Based on 25 Hours of Playing
System
- Intel i7-860 CPU
- Gigabyte P55A-UD5 Motherboard
- 4GB (DDR3) 1600 Patriot Viper2 RAM
- ATI Radeon 1GB 5770 Video Card
- Seasonic M12D 850watt PSU
- Thermaltake V9 Case
- Corsair HD50 Water cooling
- Zalman ZM-MFC3 Controller
- 3 x 120mm Thermaltake ISGC Fans
(thermal dynamic bearing)
- 1 x 230mm Fan
- 24" BenQ V2400eco LED Monitor
- Logitech G9 Mouse (3200dpi)
- Windows 7 Ultimate (32bit) OS
- Don't bother, I can't see how this game can be salvaged it encompasses too many cheap / console based game limitations. However If I had to list the basics it would be:
- Larger / better maps (not drainpipe)
- Better weapon handling
- Health system
- Proper Save system
- Better Scripting
- Drop the Cut sequences
- Weapon Upgrades
- Player Upgrades
Shooting - First person shooter
A Realistic Review of CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS
Call of Duty Black Ops
This game embodies everything I dislike in a First Person Shooter game. For starters, it treats the player as a complete moron. If you're given an order, then the person who gave you that order will continue to bark and scream at you until you complete it. I mean really? A constant reminder of what you have to do every 5 or so seconds Is that really necessary? Then the game shows you way points of where you need to go to trigger the next scripting event. WHY? Every level is designed like a drain pipe, there is only *ONE* way to go anyway, making their way point system completely superfluous. There is no saving system, instead it relies completely on checkpoint, so you'll find yourself repeating sections of the game over and over and over. There is no health system, if you get shot just take cover for a few seconds and you miraculously heal. Finally the weapons handling is typical and dull. You could be sprinting for a bit and then when you stop you raise your weapon and guess what. the iron sights are completely still. That's just absurd and totally unrealistic. Shooting from the hip the game shows you the typical and stupid expanding crosshair concept. This means that a weapon (say sniper rifle) is only lethal if you fire it using the scope, if you fire from the hip it's not lethal. How is that possible it fires the same bullet..
Spawning, Spawning, Spawning is all you will see, the enemies just continue to appear and they always track the exact same path, so the patterns are blatantly obvious. Almost all games rely on spawning but games like this just take it to a whole new level. Clearly the game design is to focus on pushing you along as fast as possible, so that you don't have time to stop and notice these issues.
Finally this is another game where you can carry insane amounts of ammo for one weapon, but bugger all for another. For a HK21 you can carry 900 rounds of ammo? WHY? Every 3 feet you walk you'll find weapons laying on the ground from the hordes of spawned dead enemies you've shot. Ammo is not a factor in this game at all so why make the carry capacity so high?
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A More Indepth Analysis of each Section.
)The graphics are typical of games of this type. They are certainly nothing quality like Half Life 2, but they are better than Borderlands and BulletStorm.
Everything looks very dull. There are some sections they have added water reflections or shine on wet metal, but it doesn't look all that realistic. The vision range is not all that wonderful so even at a slight distance ahead everything is dusty and unclear
)If you like fast paced action then this is a game you will enjoy.
You play as a soldier and at different times given different roles to play.
There are just so many aspects about this game and its design that I dislike. The AI team mates are not very bright, they can be shooting at an enemy for ages before they kill it. They often run directly infront of you while you're firing at the enemy and then have the balls to tell ME to check my fire. How about they watch where they are running!
The Scripting is very blatant in this game. The game even shows you the waypoint at which the next scripted event will happen. In a game of such drainpipe level design that's about as blatant as you can get.
Spawning. This is absolutely rampant. The spawning is linked to the scripting, as you would expect, so it will continue until you achieve the objective / task you have been assigned.
The amount of ammo you can carry per weapon is just ridiculous. Who needs 900 rounds for a rifle, when every few feet you walk there are weapons dropped from dead enemies and dead squad mates.
)If you like the previous style Call of Duty games, then this will be right up your alley.
There are a couple of sequences where you can control other items, such as gun emplacements, helicopter, boat, etc, but quite frankly it doesn't do any of them justice. Extremely arcade at best.
This is another generic cookie cutter game, where they have just changed the name on the title and added a few different cut sequences. It seems that more and more modern games are talking out features that actually made their predecessors worth playing. Here's a brief list of what is missing in this game:
- Maps that have more than 1 path to the objective
- Weapons with realistic handling
- A Game Save system (not a stupid console style checkpoint system)
- A Health System
- Strategy and Tactics
- Good game and level design rather than blatantly relying on spawning
- Player and weapon upgrading
- Proper Inventory
The title states Black Ops, and that implies covert operations, yet there is absolutely nothing covert about this game at all. 99% of the missions you're at full attack mode as if you're the first wave in a war. As if you are a generic soldier. There is no planing or strategy or stealth in the game at all. You're spoon fed exactly what to do the whole way through. It's as if this game was designed to be played by 5 year olds.
)I think there is a bit of a story going on, as you jump back and forth from an interrogation
The whole story/plot just seems stupid to me. The amount of times you are scripted to get captured and released, is just boring as hell.
Why can't we have a game that treats you as someone a little more intelligent, rather than having a scripting sequence for you to open a door and not check the blind spot, which of course is where the enemy is hiding, but oh dear they choose not to shoot you but knock you out instead. Boring. Boring. Boring.
The cut sequences are really not necessary in this game at all. I don't know why they bother putting them in. Why not spend more time making the game actually fun to play and simply drop the cut sequences all together. It's not as if this type of game requires a story anyway.
)A couple of the levels look interesting and a few are designed around the type of vehicle you must use, so some are appealing.
Don't expect to be able to go exploring. These levels are strictly one way. There's nothing to do at all, other than find the odd piece of intelligence, although that intelligence doesn't help you at all during the game, so it's a complete waste of time.
)There's plenty of sound effects
Weapons don't sound all that loud, when compared to the music and the radio communication. Some of the heavier calibre weapons don't sound as I would have expected
)It exists and it appears to be fitting to the era that the game is set
I really don't think these types of games need music though. After all it is suppose to be about Black Ops, that means covert. I doubt a soldier would go into combat wearing an iPOD with music playing.
)The configuration screen is fine and the in game help correctly reports what keys you have assigned to each action.
Nothing to report.
)Mouse and keyboard can be used through the game.
The main menu is strange, The mouse is assigned to look around rather than actually selecting menu options. That feels strange.
Also in missions the mouse is assigned tasks you would not expect. For example when you are controlling the "eye in the sky" surveillance, you are forced to use the player movement keys in order to move the camera around, and then left and right mouse to zoom in and out? You then use the Melee key to send orders to the troops you are controlling. That all seems very cumbersome. Why isn't the left mouse button (which is attack) used to send orders and then mouse movement to pan the camera and wheel mouse to zoom in out. Infact the whole keyboard requirement is unnecessary in this sequence.
)If you hate looking for stuff then you're in luck. There is a single piece of "intel" to be found on most maps.
There's nothing. There are no secrets that I can find and there's no reward for doing anything. There also appear to be no in game stats, such as number of head shot kills, number of enemies killed etc etc.. Probably due to the prolific amount of spawning that this game replies upon those numbers would look pretty stupid by the end of the game anyway.
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Score 57 %
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| Code : BS2011 |
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Score 65 %
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| Code : OFP-RR |
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Score 87 %
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| Code : Crysis2 |
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This Review was Last Modified on : 26th of November, 2012