion. Its an improvement on an excellent game.
  20. FeliciaRaeann
    Jan 19, 2011
    5
    Campaign: Very short around 3.5-4 hours but that's to be expected with the COD series. The storyline itself was alright but nothing groundbreaking. The game play was meh nothing you haven't seen in previous COD titles.

    Graphics: Are not up to par. That's as nice as I can put it. There were times when some objects took a while to render (for me anyway). Multiplayer: More of the same with a    Campaign: Very short around 3.5-4 hours but that's to be expected with the COD series. The storyline itself was alright but nothing groundbreaking. The game play was meh nothing you haven't seen in previous COD titles.

    Graphics: Are not up to par. That's as nice as I can put it. There were times when some objects took a while to render (for me anyway). Multiplayer: More of the same with a few added features. Nothing really new here.

    Zombie mode: Good addition. Everybody loves killing some zombies.

    My conclusion is that this game does not have enough new substance and what substance it does have does not warrant a $65 purchase. Please save your money! I'm thankful I got it for a Christmas gift.    … Expand
  21. kloborgg
    Mar 1, 2011
    5
    What can you say, really? Call of Duty 4 started a trend of ridiculous popularity, and every CoD game since has followed it step-by-step. There's nothing substantially different between this game and CoD4, aside from some balancing and newer "features". The problem with this game is not that it's another typical CoD game with frustratingly tedious multiplayer (we already know to expectWhat can you say, really? Call of Duty 4 started a trend of ridiculous popularity, and every CoD game since has followed it step-by-step. There's nothing substantially different between this game and CoD4, aside from some balancing and newer "features". The problem with this game is not that it's another typical CoD game with frustratingly tedious multiplayer (we already know to expect that), but that it's actually WORSE in almost every respect to the game that came before it. It should have come of no surprise that Treyarch is the inferior of the two CoD companies, but it's amazing just much they ruined a franchise that was already so bland. Black Ops suffers from worse balancing, worse visuals, worse maps, worse EVERYTHING when compared to MW2. The only saving graces are insignificant pieces like a theater mode taken straight from Halo, some gun customization, and a couple zombies levels that are sure to excite you for maybe an entire week! Of course, people will buy it, as CoD is the milk that feeds that mainstream non-gamer's hunger for a game where you can literally lie down and wait and still be considered great. So, if you like a game riddled with campers, cheap little "killstreaks", a host of connection issues and bugs, and all that other fun stuff, look no further! For those who are actually willing to earn their wins and work for their glory, try looking at a Halo or Battlefield game. Actually, strike that, even if you love the gameplay I explained earlier, go with MW2, which is better than this game is almost every regard.!… Expand
  22. Flamesuitready
    Nov 17, 2010
    7
    Call of Duty only really grabbed my attention once it became Modern Warfare, the second world war just didn't appeal to me as a period for interactive entertainment, the setting of Black Ops in the cold war and Vietnam was an interesting idea, one that Hollywood has been more than willing to explore so the games industry taking a look seemed long overdue (no doubt its not the first, butCall of Duty only really grabbed my attention once it became Modern Warfare, the second world war just didn't appeal to me as a period for interactive entertainment, the setting of Black Ops in the cold war and Vietnam was an interesting idea, one that Hollywood has been more than willing to explore so the games industry taking a look seemed long overdue (no doubt its not the first, but new to me) while the weapons might not be up to the modern whiz bang standards of the recent Modern Warfare / Medal Of Honor games they are not too far off and don't slow things down at all.
    The story is a little hard to follow as its mostly seen from your character's memory and the setting of the present in an interrogation suite disrupts the flow a little, everything makes sense but you actually have to concentrate a little which is more than most FPS's would have you do.
    Quite a few parts of the game are "on rails" and that gets annoying, gameplay gets very frustrating at times as there is just SO much going on that at times you just end up wondering what the hell you are actually supposed to be doing.
    Overall its a decent FPS, not quite as engaging as the previous couple of CODs due to its repeated flashbacks but its definitely enjoyable. 7/10, just missed the 8 due to the frequent overly confusing moments.    … Expand
  23. 16multijet
    Nov 10, 2010
    6
    the new call of duty is worst of the last one in this various things:
    1) graphics is less accurate (see explosion or car... they are very bad)
    2) weapons and accessories

    but is better in 1) customization of your character
    2) big maps multiplayer
  24. manofsin1975
    Nov 16, 2010
    5
    well what can i say, after being blown away with mw and wm2, i unfortunatley found black ops a big let down. the game is a mish mash of world at war, men of valour, moh rising sun and castle wolfenstine. u play between 1945 upto 1968. u are hearded along the game play, following some one else who never helps out when u need him. there are perfetic sequencies when u have to bord a boat orwell what can i say, after being blown away with mw and wm2, i unfortunatley found black ops a big let down. the game is a mish mash of world at war, men of valour, moh rising sun and castle wolfenstine. u play between 1945 upto 1968. u are hearded along the game play, following some one else who never helps out when u need him. there are perfetic sequencies when u have to bord a boat or similar. if u r going to get this game in the hope that u wil be useing the latest weapons u will be dissapointed. what made the first 2 games so good was the massive expanse of the platform and the reality of useing the wrong weapons but in black ops, u can throw umpteen grenades at a hind but it still wont be damaged bcos u have to fly it. the online stuff is more modern but the sounds seem very dumbed down and the the format of buying released weapons is very dull and frustrating. get it as a present, dont waist ur own money as u will go back to mod warfare in less than a week...… Expand
  25. maxqubit
    Nov 16, 2010
    6
    Mp review: I bought it because all my (xbox 360) friends bought it. But c'mon, this game is surprisingly ugly. It actually looks worse than MW2!? That is bizar. And i had more fun playing MW2 as well. BO just irritates me. But it doesn't seems to bother my friends and 3 million other gamers on xbox (more to come)

    It must be me, but i rate BO = 6/10 (in respect to MW1 = 9/10 (classic),    Mp review: I bought it because all my (xbox 360) friends bought it. But c'mon, this game is surprisingly ugly. It actually looks worse than MW2!? That is bizar. And i had more fun playing MW2 as well. BO just irritates me. But it doesn't seems to bother my friends and 3 million other gamers on xbox (more to come)

    It must be me, but i rate BO = 6/10

    (in respect to MW1 = 9/10 (classic), MW2 = 8/10, BC2 = 9/10 and MoH=9/10)

