Call of Duty: Black Ops (Wii Review) by Carl B.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
System: Wii, DS, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 9, 2010

November 13, 2010, by Carl B. - The Call of Duty series started in 2003 on the PC, and since then it has seen six different developers - spanning across nearly every console under the sun - and yearly installments similar to Madden and other sports games. For 2010's Call of Duty release Treyarch is back with Call of Duty: Black Ops, a title that deviates from the more modern installments and takes place during the 1960's Cold War era. Using the same engine as the last three Call of Duty games, does Black Ops manage to feel fresh, and is the Wii version just a stripped down port?

Black Ops tries really hard to present a new way to tell a story. The game's main character, Mason, is apparently captured by an organization whose interrogator sounds an awful lot like the serial killer from Saw. Mason's captors want him to a sequence of numbers, so they have him re-tell events prior to his capture. Players play through these memories, which include an assassination attempt on Fidel Castro, breaking out of a Russian prison, and one particular memory goes back to a time shortly after World War II. While this mechanic does allow for the story to skip through multiple time periods - which it does - it creates a disconnected feel and the overall plot makes next to no sense at all until the end of the game.

Concept art.

The single player campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops is relatively short, lasting about six hours on medium difficulty. The campaign is filled with some great cinematic moments, car chases, and explosions, but ultimately the experience doesn't feel as griping as past Call of Duty games, especially compared to the fantastic single player campaign found in Eurocom's re-imagining of Goldeneye 007. However, voice acting for the campaign is outstanding, as Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) voices Mason.

Treyarch's Call of Duty installments on Wii have always been impressive, whether it is World at War or Modern Warfare Reflex, and Black Ops is no different. The controls can be fully customized - on the level of The Conduit - and dead zones, turning speeds, and ADS settings can all be fine tuned as well. The aiming reticule on-screen can also be customized, giving Black Ops an added level of personalization. Overall, the controls in Black Ops are some of the best on Wii, and are even better than that of Modern Warfare Reflex's. For players who don't fancy the extra precise pointer controls, Treyarch included Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro support to the game.

Xbox 360 screenshot.

The visuals for Call of Duty games on Wii have always been a mixed bag. Call of Duty 3 and World at War were rather sub-par outings, but Modern Warfare Reflex managed to look halfway decent. Black Ops has some obvious visual upgrades over Modern Warfare Reflex, but as far as the single player is concerned, Goldeneye 007 is far better looking. On the online multiplayer side of things, Black Ops maintains a steady frame rate without sacrificing visual quality, making the game's online portion look and feel better than Goldeneye's, which suffered from grainy textures and a slightly slowed down frame rate. With that said, the frame rate for Black Ops during intense moments of the single player campaign does tend to chug along here and there.

Call of Duty's main pull in recent years has been the online multiplayer. The Wii has historically gotten the short end of the stick from Activision in this area, but Treyarch has gone above and beyond what they did in World at War and Modern Warfare Reflex in order to deliver the most feature-rich and engaging multiplayer experience available on Wii - and this includes Goldeneye, too. Every mode, map, challenge, perk, and killstreak from the HD versions is included in the Wii version. Black Ops' set of game modes is pretty robust, as it includes modes such as Team Deathmatch, Headquarters, and the always fun Capture the Flag. There are also classic modes thrown in for good measure that don't allow players to use perks or killstreaks.

The core of the Call of Duty online experience is still exactly the same as in previous games. Players will earn experience points every time they kill an opponent or complete a challenge. These experience points are added up until the player reaches the next level, which in turn may unlock a new weapon or perk for the player. New in Black Ops are "Call of Duty Points" - after every level gained, players are awarded with "x" amount of CoD points, which are basically the currency of Call of Duty online. When players reach "x" level to unlock a new weapon or perk, they'll have to spend a certain amount of CoD points to buy it. This mechanic makes players think harder about what they want to unlock, and ultimately will keep players coming back. It has also allowed Treyarch to unlock all weapon attachments right from the start, forcing players to save up CoD points in order to buy them. Players can also bet CoD points in "Wager Matches," and can even set contracts - a new type of challenge system - to earn more CoD points.

World at War's popular Nazi Zombie mode returns in Black Ops, and is a welcome addition to the Wii version of the game since it wasn't in World at War on Wii. Up to four players can team up online as they fight off waves of zombies in a confined space with World War II weaponry. The zombies break in from different barricades on the map that players are supposed to repair and protect. There are some limitations to the zombie mode in the Wii version however, as only one map is playable on.

PDP Headbanger Headset

Treyarch have added some nice changes to the Wii version of Black Ops to make the online more comparable to the HD versions. A new friend code system allows players to add anyone they've met up with as an "Ally," and they'll be able to exchange text messages with each other. Black Ops on Wii also supports PDP's Headbanger Headset, but strangely doesn't make use of Wii Speak, which is somewhat of a slap in the face to those who bought the add-on.

The Verdict

Sound
12/15 - Voice acting by Sam Worthington is excellent. Black Ops doesn't have much of a soundtrack, unless the sound of bullet fire and screaming counts.

Graphics
16/20 - The overall quality of the visuals aren't as high as Goldeneye's, but Black Ops does look better than the other Call of Duty games on Wii and manages a flawless frame rate during online play.

Appeal
24/25 - Even with a mundane single player campaign, Black Ops' outstanding online multiplayer component will keep players coming back months from now.

Gameplay
34/40 - Black Ops is one of the best controlling shooters on Wii. The engine and core gameplay mechanics haven't changed much from the rest of the Call of Duty series, making the game feel nearly the same as last year's title.

Overall
86/100 - Call of Duty: Black Ops features the most robust online multiplayer available on the Wii, with every feature in the HD versions present in the Wii edition, made even better by a new ally system and the ability to chat with anyone via the Headbanger Headset. The single player may feel drab in comparison with Goldeneye 007, but it's never short of epic moments.