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reader discussion

Rants 'N Raves: Call Of Duty: Black Ops

by Matt Bertz on Dec 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Not everyone has the time to read or write a full review of every game that hits the market. Rants 'n Raves is your chance to read a quick breakdown of a game's strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide your own analysis. The concept is simple: put your pros and cons in a bullet point format, and make your critique of each bullet point as concise as you can. This time, we take a look at Treyarch's impressive Call of Duty: Black Ops.

RAVES

  • Best storyline of any Call of Duty game thus far
  • Direction and cinematography on par with Hollywood films
  • Great voice acting, especially Sam Worthington
  • JFK, Castro, Tricky Dick, and Robert McNamara in Zombies mode!
  • Good multiplayer map variety; not as many sniper friendly venues which should be the case for Call of Duty-style maps
  • Improved kill streaks. Since players control most of the bonus attacks, it eliminates the feeling that the game is killing you rather than competitors
  • New unlock system gives you the freedom to choose your upgrade path
  • Toned down the quick scoping exploit
  • Wager matches provide a good change of pace from other mutliplayer modes
  • Theater tools let players share multiplayer highlights more easily

RANTS

  • Lacked the memorable set-piece moments of the Infinity Ward games
  • Brain dead enemy AI doesn't offer much of a challenge
  • Checkpoint system can still screw you over
  • Broken matchmaking doesn't let new players join matches in progress, which results in uneven teams
  • Poor sound design makes it hard to tell where the bullets are coming from
  • Leaderboard hacking still prevalent

What's your take?