    PS: And the low user score? There are millions of CoD:BO players, if only a small dedicated few show some guts and flood this site with 10/10 user reviews, it would be rated 9.8/10 ... but i guess this shows what the CoD:BO community is made of ... for the most part prolly kids i guess who are not into 'reviewing' only into k/d'n each other with RC carbombs:)    … Expand
  26. MtlGuitarist
    Nov 16, 2010
    6
    Black Ops is an ok game. I wouldn't give it anything above a 6 for the multiplayer, but I haven't played the campaign. I do know how the game ends, I won't give the ending away but it is a horrible twist. The multiplayer is honestly boring, repetitive, and doesn't bring much new to the table. Other than a new unlocking system, some broken killstreaks, and some overpowered weapons (ie. theBlack Ops is an ok game. I wouldn't give it anything above a 6 for the multiplayer, but I haven't played the campaign. I do know how the game ends, I won't give the ending away but it is a horrible twist. The multiplayer is honestly boring, repetitive, and doesn't bring much new to the table. Other than a new unlocking system, some broken killstreaks, and some overpowered weapons (ie. the automatic FAMAS, the Galil, the RC XD, etc.) there is not much new. I mostly bought the game to play the multiplayer with my friends, and even that can get boring after even less than 8 hours of play. The maps are boring and very simplistic, and often you end up getting the same map over and over again. I'm not trying to sound like an MW2 fanboy or a Halo fanboy, but both of those games improved on and at least added new controls, weapons, equipment, etc. Black Ops is pretty repetitive at best in certain game types, and they are usually dominated by one team that is filled with campers, people that exploit broken combinations, and similar things. The formula can be fun if you have fun players that do not "camp", or use unfair advantages like overpowered guns. I'll probably ditch the multiplayer for now, and stick to the campaign, but after that I will probably go back to playing other games.… Expand
  27. Cannabeanz
    Nov 26, 2010
    6
    As a fan of the series, I have to admit, Black Ops just feels like it has been rushed and offers nothing new of any substance. Yes it's good to have new levels to play and yes the new weapon upgrades are a nice feature, but ultimately the game is nowhere near polished like MODW2 is. I have played about 6 hours and I very much doubt I will play much more. I have not tried the singleAs a fan of the series, I have to admit, Black Ops just feels like it has been rushed and offers nothing new of any substance. Yes it's good to have new levels to play and yes the new weapon upgrades are a nice feature, but ultimately the game is nowhere near polished like MODW2 is. I have played about 6 hours and I very much doubt I will play much more. I have not tried the single player but the online suffers with lag and you sometimes have to repeatedly play the same level on loop. They have removed some of the better perks from MODW2 (stopping power, one man army etc) and introduced some really poor equipment instead like Camera Spike and Decoy which are ultimately pointless. There also seems to be less difference between the damage inflicted by each of the weapons with most battles being won by who ever sees the opponent first. While the game is not terrible by any means, it is a step backwards from MODW2. If you already own MODW2, my advice is don't waste your money on this.… Expand
  28. shadowstang
    Jan 8, 2011
    5
    Awesome game! Is what I thought at first , the more i played, the more I realized how much work it needs. After one day of multiplayer you will see they nailed it when they made COD Modern Warfare and they should have kept it that way. The game quickly turns into a HUGE campfest even if you team objective games like capture the flag. The grenade spamming is RIDICULOUS, you can be runningAwesome game! Is what I thought at first , the more i played, the more I realized how much work it needs. After one day of multiplayer you will see they nailed it when they made COD Modern Warfare and they should have kept it that way. The game quickly turns into a HUGE campfest even if you team objective games like capture the flag. The grenade spamming is RIDICULOUS, you can be running around in your own territory and BOOM! Which is fine, up until you see the kill cam and that grenade came from half way across a map from someone who just chucked it in the air. Dont even get me started with the spawn points, its almost like they didnt bother changing the spawn points between the free for all gameplay and the team gameplay, you would think you would be spawned in a safe zone near your team, right? Wrong. I have lost track of how many times I have spawned and gotten shot 2 seconds after and the kill cam shows about 5 enemies around me and my whole other team is on the other side of the map. Or my favorite is when you find a decent spot to actually snipe, and you place a claymore in the one spot they HAVE TO come in, lo and behold I get stabbed in the back (WTF?!) , the enemy just spawned there, claymore still sitting directly in front of the "one way in"..... Anyways you get the picture, one last thing, I think its ridiculous that a sniper rifle , when you are prone , has retarded amounts of recoil, when you can go full auto with an assault rifle and get almost no recoil?… Expand
  29. Nosidda89
    Mar 2, 2011
    5
    I can't understand why people love this game so much. In fact, this game is almost as overrated as World of Warcraft and Bioshock. Not saying Bioshock was bad, I was ok, but what was the big deal? I gave Bioshock a 7 out of 10, but that's for another day. Anyway, Call of Duty Black Ops seemed to show promise when people first saw it, even I was a little excited to try it out. Until I foundI can't understand why people love this game so much. In fact, this game is almost as overrated as World of Warcraft and Bioshock. Not saying Bioshock was bad, I was ok, but what was the big deal? I gave Bioshock a 7 out of 10, but that's for another day. Anyway, Call of Duty Black Ops seemed to show promise when people first saw it, even I was a little excited to try it out. Until I found out who developed the game. Freakin Treyarch, when they're the one's making a Call of Duty game, it's never a good sign. I decided to get it and try it anyway, but ended up trading it in literally days after I got it. It was boring, why was it boring? Because it's the exact same thing as any other Call of Duty game. There's nothing new here at all, not even the Zombie mode is new, that was available in World At War, which was also made by freakin Treyarch. If only Infinity Ward were the ones making every Call of Duty game, the series would be so much better, I spit at Activision for firing them. This company releases a new Call of Duty game every year, but they hardly make good upgrades with them, and most of the time, it's the same game that we had last time. The only Call of Duty games that were any kind of upgrade were the Modern Warfare games. Those are fun. But what about Black Ops? Again, same thing we've been playing for a long time, no upgrades other than earning credits to spend on weapon upgrades, but is that really worth paying $60 for, over just playing a Call of Duty you already have that's the same exact thing? The multiplayer is the same, the zombie mode is the same, and the campaign is just plain stupid. Worst shooter campaign I've ever seen. Now this doesn't mean that the game isn't enjoyable by some people. The multiplayer is fun for a while, but it's really not different from what you already have. Here's basically who this game is for, it is specifically made for hardcore fans of the series. It's like the Majora's Mask of Call of Duty, only huge fans will like it alot. As for those who are new to shooters, or those who like playing Call of Duty but are not real big fans of it, like me, this game is not for you. If you want to play a Call of Duty game, just play Call of Duty 4. It is much more entertaining than Black Ops, and unlike Black Ops Call of Duty 4 was a great game changer for the series. NEWS FLASH ACTIVISION: It's time for change! 5/10.… Expand
  30. greekaussie
    May 20, 2011
    5
    im speaking on behalf of the singleplayer game as that is what i mainly play on fps (i know, theres some of us out there that still do) Having played all cod games i have to say that technically this is pretty good. tight controls, pretty good graphics etc. but i have to say that i just got...well....bored halfway through the game. Maybe im getting over these shooters or ive just playedim speaking on behalf of the singleplayer game as that is what i mainly play on fps (i know, theres some of us out there that still do) Having played all cod games i have to say that technically this is pretty good. tight controls, pretty good graphics etc. but i have to say that i just got...well....bored halfway through the game. Maybe im getting over these shooters or ive just played too many but this game doesnt compel me to finish it. crysis 2 kept my attention alot better than this. and whats with all those inbetween interogation scenes? images flashing on the screen, dark room and an uninteresting angry character (matter of fact every ones angry in this game) make for some irritating cutscenes. best cods afor me still is 2 and 4.… Expand
  31. cgareth
    May 23, 2011
    5
    What a shame. The opportunities to take this franchise further and to build on Modern Warfare have been wasted.

    As I understand it, Treyarch had no hand in the previous installment and the game feels as if they haven't even played it themselves - gone are the immersive and realistic sound FX (eg. feet on gravel/earth/concrete, the attention to detail in even the individual gunfire) and    What a shame. The opportunities to take this franchise further and to build on Modern Warfare have been wasted.

    As I understand it, Treyarch had no hand in the previous installment and the game feels as if they haven't even played it themselves - gone are the immersive and realistic sound FX (eg. feet on gravel/earth/concrete, the attention to detail in even the individual gunfire) and realistic player pov animations: the sounds are poor (footsteps sound as if you're walking in squeaky shoes, the gunfire is tinny and well, simply unrealistic) and it feels more like 'just a video game' than Modern Warfare.

    I spent a few days playing it before returning to and remaining with Modern Warfare.    … Expand
  32. SargeGO
    May 25, 2011
    5
    An okay game. While this is a step up from the rest of the Call of Duty games after 4, it still isn't that good. The story is still bad, it just has a better singleplayer experience that the rest.While I will give treyarch props for changing up the multilayer from Modern Warfare, it still isn't good multiplayer. Zombies also isn't as fun as it was in CoD WaW.
  33. Bdawg916
    Nov 22, 2011
    6
    Never Bothered with Single player, whats the point. They are all too short and usually suck anyway. Having played Modern Warfare and MW2 I thought I would pick this up... Graphically, It should have been a $15 XBOX LIVE download title. HUGE step in the wrong direction. Lots of cool options keep the multiplayer fun. Small maps keep the combat fast, but you are always in range of someoneNever Bothered with Single player, whats the point. They are all too short and usually suck anyway. Having played Modern Warfare and MW2 I thought I would pick this up... Graphically, It should have been a $15 XBOX LIVE download title. HUGE step in the wrong direction. Lots of cool options keep the multiplayer fun. Small maps keep the combat fast, but you are always in range of someone camping on the other side of the map. I was very disappointed when I bought it after hearing from friends and family how awesome it was, traded it in with in the 2nd week. I went back to playing the previous Battlefield. Maybe it could have been fun if I had never played a previous CoD game in the past, but like i said it looked awful and i felt like i had got shafted paying for an obviously dated add on to possibly an original xbox or ps2 game… Expand
  34. Jord68
    Nov 15, 2010
    5
    the best call of duty game to date. treyarch made a great game, keep it up guys. for me this lived up to all the hype. and the wager games are incredible.
  35. InsaneMonkey
    Nov 28, 2010
    5
    PROS--Intense and Involving Campaign, with a well-done story; little details on guns are cool; new setting for campaign(not WWII or MW) CONS--Graphics are worse than MW2; not much new multiplayer stuff (more of the same); maps are not well done; Zombies has not changed at all; lack of support for offline play; Lags and bugs online; level system AND CoD points dont go well together.PROS--Intense and Involving Campaign, with a well-done story; little details on guns are cool; new setting for campaign(not WWII or MW) CONS--Graphics are worse than MW2; not much new multiplayer stuff (more of the same); maps are not well done; Zombies has not changed at all; lack of support for offline play; Lags and bugs online; level system AND CoD points dont go well together. OVERALL: If you want more of the same, then buy it. Otherwise, you should buy it when it is 30 bucks, cause that's how much it is worth.… Expand
  36. Sh0dan
    Nov 11, 2010
    6
    Same old, same old. A real snore-fest. I know! lets stopping buying this old dog and get some new, fresh innovative games on to the market! Seriously this IP has fully run its course at this point. The same old gameplay and mechanics. Its just so bloomin boring now. How about an open world CoD type game, or one that got some RPG elements in the single player. Anything just to move awaySame old, same old. A real snore-fest. I know! lets stopping buying this old dog and get some new, fresh innovative games on to the market! Seriously this IP has fully run its course at this point. The same old gameplay and mechanics. Its just so bloomin boring now. How about an open world CoD type game, or one that got some RPG elements in the single player. Anything just to move away from this oh so very tired old formula.… Expand
  37. ScottyHump
    Nov 10, 2010
    7
    What did Treyarch do with all the Hardcore modes? Also, why do I have to wait until level 19 to play Hardcore? I know it's only 19 levels, but playing on Hardcore on previous CoD installments has made me accustomed to that style of play. So I play 19 levels (screaming "!#$@ Core!" countless times) and unlock Hardcore just to find out there are only 3 modes: S&D, Team Deathmatch and FFA.What did Treyarch do with all the Hardcore modes? Also, why do I have to wait until level 19 to play Hardcore? I know it's only 19 levels, but playing on Hardcore on previous CoD installments has made me accustomed to that style of play. So I play 19 levels (screaming "!#$@ Core!" countless times) and unlock Hardcore just to find out there are only 3 modes: S&D, Team Deathmatch and FFA. WTF? Where's HQ? No Ricochet modes in Hardcore at all? I give it a 7 because it's great fun (like most CoD games) and the soundtrack is awesome (reminds me of Dynasty Warriors). I also like the purchasing of attachments so you don't have to sift through a pile of **** just to get the one you want. All in all it's a great game so far I just hope to God they add more Hardcore modes.… Expand
  38. austinbond
    Dec 19, 2010
    7
    The single player offers a great story, but the game never calms the f*ck down. All the high-octane action sequences that occupy every second of the game lose any trace of realism. Fans of the COD multiplayer formula won't be disappointed, but I feel that it's more about reflexes than actual strategy. Zombies is fun though.
  39. gmgman
    Nov 10, 2010
    6
    Extremely disappointing. All the things I found cheesy in the first Modern Warfare and were changed for the second, are back. Players move like they are on speed, when a grenade goes off all you get is a quick poof and then it's gone and the list goes on. If they had just stayed with the game play of MW2 and just beefed it up a little, they could have knocked it out of the park. InsteadExtremely disappointing. All the things I found cheesy in the first Modern Warfare and were changed for the second, are back. Players move like they are on speed, when a grenade goes off all you get is a quick poof and then it's gone and the list goes on. If they had just stayed with the game play of MW2 and just beefed it up a little, they could have knocked it out of the park. Instead they dropped the ball and are probably relying on the brand's name for sales. All of these magazine critics must get kick backs for giving a companie's game a good review even when it is lame.… Expand
  40. Trucu
    Dec 18, 2010
    7
    I'll separate this into categories, then rate each of them independently. Then I'll average the scores; some have different weights though.

