Here we are again. Another year, another inevitable entry in the massively successful Call of Duty series. It's been passed back and forth between developers for these four installments, and it's once again landed on the shoulders of Treyarch, who developed World at War. World at War had easily the best single player campaign, while Modern Warfare maintained a tight grasp on Multiplayer. Now here we are with Black Ops and I can comfortably say that they've managed to seamlessly integrate great single player and good multiplayer, to provide the best, and in my opinion, definitive Call of Duty experience.

That said, there's really not a whole lot to say about this game. The groundwork for this series was laid years ago with the first Modern Warfare, and with the three games that followed, not much has changed. Black Ops definitely manages to refine some things to provide for a much better experience overall, and these things are definitely worth noting, but it's mostly the same game we've been playing from the start.

First up are the visuals. The only thing I think Black Ops has over the rest of the series are the environments. They're absolutely fantastic. Not only are they well designed and keep everything looking fresh, but they feel far less artificial than in past games. At least less than Modern Warfare 2. As for the graphics themselves, nothing new to see here unfortunately. Overall, they look good and there have been minor improvements made here and there, such as the backdrops, but all in all it's still the same story as Modern Warfare 2. Take it all in together and it looks great. Stop and examine the details, and... not so much. It still runs at a mostly solid 60 frames per second with occasional slowdown. It looks nice, but it's definitely time to start stepping it up a little.

Black Ops also includes a pretty good soundtrack. The music is fitting and definitely up there with the rest, especially on certain levels, such as Hong Kong. There's also some good Vietnam-era music thrown in occasionally from bands like The Rolling Stones. The sound effects are the same as they've been, which isn't a bad thing as guns and explosives sound powerful and pretty realistic, for the most part, but changing it up a bit wouldn't have killed them. The voice acting is what really manages to stand out. There's no shortage of celebrity voice work here and surprisingly they do a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, even more so than in previous entries. Some of the big names include Sam Worthington, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Topher Grace, and Ice Cube, among plenty of other high profile talent.

Speaking of the characters, the story once again is probably the best we've seen so far. Don't get me wrong, the story that revolved around all the battles in past games were interesting, but we've heard it before. Modern Warfare 2 tried to take it a step further, and the execution was pretty horrible. Thankfully, Black Ops tells a much more in depth story, and does it right. You play as Mason, who awakens in an interrogation room with a set of mysterious numbers swirreling around in his head, and your captors want to know exactly what they mean, as well as their origin. You're then taken through a series of flashbacks, recalling everything he's been through since first being captured by the Cuban military and handed over to the Soviet Union. Viktor Reznov from World at War also plays a major part in this game, and hey, more Gary Oldman is never a bad thing.

I don't want to give too much away, as it's more fun to let the game tell the story, but I will say that the setting is constantly changing, which keeps things exciting, and it's told in such a way that it actually makes sense now, unlike Modern Warfare 2. What's really great about it though is that it has a much bigger focus on the characters, and there's a great human element to it now. It's not just about the war that you're fighting. The characters are actually relatable and make the stakes seem that much higher every step of the way. Getting back to the numbers, there's also a great mystery element to the story that we haven't really seen before in Call of Duty. Sure there have been little twists before, but nothing like this. It's far more engrossing than it's ever been, and the way it's told really takes it to a whole new level. I was very impressed with the direction they took it.

As for the gameplay, things are pretty much unchanged. The actual mechanics are still as great as ever. Shooting is incredibly smooth and responsive and aside from a bit of added realism, I wouldn't want it any other way. Unfortunately, not much has been added and previous complaints are all mostly still here. The AI is once again pretty bad. Although the enemy layout is better and makes for more interesting fights most of the time, the AI still makes it feel like a bit of an endless shooting gallery at times. Don't get me wrong, it's still plenty challenging, but for kind of the wrong reason. The enemies don't present that great of a challenge, they're not very smart, and difficult moments only arise when enemy numbers are greater and they're continuously spawning. Some more lifelike enemies really would've made this campaign incredible, but it's been this way since the beginning. Friendly AI is also a bit of a problem at times, as they'll constantly be running into you, getting in your way, and jumping out in front of your bullets. Having to account for that every step of the way got a little irritating.

Still, the way the levels are designed and everything is laid out make this not only the most varied game in the series, but absolutely the most fun to run through. Even if the battles themselves don't consist of a whole lot, the pacing is fantastic. One moment you'll be engaged in open warfare and the next you'll be sneaking through the jungles of Vietnam taking out enemies with a knife. The environments and gameplay are always changing, but it doesn't feel random and out of place like it did before, so instead of being constantly confused, you can just enjoy it. There's also a few really great vehicles segments in the game, such as one where you actually get to pilot a helicopter and mow down enemies from above. It's a lot of fun, as is the rest of the campaign, and if you usually just hop online right away, I really encourage you to give the single player a try this time. It may not be revolutionary, but the innovations definitely mask the drawbacks and provide for the best experience yet.

