Call of Duty: Black Ops
About
Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter, a seventh installment in the series altogether and a sequel to Call of Duty: World at War. The game takes place during the Cold War and shows different historical periods of it.
The main character is a CIA agent, set out on different classified missions and tasked with eliminating enemies if needed. The story in the game is complicated, featuring characters from the previous games, and historical figures like JFK and Fidel Castro. Despite its emphasis on the scenario and real-world plausibility, Black Ops doesn’t lack in gameplay terms, as the combat system is, as established in series, extensive and realistic. The graphics are made for the player’s highest level of entertainment, with massive special effects and excellent quality of every detail.
Call of Duty: Black Ops features a trademark multiplayer system, with different game modes, competitive play, and cooperative maps. The players can earn ranks for their performance, unlock new customizable weapons and different perks for use in the upcoming battles.
System requirements for iOS
System requirements for Nintendo DS
System requirements for PlayStation 3
System requirements for macOS
- OS: OS X 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion), 10.9.5 (Mavericks), 10.10.5 (Yosemite), 10.11.6 (El Capitan), 10.12 (Sierra)
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 512MB or higher. NVIDIA 640M, ATI HD 3870, Intel HD 5000
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Aspyr does not recommend that you play Call of Duty: Black Ops on any of the following unsupported graphic chipsets: HD3000 (2011 Mac Mini, 2011 MacBook Air, 2011 13” MacBook Pro) HD4000 (2012 13” MacBook Pro) ATI Radeon HD 2000 series, HD 4670, HD 6490M, HD6630M NVIDIA 8000 & 9000 series, GT100 series, 320M, 330M Intel Integrated GMA950, x3100
System requirements for PC
- OS: Windows® Vista / XP / 7
- Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 or better
- Memory: 2GB
- Graphics: Shader 3.0 or better 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600GT / ATI Radeon® X1950Pro or better
- DirectX®: DirectX® 9.0c
- Hard Drive: 12GB*
- Sound: DirectX® 9.0c-compatible
System requirements for Xbox One
System requirements for Wii
System requirements for Xbox 360
Where to buy
Top contributors
Call of Duty: Black Ops reviews and comments
The first mode I’m going to dissect is the campaign. The story mode is easily top 5 in the franchise. The setting picked for the game is unique and is one that is barely seen in video games. The way the Cold War is portrayed in this game is very accurate and they do a great job of blending reality with fiction. This COD campaign was the first to have the playable protagonist actually talk and it felt refreshing to have a protagonist who the players can relate to.
Seeing Alex Mason kidnapped by the Russians and being put through brainwashing to be used as a sleeper agent is honestly insane. The overall plot is the villain of the game, Nikita Dragovich, has made a lethal gas known as Nova Six and plans to release it in every US state. The majority of missions in the game are flashbacks and the present is taking place with Mason being tortured by the CIA in order to decipher a series of numbers from a broadcast that will sequence the attack.
Throughout the majority of the game, the identities of the interrogators are kept secret. In all these flashbacks, Mason is doing tasks for the CIA and he is accompanied with characters known as Frank Woods, Bowman, Hudson, Weaver, and Viktor Reznov. After Mason is kidnapped by the Russians, he is thrown into a gulag named Vorkuta. He befriends a WWII veteran named Viktor Reznov who was previously in COD WAW, making it canonically related.
Reznov explains he and the USSR were supposed to extract Nova Six from the Germans and also extract Nazi scientist Freidrich Steiner. In this flashback, Dimitri Patrenko from WAW accompanies him in the mission. Dragovich was the squad commander of Reznov’s team, showing they have history. As Reznov and his team are about to extract Steiner, Dragovich uses the gas and tests it on his comrades, killing Dimitri in the process and betraying Reznov.
Reznov escapes but is shortly thrown into Vorkuta after. Reznov and Mason escape Vorkuta but Mason ends up leaving Reznov behind. After that, Reznov is believed to be dead until he reunites with Mason in Laos. Near the end of the game, Reznov convinces Mason that Steiner must die so they head to Rebirth Island and plan to kill him before the CIA get to him. This mission is played twice, through the perspectives of Mason and Hudson. Hudson reaches Mason and Reznov preparing to kill Steiner but is late to stop him. In Hudson’s perspective, Mason is seen killing Steiner by himself while Reznov is not present.
That’s when the game reveals the biggest plot twist and reveals that Viktor Reznov was dead the entire time and Mason hallucinated seeing him. Honestly it’s a clever twist that no one saw coming. It is also revealed that Reznov hijacked Mason’s brainwashing to have Mason carry out his revenge. In the buildup to the final mission, the interrogators are revealed to be Hudson and Weaver, they tell Mason that Reznov was dead the entire time. The numbers revealed a ship called the Rusulka where Dragovich will be broadcasting the numbers.
They attack the ship, Mason strangles Dragovich, and saves the day. The ending is spectacular and the games hints at the possibility that Alex Mason might have killed JFK. The campaign has solid voice acting, amazing gameplay, and outstanding writing.
Next mode I will dive into is Multiplayer. Multiplayer is absolutely fun, the customization options are endless, and the for the first time, you could create your character and emblem. The maps are all uniquely designed and never feel worn out. The gunplay is fun and it felt rewarding earning the highest killstreak possible.
DLC maps add a lot to the multiplayer and make it even better. It was nice to unlock weapons without having to pay micro transactions. The biggest issue I have is sound design since shotgun blasts, car explosions, and grenade launchers can get annoying. Overall, BO1 offers a strong multiplayer that is still being played till this day.
Zombies mode in this game has a lot of positives. The game offers three maps at launch which are Kino, Five, and Dead Ops Arcade. Kino is a perfect starter map at it appeals to casuals and keeps you wanting more. DLC maps are great and IMO, worth spending the money. The best of the DLC is either Ascension or Moon. Treyarch decided to bring back the WAW maps and those are fun to play. Overall, zombies innovated and is still a joy to play.
Overall, this game is a strong entry in the COD series and kept the formula fresh and clean.
Final rating: 9.2/10
My recommended cod playthrough order:
- If yr new u could either start with Cod4 or WaW but u simply HAVE TO play WaW and Black Ops. Could play Cod4 and MW2 first tho, just follow yr interests
- After that u can finish out either of those series if u want with either BOII or MW3. BOII is more worth playing imo
- Could play Cod2 after that
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