    Gameplay Solo: 8 - Solo is fun and intriguing in the beginning, but you can easily figure out what is actually happening about halfway through, and the story isn't that engaging. Gameplay Online: 7 - Same old CoD style online since CoD4: MW. Nothing    I'll separate this into categories, then rate each of them independently. Then I'll average the scores; some have different weights though.

    Gameplay Solo: 8 - Solo is fun and intriguing in the beginning, but you can easily figure out what is actually happening about halfway through, and the story isn't that engaging.
    Gameplay Online: 7 - Same old CoD style online since CoD4: MW. Nothing has really changed, and it feels more like a modern shooter in the Vietnam era because of all the modern age gadgetry. This also goes for the campaign.
    Graphics: 9 - Same modified CoD4 engine, so graphics are pretty spectacular. They lack some of the polish that MW2 had, but overall very nice.
    Playability: 10 - Very smooth control scheme, everything functions properly.
    Sounds: 7 - Guns sound odd at times, everything is overly loud instead of finely tuned. Character voices are nice, but the action sounds too fake (Many guns sound like hitting pots and pans with spoons).
    Replayability: 7 - If you aren't tired of a 4th CoD4 style online shooter, I guess it is pretty fun. 15 prestiges and 50 levels a piece will keep you busy. If you are like me and have been sick of this type of gameplay since WaW, don't bother buying the game.
    Verdict: 7.3 - Since most people only purchase this game for the online, that and the replayability weigh heavily on it's total score. A new CoD it might be, but nothing new is inside, so I don't see how it is a very good game. It is basically another reskin of CoD4. It doesn't FEEL like you're in Vietnam because you are using future tech for most of the time, some of the tech being in MW2, and the story is similarly high tech and awkward.

    Even though I dislike the online, I still think I graded this game fairly according to an unbiased perspective. It brings almost nothing new to the table, so I don't see how it can have amazing scores around the board.    … Expand
  41. SifuGun
    Nov 9, 2010
    6
    Newb tubes still exist and are at least as powerful as in MW2 if not more. If you played the game Time Shift you have played Black Ops. They are the same game at the core. BO add the usual MW2 to stuff like awards etc. It really seem like reheated left overs. Okay the shooting is much better. It seems we have wall hackers already. I got shoot by two different players who came around a mazeNewb tubes still exist and are at least as powerful as in MW2 if not more. If you played the game Time Shift you have played Black Ops. They are the same game at the core. BO add the usual MW2 to stuff like awards etc. It really seem like reheated left overs. Okay the shooting is much better. It seems we have wall hackers already. I got shoot by two different players who came around a maze of walls with just too much certainty to take me out. The only explanation is they were wall hacking. Well i like the game but i was really surprised to see that it is very similar to Time Shift. BO even has the cross bow that was in time shift. One of the best parts of the game is the structure in which you can buy attachments with earned money in the game. The awards system has always been Call of Duty's strong point and adding money to this just takes it to another level. So you decide if you'll get it or not. I think i'll keep until the hackers become unbearable. The other very important point is that the games does not seem to lag at all. The choice of game engine they used was a good one although we do sacrifice some eye candy. It is at least as good looking as MW2 but even more cartoonish. I'll take it just as long as it does not lag like in MW2. BO still sends the server out where someone in the game has to be host. Which is okay just as long as the game does not lag. Man what is up with the Critics reviews? Did they all get paid off? Also i can guarantee you they are not experienced gamers just paid political pundits. Sincerely,… Expand
  42. Review9
    Apr 23, 2011
    7
    Call of duty black ops has a FANTASTIC campaign that will never bore you, an insanly fun zombies mode and on ok multiplayer. Let's start with the campaign, in my opinion it has one of the best campaigns in the series. It may not be the most realistic thing in the world but who gives a **** Personally i loved the story, i love the gameplay and i can honestly say the campaign competes withCall of duty black ops has a FANTASTIC campaign that will never bore you, an insanly fun zombies mode and on ok multiplayer. Let's start with the campaign, in my opinion it has one of the best campaigns in the series. It may not be the most realistic thing in the world but who gives a **** Personally i loved the story, i love the gameplay and i can honestly say the campaign competes with the campaign in cod4. Zombies is fun but only on 1 map maybe 2. Kino is by far the best zombie map in the game and then theres five and i mean five is ok but you can't get past round 15 without all 4 players in the lobby having ray guns and heavy duty upgraded machine guns ex. rpk, hk21 etc, or glitching on top of something. the other map accension is just bad. Now what trey arch did with the multiplayer is they took all the complaints from MW2 and "fixed them". They didn't want any of the guns over powered so they pretty much made every gun have the same damage. They didn't really add anything new to the cod expierience which is a shame because of all the hype about black ops. They didn't really have any original kill streaks besides the RC-XD and the black bird other wise all the other kill streaks have been done either in a cod game or a different shooter. THE VERDICT: If you are interested in an insane campaign or a survival game i suggest picking this up. How ever if you wanted something new with the multiplayer your probably better off with MW2, but if you are a cod loving fan atic and you are going to play the multiplayer if your good at it or not you will probably be satisfied with the game!… Expand
  43. Jerik02
    Apr 19, 2011
    7
    Not a bad game. The single player was ok, but it is the multiplayer where the game really shines. I know people are hating on this game, but the sales numbers don't lie. With 5 million sold copies, it is obviously a success. Also look at how many people are playing on any given night compared to Halo Reach or Homefront. The numbers speak for themselves.
  44. msucatch
    Nov 10, 2010
    5
    Audio sounds like MW2 playing out of speakers in a tub full of water.
    Graphics don't measure up to MW2.
    Campy remote control car and SR71.
    Gameplay is choppy/rigid/frustrating.
    Can't figure why all the critics say it's a 9 and all the gamers say it's a 6.5
  45. chotzy
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    just way way to buggy i mean we pay full price for an unfinished product its like ordering a **** pizza with a slice missing. while i didnt like the camping and hacking in modern warfare 2 it did look better overall, i mean that home screen is a joke. its basiclly world at war but 20 years later same old engine same old **** you have to have A GOLD MEMBERSHIP AND INTERNET CONNECTION TOjust way way to buggy i mean we pay full price for an unfinished product its like ordering a **** pizza with a slice missing. while i didnt like the camping and hacking in modern warfare 2 it did look better overall, i mean that home screen is a joke. its basiclly world at war but 20 years later same old engine same old **** you have to have A GOLD MEMBERSHIP AND INTERNET CONNECTION TO PLAY AGAINST BOTS enough said… Expand
  46. Jools86
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    Disappointing. I cant understand how the gameplay has got worse in the 2 years since they developed the wonderful World at War. There appear to be some obvious issues with gameplay in multiplayer. Crouching doesn't seem to work properly in Black Op, you have to depress the LEFT Thumb stick on Tactical a few times before a crouch is recognised. Also the Graphics are noticeable worse thanDisappointing. I cant understand how the gameplay has got worse in the 2 years since they developed the wonderful World at War. There appear to be some obvious issues with gameplay in multiplayer. Crouching doesn't seem to work properly in Black Op, you have to depress the LEFT Thumb stick on Tactical a few times before a crouch is recognised. Also the Graphics are noticeable worse than MW2. The movement of your team-mates are very jerky as well. Compared to MW2 Multiplayer, this is a noticeable step down.… Expand
  47. thunderCAT
    Nov 12, 2010
    5
    Exact same gameplay as the past three CoDs. Different looking weapons, s**t maps and spawn system. Zombies is okay, not much new since WaW. Single player campaign tries way too hard and I think it suffers for it. This game is meh at best.
  48. RezzaDee
    Jul 27, 2011
    5
    Ok so most of the reviews are from trolls who started a "I hate call of duty" fan club although they still buy it every year. Anyway I hate EA more but activision are much more greedy. Now I prefer this single player campaign to all other cod games, but the multiplayer sucks mega balls. Campers, kids, noobs and the occasional Jesus on YouTube thinking the S.A.S are going to phone him upOk so most of the reviews are from trolls who started a "I hate call of duty" fan club although they still buy it every year. Anyway I hate EA more but activision are much more greedy. Now I prefer this single player campaign to all other cod games, but the multiplayer sucks mega balls. Campers, kids, noobs and the occasional Jesus on YouTube thinking the S.A.S are going to phone him up for help. Now zombie mode is cool but the maps are fail. Wager is cool but the maps are fail. Other then that online is fail.… Expand
  49. SherlockHolmes
    Dec 8, 2010
    6
    It's another entry in a stale series. Considering the walls Battlefield Bad Company 2 broke down just earlier this year alone, it's surprising to see people willing to accept the same old Call of Duty again and again. This game's single player is not good, and the multiplayer has tons of issues. This game does not deserve to sell the numbers it does. Their are nuggets of fun in the wagerIt's another entry in a stale series. Considering the walls Battlefield Bad Company 2 broke down just earlier this year alone, it's surprising to see people willing to accept the same old Call of Duty again and again. This game's single player is not good, and the multiplayer has tons of issues. This game does not deserve to sell the numbers it does. Their are nuggets of fun in the wager matches, but the standard multiplayer is the same as ever and the single player is easily the worst in the series.… Expand
  50. L0stR3negade
    Jan 22, 2011
    7
    This game could have been so much better But the campain is OKAY but nothing really mind blowing and multiplayer is mostly fun only when you are playing with friends but still a pretty good game
  51. Sceptic
    Mar 26, 2011
    5
    'Allright then,who am I?'
    'American spec-ops?Check'
    'Who am I killing today?Zombies,Commies,Terrorists or Nazi's?'
    'Terrorists again?Ok,damn. I wanted Aliens this time,I'd show them who's boss'
    'Didn't i do this last year?I did?'
    Meh.
    Almost single handedly destroying the FPS.
  52. InzaNe
    Mar 22, 2011
    7
    If you're a fan of Call of Duty. you'll like this game, at the very least. It's delivers the same thing Call of Duty has delivered every year for the past 6 years, and improves on a lot of things. The one thing holding back the online play though, is the lag compensation put in by developers, something that is locked into the Net Code and cannot be fixed through a distributed patch.