As for the multiplayer, well it wouldn't be Call of Duty without it, and the online game everyone has come to love is still here in much the same way. There haven't really been any changes that make this a different experience than before, as it's the same thing at its core. There are some nice aesthetic customizations now, which I admit I'm a bit of a sucker for, such as face paint, more gun camo, custom reticle shapes and colors, and a fully customizable player icon. Unlocking guns, and attachments, and things now works in a better way. Instead of them being available only at a certain level, you earn money with each match that you can use to buy the things that you want as you level up, allowing you to pick and choose the equipment that you really want to use without having to complete challenges. You feel more like you're earning everything you use now, instead of just going through the motions. Another nice improvement are the maps, which are way better than those in Modern Warfare 2. The layout is a major step up and consists of more than just random buildings scattered around in a big generic lot. Some are a bit too small, and issues with spawn points result from this. There were maps I didn't care for, but all in all none of them are bad.

All the game modes from before are still here, along with some new types and different variations. Gun game switches out your weapon every time you get a kill, and the first one to make it all the way through is the winner. One in the chamber is also a new one that, as the title implies, starts you with only one bullet. Enemies will die in only one shot, but obviously you have to make it count. There are also plenty of others. Hardcore Search & Destroy is where it's at for me, and thankfully it's once again worth playing as the full points have been restored since Modern Warfare 2. One thing that kind of bugs me now though is that Claymores are way overpowered. They're almost invisible and they have no delay, which means you have to have the Hacker perk, depending on your game mode, which allows you to see them more clearly. It’s kind of a wasted perk slot if claymores are usually not an issue for you.

They also took out some of the perks that people have been complaining about, such as Stopping Power and Juggernaut, and they've removed death streaks and a lot of the more overpowered kill streaks. A lot of what they added in Modern Warfare 2 was really just unnecessary and only there for the sake of added intensity and to give us more than we needed. If crazy and over the top gameplay at any cost is your thing, well, ehh...

The real winner for me, is the new theater mode, which just like Halo, allows you view previous matches, take control of the camera, and splice together and upload video clips. It even highlights all your kills and deaths on the timeline, making for simple navigation through your videos. I really love this addition.

Now if you think I don't have any complaints, don't kid yourself. This is still Call of Duty, and unfortunately a lot of what I've hated about the online since Modern Warfare is still here and going strong. As always, the main issue is lag. As long as the game relies on players to host the matches, there will always be delay among certain people. The host, and everyone close to the host, will always have an unfair advantage and will be a good one to two seconds ahead of everyone else. If you still can't deal with being shot after getting behind a wall, or having your headshots not count because on their screen you were never firing in the first place, stay away. The game is fun, but this is something that needs to change. This has been the most successful game over the past four years. Their sales numbers and player numbers are greater than anything else on the market. They've generated billions of dollars in revenue. They need to provide dedicated servers for all players on all platforms to even the playing field and make this a fun and fair experience for everyone. They've made profits on top of profits with this game. Any excuse they have for not having dedicated servers at this point is complete bullshit. Yes, there is still host migration and it is better than before, but we shouldn't have to deal with this nonsense anymore.

I'm sorry for ranting, but it really needs to be said. They say all the little bugs, including lag, will be remedied over the next few weeks, but we've heard that before. Maybe they'll fix some of the glitches, but the glaring issues will still be around. Still, I just can't seem to stay away from this game. The gameplay itself, unchanged as it is, is still great, and the mechanics as smooth as they are make this one a lot of fun to play... as long as lag and a lot of unfair moments don't get you down. If you loved it before, you'll still love it now. If you hated it before, well, you know how that goes.

The single player took me about six hours to get through, but it felt like a lot longer because of how much you go through in that amount of time. Also, I'm definitely going to be playing through it a few more times. Zombies also makes a return, and although I preferred the Spec Ops mode overall, it's still a great deal of fun. Both would've been amazing. The competitive multiplayer is the same as it's been, and if it's your thing you'll be playing it for a long time to come. If you were expecting technical fixes and server overhauls, well, sorry. Still, on a gameplay level, I think it combines the best of what the previous titles had to offer, and throws in some improvements, such as new equipment, better guns, contracts, wager matches and plenty of other additions to make it the best experience yet.

Either way, the single player is definitely worth playing through and if that interests you, you should at least rent this one or borrow it from a friend, as you won't be disappointed. All in all, Black Ops is a fitting end to the new era of Call of Duty games. If only it were the end. There's sure to be plenty more coming, but after this is where I, as a fan, am signing off. It's a great experience, but it's time for some major updates and dropping $60 on the same thing again next year isn't going to happen. War might never change, but it's definitely time for this series to. Still... it's been fun.

Visuals: 8.8
Audio: 9.0
Story: 8.6
Gameplay: 9.3
Entertainment Value: 9.2

Overall: 9.2

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