Rate top gamesIf it is WW2, then I hoped It would be historic fiction based ops. First op, killing Castro, was promising, but then it went some fictional ops way which even wasn't interesting ones.
Other reviews16
It might not reinvent the wheel, but Call of Duty: Black Ops delivers exactly what it promises: a tightly focused Cold War thriller. The campaign’s pacing and mission variety keep things engaging—even if a couple of levels in the middle drag slightly—while the story leans into confusion and complexity, refusing to spell everything out and instead immersing you in the era’s paranoia. Gunplay feels solid and reliable (though it’s not jaw-droppingly perfect), and the visuals remain impressive for a 2010 title. Unfortunately, the sound design occasionally falters—melee weapons like the knife lack weight, and distant gunshots can feel muddled—but overall the audio does its job. In short, Black Ops isn’t flawless, but it nails its core goal: an action-packed, twist-filled journey through the shadowy tactics of the Cold War.
The online multiplayer was pretty good. The campaign is not even worth playing. The zombies are the best ones. It gave me a lot of hours of fun.
Call of Duty Black Ops 1 is honestly one of the best first person shooters I have ever played. Everything from the campaign, multiplayer, and the zombies is nothing short of exceptional and I’m gonna tell you all about it.
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
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
«Blew my mind»
«Time-tested»
Easily my favorite cod campaign. Just ridiculously badass. Soundtrack freaking slaps. + best Zombies experience. The easter egg songs MMMMMMM
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
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
«Beaten more than once»
«OST on repeat»