    If    If you're a fan of Call of Duty. you'll like this game, at the very least. It's delivers the same thing Call of Duty has delivered every year for the past 6 years, and improves on a lot of things. The one thing holding back the online play though, is the lag compensation put in by developers, something that is locked into the Net Code and cannot be fixed through a distributed patch.

    If you're into Call of Duty, it's a fun game that will last long - but only if you can handle the half a second delay online. This is coming from experience.    … Expand
  53. SpartanEdge
    Apr 14, 2011
    6
    Yet again the critics get it so wrong with another Cod Game.Ok,they didnt get quite as over excited than they did with Modern Warfare 2(the most over hyped & overated game in history).The user scores for this & Modern Warfare says it all.. For my Views on this game,you only need to head over to my Modern Warfare 2 review.The exact same critisisms apply.Ridiculus storyline,No CampaignYet again the critics get it so wrong with another Cod Game.Ok,they didnt get quite as over excited than they did with Modern Warfare 2(the most over hyped & overated game in history).The user scores for this & Modern Warfare says it all.. For my Views on this game,you only need to head over to my Modern Warfare 2 review.The exact same critisisms apply.Ridiculus storyline,No Campaign Co-Op(Not even a rubbish Spec Ops mode),Re-Spawning Enemies(What is this,the 80's),& gameplay & graphics that are competent sure,but are both feeling very tired now... Oh yeah,& a mode that allows you to fight against bots,but you have to be online to use it?! GREAT!... an offline mode,you cant use offline.Nice One. For me in future,if i'm to buy any more CoD games,they will need to have CAMPAIGN Co-Op as standard.& thats just for starters.they need to really start to evolve this increasingly stale series with genuinely new gameplay features.I can already see alot of discontent with the series as it is.I've always been a big fan of Treyarch,& always been a vocal supporter of them.Over the overated & less talented Inferior Ward.but i was really dissappointed with Black Ops.Especially with the lack of Co-Op.Especially after they had in in the excellent World at War.… Expand
  54. Locimento
    Mar 29, 2012
    6
    To be honest i cant say i diddent have fun with the campain. It was pretty well made and had a nice cinematic flair. But there is where it falls flat it is just so generic and not super intersting. The mulitplayer is alwasys full of players that are willing to play with you if you enjoy this type of multiplayer Whitch i dont. I would try it out just for the pretty fun single player.
  55. KAS--Will
    Jul 12, 2011
    7
    Not a bad game, but not really the full potential we've seen in a Call of Duty game. For starters the singleplayer experience wasn't as appealing as it could have been, because it was hell bent on making the game feel like an action movie, and a suspenseful one, where in reality the story was boring, had more holes than the Iraqi Navy, but most importantly it was cliche. The multiplayerNot a bad game, but not really the full potential we've seen in a Call of Duty game. For starters the singleplayer experience wasn't as appealing as it could have been, because it was hell bent on making the game feel like an action movie, and a suspenseful one, where in reality the story was boring, had more holes than the Iraqi Navy, but most importantly it was cliche. The multiplayer is where the experience is at, but even that was severely boring after a while because it was just MW2 with a sugar coat graphically, making it lookelike Bobby Kotick vomited. And I feel the game had potential but the minor things like graphics, repetitive gameplay, land it on a 7 because at the core of it all, it is a solid COD game. I only recommend this to Michael Bay fans... but to those Michael Bay fans, even the effects aren't all that impressive.… Expand
  56. jdogginess
    May 27, 2011
    7
    Been there done that. I'm a bit torn on how to score this. Its a fine game. Its polished. Lots of cool weapons and an uhm...tenacious...multiplayer community. I just think if someone threw me the profits from millions upon millions of sold copies of COD games that I would actually have enough money for more than just a bunch of programmers and polish. I Think I could afford to payBeen there done that. I'm a bit torn on how to score this. Its a fine game. Its polished. Lots of cool weapons and an uhm...tenacious...multiplayer community. I just think if someone threw me the profits from millions upon millions of sold copies of COD games that I would actually have enough money for more than just a bunch of programmers and polish. I Think I could afford to pay someone a few hundred bucks, Sit them down in a room and say, "Hey...do you think you could help us and give us one freaking innovative idea?...since we can't seem to come up with anything ourselves. I mean seriously, we have about as much creativity from one year to the next as Wayne Newton, and he has hashed out the same crap in Vegas for decades. Please help us before we sink in the ever growing cesspool of our own cash grabbing content." The multiplayer gives this thing most of its appeal...but the appeal is in human vs human challenge, definitely not in creative game modes. After five years they come up with sticks and stones mode and they smile and wink like they pulled a rabbit out of their a$$. Its still just a bunch of guys running around killing each other. Hey geniuses, ever thought of including some of the exciting occurrences and situations from campaign like settings and events into a competitive multiplayer mode? Holy****, what's that sound? Is that Gabriel's trumpet? Is the world coming to an end? Oh...never mind, Activision isn't listening and would never do anything that requires that meager amount of vision. Do not misread me as someone who is hating on COD out of a rebellious nature toward the Fan Boys out there. I am hard on COD because tough love expects more from them. Their programming skill...or at least the number of programmers that all that cash can employ is impressive, but the lack of creativity has me exploring other options when it comes to multiplayer or military combat. Shape up or ship out. Bottom line...a high quality, well performing, polished game of blah blah blah been there done that.… Expand
  57. KingerSays
    Aug 17, 2011
    5
    Probably the worst COD game, but it still is enjoyable... If you ignore it's many flaws, such as the overuse of the perk "Ghost", some weapons being overpowered, and "Blop" shotting, caused by a flaw in the perk "Second Chance".
  58. MaxxSwan13
    Sep 15, 2011
    5
    It gets boring after a while. LOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
  59. MusicaX79
    Nov 15, 2011
    6
    Okay so there is veteran and then there is retarded. black ops decided to replace its veteran with retarded. i found myself scream at my television over the simple fact that Treyarch believes removing checkpoints from the game is fair under the idea that "because it's veteran we can make the game absurd." Treyarch already had enemy's on veteran that had 100% accuracy and could kill you inOkay so there is veteran and then there is retarded. black ops decided to replace its veteran with retarded. i found myself scream at my television over the simple fact that Treyarch believes removing checkpoints from the game is fair under the idea that "because it's veteran we can make the game absurd." Treyarch already had enemy's on veteran that had 100% accuracy and could kill you in 5 shots now you have to go through areas that take 15 mins without a checkpoint that's retarded. story is interesting but gameplay will piss you off most of the time then none.… Expand
  60. Kanazawa
    Nov 24, 2011
    5
    Honestly at first all I did was compare this to MW2. I truly hated this game for quite a while. Eventually I actually went back to MW2, and could not stand it. I then realized this game is quite simply amazing. The graphics exceeded the predecessors, and so did the game play. I now compare MW3 to this one, and without a doubt the multiplayer in this game is still without a doubt better.Honestly at first all I did was compare this to MW2. I truly hated this game for quite a while. Eventually I actually went back to MW2, and could not stand it. I then realized this game is quite simply amazing. The graphics exceeded the predecessors, and so did the game play. I now compare MW3 to this one, and without a doubt the multiplayer in this game is still without a doubt better. This is honestly the best FPS I've ever played to this day.… Expand
  61. frederik1478
    Jul 14, 2021
    7
    **** insane games that feels like a fever dream
    , An improvement at World at war but still not that good .fun with this game at some point but it was Moses just a podcast game to have something to do with my hands
  62. Justinavery7074
    Apr 1, 2013
    6
    It's all right I guess. There is more hype than fun with this game. I seriously do not see what's so fantastic about this game. It's a C at best. The campaign is boring. I didn't finish it. The multiplayer's probably the best thing about it
  63. Dralen
    May 25, 2011
    6
    I really enjoyed the Modern Warfare games, but this game is a step back for the series if you ask me. The graphics are hideous to look at, which isn't surprising considering the age of the engine now, it all looks very smudged and washed out. MW2 on the other hand was very crisp and clean. The gameplay is probably the only solid thing about the game, however I've (along with; I'm sure halfI really enjoyed the Modern Warfare games, but this game is a step back for the series if you ask me. The graphics are hideous to look at, which isn't surprising considering the age of the engine now, it all looks very smudged and washed out. MW2 on the other hand was very crisp and clean. The gameplay is probably the only solid thing about the game, however I've (along with; I'm sure half the planet) played enough Call of Duty for several lifetimes to find the same thing exciting. The series needs a reboot now, along with a new engine and some new game mechanics, or we will be seeing a great series dying a horrible death.… Expand
  64. HaterSauce
    Nov 12, 2010
    6
    I reviewed this game earlier in the week after I had gotten it and it had gotten a higher score then. I'm not trying to take away from the game, really, as it is still a pretty decent shooter in the Call of Duty Franchise, but it's too much COD. I was looking forward to Hardcore mode, because quite frankly, core mode sucks big ones in pretty much any game. I thought with the smaller boardsI reviewed this game earlier in the week after I had gotten it and it had gotten a higher score then. I'm not trying to take away from the game, really, as it is still a pretty decent shooter in the Call of Duty Franchise, but it's too much COD. I was looking forward to Hardcore mode, because quite frankly, core mode sucks big ones in pretty much any game. I thought with the smaller boards there would be more action going on, but sadly there's even MORE camping in this than their was in MW2. I'll probably still play this for a bit, but I'm not very well impressed with it. I like the new system and I think it's a fresh take on an aging format, but I think that and Zombies mode are about the only thing Black Ops really has going for it. I think their hit detection needs to be improved, as sometimes shots don't register when they should. There's also an issue with shooting through objects. I believe there is something that needs to be tweaked there. I've seen people should through rocks..big rocks, and I don't think that's possible with the weapons of the time(or most any time), even with the Hardened perk. There is also an issue with being able to see people through a wall, as well. If you are pressed up against a wall, chances are, someone could see a limb or something poking through the other side and will just kill you. I'd give it a 6.5 if I could, but I don't think it's worth rounding up, really.â… Expand
  65. bjoncas
    Nov 10, 2010
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The gaming industry journalism is at it's lowest these days. A game like this having so many 100% is completely ridiculous.

    Con
    1 - AI is incredibly stupid.
    2 - Physic system is completely inconsistent. Enemie shot dead fall trought walls or barricades ?!
    3 - Veteran mode is completely ridiculous. 4 - Online experience is still a dodging grenade simulator like Modern warf 2
    5 - Small maps
    6 - Already cheaters on day one ...

    Pro
    1 - Zombie mode
    2 - Graphics
    3 - Acting
    4 - Weapons

    Very good challenger to whom who want to take time and give a try is Medal of Honor and Bad company 2
    Specially Bad company 2 seem to be lightyear in front of Call of duty Black Ops.    … Expand
  66. frizz
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    This game does not live up to any of the hype or reviews. Outdated graphics and the unrealistic feeling make the game a bore and make you feel as though you've played it before (its just like world at war). Do yourself a favor and grab reach or MoH if your looking for a good fps.
  67. jimmyf
    Nov 11, 2010
    7
    While I do agree about the negative comments written about this game, I still think it has some positives as well, making it worth buying. The biggest pain is the location of respawn points, commonly behind you and then behind the guy behind you and so on. I think this game is alright without being awesome and I wouldnt get rid of mw2 just yet. Unfortunately, we have to hope that a patchWhile I do agree about the negative comments written about this game, I still think it has some positives as well, making it worth buying. The biggest pain is the location of respawn points, commonly behind you and then behind the guy behind you and so on. I think this game is alright without being awesome and I wouldnt get rid of mw2 just yet. Unfortunately, we have to hope that a patch can fix some of the problems that ire us all. The maps arent awesome either and this game feels like it has been overmarketed and under sold. It is meant to be under-promise and and over-deliver but its still OK to play… Expand
  68. vfr00guy
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    My opinion on Call of Duty, Black Ops (CoD:BO) is based on the fact that I play the Call of Duty series games on the Xbox 360 for the overall â
  69. Beorthric
    Nov 11, 2010
    5
    This brief review focuses on the single-player mode, as I have yet to properly tryout the multi-player. After all the hype, Iâ
  70. wackywiddy
    Nov 12, 2010
    7
    I hate to say it, but COD B.O. is a huge disappointment. The campaign has it's moments, but is marred by too many cut scenes and dialog. The action scenes, while fun, are very short and seem like they were spliced together as an afterthought. Not to say the campaign was not fun...it was (Although it is on the short side). I first thought that was going to be OK due to the trade off for theI hate to say it, but COD B.O. is a huge disappointment. The campaign has it's moments, but is marred by too many cut scenes and dialog. The action scenes, while fun, are very short and seem like they were spliced together as an afterthought. Not to say the campaign was not fun...it was (Although it is on the short side). I first thought that was going to be OK due to the trade off for the usually stellar MP mode, but this was even more of a letdown. The maps are mostly poorly designed, game play is slow, weapons are inaccurate, sound is weak, and graphics are very dated. I will be returning to MW 2 for my multiplayer fix.… Expand
  71. AJOwenXD
    Nov 23, 2010
    5
    At times this game can be quite fun when you are doing well online, but mainly quite tedious in the fact that online its always the same kind of deaths - killed by a camper - or killed after getting several hit markers. This is so frustrating! Sometimes it takes 3 shots with a shotgun even if it is about 3 yards away. Private matches are no way near as fun than on mw2 and so finally thisAt times this game can be quite fun when you are doing well online, but mainly quite tedious in the fact that online its always the same kind of deaths - killed by a camper - or killed after getting several hit markers. This is so frustrating! Sometimes it takes 3 shots with a shotgun even if it is about 3 yards away. Private matches are no way near as fun than on mw2 and so finally this game does not live up to mw2.… Expand
  72. williamwiggles
    Jul 29, 2011
    5
    williamwiggles
    Jul 29, 2011
    10
    This game just doesn't have the finesse that MW2 had. The only thing Black Ops really strikes as impressive is the Zombies game mode. While zombies remains really fun, Multiplayer and Campaign are a sad sight. More or less, I occasionally come to play zombies. But for other Call of Duty related purposes, stick to MW2 and wait for MW3.
  73. Xiphus200
    Nov 21, 2010
    6
    I found the plot took a turn for the absurd which was surprising given Call of Duty games usually try for realism. The game levels are pretty though pitfalls are plenty and you'll be replaying from a few checkpoints because you didn't jump just right. I found that most of the Ally NPCs couldn't shoot straight (would have been nice if they could function as well as the enemies) and providedI found the plot took a turn for the absurd which was surprising given Call of Duty games usually try for realism. The game levels are pretty though pitfalls are plenty and you'll be replaying from a few checkpoints because you didn't jump just right. I found that most of the Ally NPCs couldn't shoot straight (would have been nice if they could function as well as the enemies) and provided no help, mostly being on-screen to act as props (and run into my crosshairs). It became a bit frustrating they way enemies continued to stream in to replace their fallen comrades until you could move far enough into a room.

    Multiplayer is what redeems this game.    … Expand
  74. nickWHAT
    Nov 22, 2010
    5
    Okay, so I'm gonna give this game a REAL review. As a longtime fan, I wasn't too excited to hear Treyarch was putting another CoD title out. I mean, I logged over ten days of play time on World at War, but I thought it was the nowhere near as good as Modern Warfare. And then Modern Warfare 2 came out, and blew my mind. It was a HUGE improvement over the mediocre WaW, and kept me in aOkay, so I'm gonna give this game a REAL review. As a longtime fan, I wasn't too excited to hear Treyarch was putting another CoD title out. I mean, I logged over ten days of play time on World at War, but I thought it was the nowhere near as good as Modern Warfare. And then Modern Warfare 2 came out, and blew my mind. It was a HUGE improvement over the mediocre WaW, and kept me in a trance for the better part of a year. So naturally, when I heard Treyarch was coming out with Black Ops, I was not sold. Of course, I bought it, just because all my friends do, and I like to keep up with the times. But I sure as hell was not gonna wait in line at midnight like every other person brainwashed to think this was a brand new CoD title coming out. Because let's face it, it's not. It's every other title before it, with a couple new features. In all, it has worse graphics than MW2, absolute disregard for sniper-friendly maps, a lackluster knifing system, and a horrible hosting system. Now don't get me wrong, it does have some improvements; The massive customization options, the wager matches, the in-game currency, and some of the new killstreaks are enjoyable, and make it easier to build the inevitable addiction that you undoubtedly will develop. So, all in all, I know I'll be playing it until the next installment by Infinity Ward, and yes, I am already addicted to it. But face it, just because you're addicted to something, doesn't make it good.… Expand
  75. Boothy
    Nov 22, 2010
    6
    The single player campaign feels like Time Crisis to me. An relentless assault of guys popping up from behind boxes and through windows. The flashback narrative device works well but the missions themselves are so linear they feel like a PowerPoint presentation.

    I've been playing violent games for years and few games have made me baulk like BLOPS has. The scene where you stick a knife in    The single player campaign feels like Time Crisis to me. An relentless assault of guys popping up from behind boxes and through windows. The flashback narrative device works well but the missions themselves are so linear they feel like a PowerPoint presentation.

    I've been playing violent games for years and few games have made me baulk like BLOPS has. The scene where you stick a knife in a Vietnamese guy's neck and jiggle it around comes to mind. As does the scene where you're on boat killing loads of villagers and casually listening to a ditty by the Stones.

    The Multiplayer however, is a definate improvement over MW2. It's buggy but I've been having a blast. The customisation options and theatre mode are great additions.    … Expand
  76. Fredrick2003
    Dec 6, 2010
    6
    Another entry in the Call of Duty franchise, if that's your thing, and you like the way the series has changed over the years, you know what you are getting into.

    While not "bad", the game is simply average. The single player mode seems to contain one scripted scene after another, to the point that it feels like you are playing a movie. A very exciting and action packed movie granted,    Another entry in the Call of Duty franchise, if that's your thing, and you like the way the series has changed over the years, you know what you are getting into.

    While not "bad", the game is simply average. The single player mode seems to contain one scripted scene after another, to the point that it feels like you are playing a movie. A very exciting and action packed movie granted, but a movie all the same.

    The standard multiplayer mode is here for people to play and think they enjoy it (but they really don't, they just like the satisfaction that leveling brings) and while it feels different from Modern Warfare 2, in a good way, I couldn't pick out any real improvements.    … Expand
  77. dpritch
    Dec 10, 2010
    7
    Zombies is amazing (and comical). Story is great, although semi-fabricated (I can live with that). Multiplayer is douche-ish, as to be expected. A fine game. I love them level designs as well. Overall, this is the best Call Of Duty game out right now.
  78. TheChiefOfCOD
    Dec 21, 2010
    6
    This game is OK. I bought it listening to those little voices in my head saying "This will be the best game of they year!" I get home and well, its not as good as i would of thought. The campaign is amazing! But its just the multi-player that caught my attention. It was almost exactly like MW2. Really close to it. Not enough new guns, and the "customization" sucked. They made it look soThis game is OK. I bought it listening to those little voices in my head saying "This will be the best game of they year!" I get home and well, its not as good as i would of thought. The campaign is amazing! But its just the multi-player that caught my attention. It was almost exactly like MW2. Really close to it. Not enough new guns, and the "customization" sucked. They made it look so good on the trailer, but all you can do is change your guys entire outfit and face paint (witch looked really stupid anyway). I definitely wouldn't of bought this game, but its good for those kind of people that are happy with a game thats almost exactly like they're predecessor.… Expand
  79. Andy10132
    Dec 23, 2010
    7
    It's alright, the single player is nothing really to get excited about but the multi player AND Zombies rescues it a little bit. It's not worth the money right now but might be worth it when reduced to just above £10, your choice!
  80. naytflix
    Dec 25, 2010
    5
    Overly anticipated let down of the year. Campaign is the only thing keeping me from giving this a zero......The online play was overly ambitious with the interesting wager matches and nice weapon customization, but that certainly doesn't cover up the bland gameplay, graphics, maps, guns, and killstreaks. The game is below mediocre and is popular because it has the "honor" of being brandedOverly anticipated let down of the year. Campaign is the only thing keeping me from giving this a zero......The online play was overly ambitious with the interesting wager matches and nice weapon customization, but that certainly doesn't cover up the bland gameplay, graphics, maps, guns, and killstreaks. The game is below mediocre and is popular because it has the "honor" of being branded as a Call Of Duty game.… Expand
  81. Grubberbeb
    Dec 31, 2010
    7
    I was first introduced to the Call of Duty series when I played the first Modern Warfare, and I have played every one of the games released since, so I've had a couple tastes of the works of Infinity Ward and Treyarch. I was hesitant in buying Black Ops because of the horrific multiplayer experience that was offered in World at War (Treyarch's previous game). I began by playing the singleI was first introduced to the Call of Duty series when I played the first Modern Warfare, and I have played every one of the games released since, so I've had a couple tastes of the works of Infinity Ward and Treyarch. I was hesitant in buying Black Ops because of the horrific multiplayer experience that was offered in World at War (Treyarch's previous game). I began by playing the single played which I think was very decent. It is nothing compared to the experience offered in many of the other games available right now, but it is entertaining and has the best plot of the series. After that, I played zombies for a little while which I find extremely fun, as I did in World at War. Zombies can be a bit difficult and confusing to new players, but once you get the feel for it then it is surprising how fun it can be, especially when you're playing with some friends. The only real problem is the connection. It is difficult to find two more players when you have a friend or two in your lobby already, since when it connects you it usually fails in an attempt to migrate the host. When you do get it to work, it is very fun. However zombies does get boring after a point, and that is when I headed into multiplayer. Now, coming into Black Ops multiplayer, I was really only hoping for the fixes to the two problems which had ruined Modern Warfare 2 for me: grenade launchers (and other explosives), and commando. I was pleased to see that they had removed commando and significantly reduced the potency of grenade launchers. Making the killstreaks not build on each other was a much needed change as well, as it makes it much more likely that everyone will be having fun on some level, instead of one person stealing it all. But now I must move on to the topic of fun. With Modern Warfare 2, I really wanted it to be a fun and great game, and it was for a while. But there were some huge issues that arose and ruined it for a ton of people, including me. It just stopped being fun and what's the point in playing a game if you're not having fun? So as I mentioned before, I was very pleased to notice that they had effectively removed the two things that had really ruined the previous game. However, I soon noticed a problem: Black Ops Multiplayer is too similar to Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer (for me anyway). Sure all of the cool customization options are available, and there are lots of new killstreaks, but the gameplay just feels repetitive in some way. It's really as if they took Modern Warfare 2, changed around the guns and maps a bit, added some more customization and the CoDPoints system, and took out the major flaws from before (except for Last Stand/Second chance. They also took out quickscoping which I think is a good thing because it results in less people running their mouths and thinking they're amazing for getting a few lucky shots, but that's just my opinion). What I'm trying to say is, I'm not getting very much fun out of this game now. I feel like Black Ops is the icing that has been added onto the cake of the previous games; it's just becoming too similar.

    So as someone who has been following the series for a few years now, I think I may just be burnt out on the gameplay that is seeming to repeat itself from title to title. And it's a shame that if there is a Modern Warfare 3, it will most likely be horrific, seeing as it will be made by the newer employees at Infinity Ward, and not the originals who made the series as large as it is (they all either left or were fired earlier this year).    … Expand
  82. HurrDurr
    Jan 1, 2011
    6
    Black Ops is an okay game, in my opinion. I played campaign, it was pretty short, and some things reminded me of MW2. But I didn't play multiplayer, by the looks of what was happening to my brother. The multiplayer looks like crap. He said the guns bounce like crazy, which gets annoying. The hit markers don't help, since you don't know when you're shot too well. Guns are the same as in theBlack Ops is an okay game, in my opinion. I played campaign, it was pretty short, and some things reminded me of MW2. But I didn't play multiplayer, by the looks of what was happening to my brother. The multiplayer looks like crap. He said the guns bounce like crazy, which gets annoying. The hit markers don't help, since you don't know when you're shot too well. Guns are the same as in the others, and some don't even look like real guns, like the G11. Some maps do have cool things with them, like the RC-XD tunnels. But the maps are kind of boring. I think it's safe to say that Black Ops wasn't the best game, since I've played all of them, from Call of Duty 2 to Black Ops. I'm not gonna discriminate on opinion, though. It's an opinion, and that doesn't matter. Unless they take it too far.… Expand
  83. TooLRooL
    Jan 5, 2011
    7
    Well, Treyarch have finally equalled Infinity Ward. The same on-rails Hollywood BS, the same Keystone Cops animations, the same abysmal AI (cool new enemy forward-roll into the MIDDLE of a corridor I'm shooting along?), and the same blah-de-bloody-blah story. The multiplayer (enhanced by 'borrowing' Ideas from such sources as the vastly-superior Halo series), and Zombies modes manage toWell, Treyarch have finally equalled Infinity Ward. The same on-rails Hollywood BS, the same Keystone Cops animations, the same abysmal AI (cool new enemy forward-roll into the MIDDLE of a corridor I'm shooting along?), and the same blah-de-bloody-blah story. The multiplayer (enhanced by 'borrowing' Ideas from such sources as the vastly-superior Halo series), and Zombies modes manage to drag the score up to 7, as the Assassins Creed-a-like, wafer-thin, story mode fails to excite. Next-year's game should definitely just steal the AI from F.E.A.R. and Halo, hand-draw the animations, scrap respawning enemies, and use a game engine that doesn't revert to super-lo-res-patchwork-quilt-mode as soon as you get within 10 feet of an object.… Expand
  84. BackwaterRifle
    Jan 28, 2011
    5
    Wait... Isn't this just the same as all the other call of duty's? The campaign is not worth playing, unless you wan't to be dissapointed. Multi Player is Multi Player which is just as poop as MW2. Zombies is the only thing that saves this game, but does not make worth 50 dollars. Why not pick up AC: Brotherhood, Halo:Reach, or an older title, such as Bioshock or Modern Warfare(the mostWait... Isn't this just the same as all the other call of duty's? The campaign is not worth playing, unless you wan't to be dissapointed. Multi Player is Multi Player which is just as poop as MW2. Zombies is the only thing that saves this game, but does not make worth 50 dollars. Why not pick up AC: Brotherhood, Halo:Reach, or an older title, such as Bioshock or Modern Warfare(the most respectible CoD), or even Fallout 3 game of the year addition. In other words, wait till this is on the clearence rack.… Expand
  85. D2theAVID
    Jan 30, 2011
    6
    There is nothing particularly unique about Black Ops. If you played Modern Warfare 2 or any of CoD's previous installments, you get the idea. Multiplayer is the main selling point, and where you will get the most mileage out of Black Ops, but doesnt do anything much different from previous installments. The maps seem a little more balanced and thought out, campers are much less of aThere is nothing particularly unique about Black Ops. If you played Modern Warfare 2 or any of CoD's previous installments, you get the idea. Multiplayer is the main selling point, and where you will get the most mileage out of Black Ops, but doesnt do anything much different from previous installments. The maps seem a little more balanced and thought out, campers are much less of a problem. As is usual, there are certain weapons and killstreaks you will encounter more than others. Fortunately the developers paid attention to player complaints on the last few games, so no more resupplying claymores, and kills earned through killstreak rewards nolonger count toward unlocking your next killstreak. Other than a little more balancing, multiplayer isnt all that much different from other installments

    I was extremely disappointed with the campaign. I usually take my time with campaigns, not rushing through, and still managed to beat the entire campaign in MAYBE 6 hours with little to no reason (or desire for that matter) to replay the campaign. I imagine the shorter campaign is due to the developers correctly reasoning a majority of players buy the game for multiplayer. I would go as far as to say a lot of people dont bother playing or finishing the campaign. If you liked the previous games, you will like this one. If you were one of the handful of people that didnt like MW2, dont waste your time as it is essentially more of the same.    … Expand
  86. GameInterpretor
    Oct 31, 2013
    5
    Story is great; perhaps the best Call of Duty stor.. oh wait MW3 came out. Still pretty good but the graphics are beyond horrendous on a count of the older version of an already dated engine. Multiplayer still does and always will be the worst.

    5 out of 10
  87. sweexmonxx
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    Call of Duty Black Ops was one of my most wanted FPS games ever, until I bought the game, the whole game is absolutely rubbish.

    The story isn't great (not surprisingly), I won't spoil anything for any new comers to Black Ops or the Franchise but I will say you will be disappointed or if you don't care about the story then you shouldn't have any problem. (This game is nominated in BAFTA    Call of Duty Black Ops was one of my most wanted FPS games ever, until I bought the game, the whole game is absolutely rubbish.

    The story isn't great (not surprisingly), I won't spoil anything for any new comers to Black Ops or the Franchise but I will say you will be disappointed or if you don't care about the story then you shouldn't have any problem. (This game is nominated in BAFTA VGA for best story, how!?)
    The gameplay is mostly the same as the other past games but with a few tweaks to the gameplay which is very Minor.
    This game is also very intense, Lot's of explosions, grenades going off, your allies shouting. This isn't one of the best in the Series.

    The online mode is what really shines the most. The online is decent, new weapons, killstreaks, equipment and minor gameplay tweaks. But even the online play is not good, I feel it's just getting old and boring. But the best part of the game is zombies, a return from World at war, but it has a lack of maps to play on but with the New first strike adds an extra map but it's not enough.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops is kind of decent to play, I regret buying it but I do go back to play it and it may get better when more map packs are released. Not a must buy for new comers or even fans but try it.    … Expand
  88. ImUnavailable
    Sep 23, 2011
    7
    Both the multiplayer maps and the campaign of Black Ops are weaker than its predecessor, even if its plot is slightly more interesting. Graphics are also slightly worse this time around. However, the inclusion of zombie modes and dead ops arcade mean that this is a game bursting with content. The Call of Duty formula remains enjoyable but this is not a must buy.
  89. jkey4
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    Not a bad game all in all. Much like others in the COD series, and actually addressed some of the more prominent complaints about MW2, like seemingly unlimited tubing, quickscoping, boosting, and glitching. I give Treyarch a lot of credit for staying on top of the game as it has developed in the marketplace, patching where they see the need develop, and having in game bans for those whoNot a bad game all in all. Much like others in the COD series, and actually addressed some of the more prominent complaints about MW2, like seemingly unlimited tubing, quickscoping, boosting, and glitching. I give Treyarch a lot of credit for staying on top of the game as it has developed in the marketplace, patching where they see the need develop, and having in game bans for those who have been reported for boosting. I've traded my copy in after 4 months however, as the game has become stale. Where this game falls short is in its lack of complexity. However flawed, MW2 was pretty complex and difficult, and prestiging for non-cheaters took quite a bit of effort. Black Ops came with maps that were small and linear (even in the First Strike pack - aside from Discovery), and presitging was quite easy. Hit marking was seriously flawed as well.
    Anyhow; I enjoyed Black Ops while I had it. It was a solid game, but even running different patterns on small, linear maps gets old pretty quickly.    … Expand
  90. trebz
    Mar 22, 2011
    6
    Entertaining multiplayer and certainly the best yet, but shocking single player has let this game down as a whole, no where near as entertaining as previous outings.
  91. Ixziga
    Mar 23, 2011
    5
    Frankly the singleplayer is just crap. Despite the several slightly different environments you get to play in everything looks and feels about the same because of gameplay that never evolves and a totally boring color palette that also never changes. I could care less if it's longer since it's just more time to not be having any fun at all. The multiplayer is good - in theory. What thatFrankly the singleplayer is just crap. Despite the several slightly different environments you get to play in everything looks and feels about the same because of gameplay that never evolves and a totally boring color palette that also never changes. I could care less if it's longer since it's just more time to not be having any fun at all. The multiplayer is good - in theory. What that theory doesn't include is HOST ADVANTAGE which I absolutely guarantee will haunt every match you ever play with instantaneous deaths, invulnerable enemies, and spawn camping - camping -camping. Camper friendly perks, guns, maps, everything. Balance? No one who honestly plays this game could possibly find it balanced. Zombies is a slightly redeeming quality if there were more than 2 maps and 1 that you have to burn and unnecessary $15 to get as DLC (not including the dead ops arcade which is fun but super limited). At this point you have to face the truth, which is that Activision is publishing CoD for money, not the buyer. If it wasn't for wasting money on so many of their games I wouldn't have known how this was possible, but here's the answer. Activision uses the following to get buyers - promising to deliver on past greatness (CoD 4) - Promising to fix problems - Establishing a forum for people to communicate to the developers But none of these things matter because - Activision refuses to release a new game for fear that they could alter what they view to be the golden formula - Actually building the game with problems so they can claim to have something to fix when it's time for another sequel - Activision's money lust has proven that they don't give a rat's ass about the community so have fun banging your head against a wall in the forums
    here's the fact, if you want Activision to start caring about their community, then you have the power to do so, it's called a boycott.
    when the next CoD comes out, you simply don't buy it because Activision is not delivering the goods promised. When Activision finally gets beat over the head by a lack of sales, then they'll get their ape-like brains to build a connection between profit and respecting the community. On the other hand, if you DO purchase the next CoD and it turns out the same way, then you're rewarding their behavior of **** the CoD franchise for profit. I want to see CoD return to it's former glory but that's just not happening under the lordship of the Activision pig.    … Expand
  92. bainsterdeluxe
    Mar 27, 2011
    5
    when I first heard about the premise behind this COD installment, I was very, VERY interested. I'm one for the cool conspiracy theory storyline. The undercover and subterfugal feeling that I got throughout playing was awesome, and I genuinely did enjoy the story, even though it was terribly short. Then I went online. Utter garbage. To this day, there always seems to be more of an onus onwhen I first heard about the premise behind this COD installment, I was very, VERY interested. I'm one for the cool conspiracy theory storyline. The undercover and subterfugal feeling that I got throughout playing was awesome, and I genuinely did enjoy the story, even though it was terribly short. Then I went online. Utter garbage. To this day, there always seems to be more of an onus on the multiplayer element, and still nothing has beaten COD4 for the fun and style, in my opinion. I have been attempting to play on veteran mode, having done the previous titles with some effort, but this one takes the mickey. I agree @ColdSpike, it is a shocking display for upping the difficulty of a game by simply throwing a thousand enemies at you, all of which are throwing grenades, and then changing the points where the game hits a checkpoint so they are too few and far between to bother with playing. The only thing saving this title is the actual storyline, which still could have done with more development...oh and zombies. Just for a laugh.… Expand
  93. willmaster123
    Jun 5, 2011
    5
    Black Ops is not necessarily a horrible game, in fact it can be really fun sometimes, but there are some issues that are too bit to let this game be better. The first issue is the campaign, which clearly takes the idea of 'constant extreme action' from MW2 way too far. Every mission has slow motion that is so over the top it seems stupid, and they all have unbelievable events such asBlack Ops is not necessarily a horrible game, in fact it can be really fun sometimes, but there are some issues that are too bit to let this game be better. The first issue is the campaign, which clearly takes the idea of 'constant extreme action' from MW2 way too far. Every mission has slow motion that is so over the top it seems stupid, and they all have unbelievable events such as riding a motorcycle out of a building and then jumping onto a moving train at 100 mph, and while they look cool, they will make you say "Really Treyarch?" The story is confusing, but it is fairly good, especially by the end of the story where everything comes together, and it should be interesting to see how the MW series will link to this series, but one issue i have is with Reznov. The hardened and old WW2 character from World at War is back somehow, and his return simply screams that they only had him return as a stupid, cheesy story arch. However his story is still quite good, and also quite good for a shooters story. However the campaign gameplay suffers heavily, in the way that it simply is not fun. In this, even more so then the previous Call of Duty games, it is simply going around the next corner and shooting the same enemies, often with the same guns. It feels as if every mission is exactly the same, and it seems Treyarch thought they could bring in variety by adding 'explosions' and 'slow motion' almost everywhere, but it doesn't work. And of course, the horrible length of the game is simply too small to almost even call it a full campaign. Perhaps if they didn't have activision up their ass to make it an annual release, they would not have such issues and they would be able to actually work on a quality release. The multiplayer side is a different story however. It has issues of course, some very bad actually, but for the most part the new things that Treyarch brought were good. The wager matches are great fun, with games such as Gun Game and One in the Chamber, they are unique and even technically have a meaning. Their called Wager matches because you wage money, if you get onto the top 3 you get a new thing called 'CoD Points', which are important because their now used to buy almost everything equipment-wise after you unlock it. However the biggest issue, as it was in MW2, is the Multiplayer simply has too many balancing and camping issues. Its obvious that the maps support campers by having many little nooks and crannies where someone can hide and kill, and the balancing issues are, at this point, too severe. There are simply too many guns that are clearly better than all the other guns, and the fact that higher level characters get the guns first makes the game hard and unfair to the lower levels. The guns are all supposed to be equal, however they seemed to abandon that theory with Black Ops, and made guns such as the Famas and Commando so overpowered that they seem unstoppable. Also, the Killstreaks are ridiculous and beyond just overpowered. The guy with the highest amounts of kills can get things such as a radar map which shows the direction enemies are facing, or they can go into a Gatling gun which can kill everyone on the map twice, and even a nuke at 25 kills which ends the game, meaning the person with the most kills simply gets MORE kills because he has so many kills. Its all very disappointing from the series which produced Call of Duty 4, and its even more disturbing that even after MW2 had very similar issues, Treyarch did not listen. The graphics, for lack of a better word, need to be a bit redone. They do look good, and at some points fantastic, but there has been literally nothing done since MW2, and the things they could do now that far more graphically superior games have been coming out such as Crysis 2 and Witcher 2, are endless. Overall i give the game a 5, the campaign has a good story with a few faults, but quite bad gameplay, and the multiplayer is fun, but unfair, unbalanced, and ridiculous.… Expand
  94. Rizzo
    Jun 1, 2011
    7
    I must not be the only one that thinks this is getting old. More Call of Duty = More of the same. Not much has changed since Modern Warfare. Black ops is a solid game and I spent quite of bit of time playing it, but they need to show me something special before I pick up Modern Warfare 3. The graphics haven't improved much neither. Crysis 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 looks a lotI must not be the only one that thinks this is getting old. More Call of Duty = More of the same. Not much has changed since Modern Warfare. Black ops is a solid game and I spent quite of bit of time playing it, but they need to show me something special before I pick up Modern Warfare 3. The graphics haven't improved much neither. Crysis 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 looks a lot better. When are buildings in Call of Duty going to become destructible, or the maps become more fleshed out and more interactive. Windows break and thats about it. The effects from explosions and gunfire aren't very impressive. This game is recycled bits and pieces from World at War and Modern Warfare. Which really isn't a bad thing, I'm just trying to find out what is new besides the maps. Zombies don't do anything for me and if I wanted to kill zombies I would play Left 4 Dead or Resident Evil or something similar. Paying $15 for 3 maps and a zombie map is ridiculous. Call of Duty needs to be remodeled, reinvented, renewed, it needs more than a face lift by November. We want innovation from the best selling shooter of this gen. Maybe the developers that are making the next Call of Duty will take some risks and surprise us. I hope so for the gamers sake.… Expand
  95. jheuberger
    Nov 4, 2011
    6
    Campaign had a handful of bugs, which is too many. Heck, one bug is too many. The multiplayer would be alot more fun if it didn't constantly boot people out the party and glitch out so much. I love the modern warfare stuff, but black ops is underwhelming, and I'm glad that I waited till it was twenty something bucks on half.com to buy it. Otherwise, I'd be so pissed off and had a bad tasteCampaign had a handful of bugs, which is too many. Heck, one bug is too many. The multiplayer would be alot more fun if it didn't constantly boot people out the party and glitch out so much. I love the modern warfare stuff, but black ops is underwhelming, and I'm glad that I waited till it was twenty something bucks on half.com to buy it. Otherwise, I'd be so pissed off and had a bad taste in my mouth about COD. They need to just make a zombie COD game and modern warfare 3 and that's it. Try something else.… Expand
  96. huttjabbathe
    Jun 17, 2011
    5
    I found this game to be rather blah of a game. There really wasn't anything added to the CoD franchise with this game. It's pretty much the same as the games before it. And zombies? I mean really, what's so special about the zombie mode? I didn't much care for the zombie mode in World at War so why should I care now?
  97. bighead6000
    Jul 2, 2011
    7
    overall I think call of duty black ops is just an OK game. The multiplayer doesn't really offer anything new to the series, and could get pretty boring after awhile. The same goes for the zombies mode. I also think the campaign could've been better for it's kind of dull. If you are thinking about getting this game, you might want to look for something else.
  98. DMuhny
    Jul 10, 2011
    5
    Decent game. Modern Warfare 2 was definitely better in my opinion. Both in gameplay and in graphics. Maps are good. Not a fan of Treyarch. They seem to have choppy gameplay, poor animations, and inferior weapons. They also like to satisfy kids with zombies all the time. Childish in my opinion.
  99. arterminator
    Jul 14, 2011
    6
    Call of duty black ops is a nice firstperson shooter. I like to play the campaign. But the story isn't nice at all. The game is just an media spectacular.
    The gameplay is nice and it's also a nice game to play. I give call of duty black ops an 7 because it's nice to play but just like the other call of duty games
    i doesn't have a nice story
  100. Comanglia
    Aug 17, 2011
    6
    + Good - Bad
    -Same engine as World At War and CoD4:MW (rollback from MW2) obviously no innovation like critics claim
    -Short Campaign with weak characters -Really Buggy -To been there done that with the weapons selection (the weapons are fine its just I hate playing 3-4 games in a row with mostly the same weapons) -No innovation in Graphics (personally I don't care, but they didn't do    + Good - Bad
    -Same engine as World At War and CoD4:MW (rollback from MW2) obviously no innovation like critics claim
    -Short Campaign with weak characters
    -Really Buggy
    -To been there done that with the weapons selection (the weapons are fine its just I hate playing 3-4 games in a row with mostly the same weapons)
    -No innovation in Graphics (personally I don't care, but they didn't do anything to really make up for it)
    +Return of Zombies
    +Fun Multiplayer
    -Any game is fun in Multiplayer with the right people
    -Feels more like an Expansion and not a Standalone game
    -Doesn't compare to other CoD games
    -$60 on release, really should have been more like $40 on release (though personally after playing it I wish I had payed $20 and I were you I would refuse to pay more than that)    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
28
#28 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Jan 30, 2011
    72
    A short campaign which is never spectacular and never very clever, but always solid enough. [Feb 2011, p.99]
  2. Gamekult
    Jan 18, 2011
    70
    By dint of obstinacy, Treyarch delivers probably its best with Black Ops Call of Duty to date - but probably not the best in the saga.
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  3. Cynamite
    Jan 16, 2011
    90
    There are more highlights in the first two missions of Black Ops, then in Medal of Honor. The requirements of Treyarch seemed to be better, than in the past few years. They made an interesting setting. In addition, there's a nice zombie mode and an overwhelming multiplayer. No doubt, this is Treyarchs best Call of Duty ever!
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