Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops is a 2010 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It was released worldwide in November 2010 for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Aspyr later ported the game to OS X in September 2012. It is the seventh title in the Call of Duty series and a sequel to Call of Duty: World at War.
Set in the 1960s during the Cold War, the game's single-player campaign follows CIA operative Alex Mason as he attempts to recall specific memories to locate a numbers station set to instruct Soviet sleeper agents to deploy chemical weapons across the United States. Locations featured in the game include Cuba, the Soviet Union, the United States, South Vietnam, Hong Kong, Canada, and Laos. The multiplayer component of Black Ops features multiple objective-based game modes that are playable on 14 different maps included with the game. Improvements to loadout options and
killstreak rewards are made. A form of virtual currency, COD Points, allows players to purchase weapons and customization options for their in-game character, as well as attachments and customization options for their weapon.
Development for the game began in 2010. Whereas Treyarch worked on both World at War and the tie-in video game for the James Bond film Quantum of Solace simultaneously, they focused specifically on Black Ops during this development cycle. Different teams within Treyarch focused on a certain game mode. Black Ops runs an enhanced version of the IW 3.0 engine used in World at War. The improvements made allowed for bigger campaign levels to be made as well as enhanced lighting. Music was composed by Sean Murray, with licensed music by the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Eminem appearing in the game. Avenged Sevenfold also recorded an original song for the game as well. The marketing of the game began in April 2010.
The game received positive reviews from critics with praise for its story, voice-acting, darker tone and multiplayer modes, although some criticized it for its linear gameplay and technical issues. It is retrospectively considered one of the series' best games. Among other awards and nominations, Call of Duty: Black Ops was nominated for Game of the Year by numerous media outlets and award shows, including the Interactive Achievement Awards, British Academy Games Awards, and Spike Video Game Awards. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game had sold more than 5.6 million copies, breaking the record set by its predecessor Modern Warfare 2 by some 2.3 million copies. The game had sold over 25 million copies worldwide, making it, at the time, the best selling game of all time in the United States, and it remains one of the best-selling games of all time. A sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, was released in 2012. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, set between Black Ops and Black Ops II, was released in 2020.
Gameplay
Black Ops is a first-person shooter, retaining the same gameplay mechanics as previous Call of Duty titles. The player assumes the role of a foot soldier who can wield various firearms, throw grenades and other explosives, and use other equipment as weapons. A player close enough to an enemy can kill with one knife blow. A character can take three stances: standing, crouching, or prone. Each affects the rate of movement, accuracy, and stealth. The player can drop to the prone stance from the standing stance while running, and can momentarily sprint before stopping.The screen glows red to indicate damage to a player's health, which regenerates over time. When the character is within the blast radius of a live grenade, an on-screen marker indicates where it is in relation to the player, helping the player to move away or to throw it back. Among the weapons new to the series in Black Ops are crossbows that shoot typical bolts or explosive ammunition, a kind of shotgun that fires Dragon's Breath rounds and ballistic knives.
File:COD Dragon Breath.jpg|thumb|right|A screenshot of Alex Mason firing a Dragon's Breath round from a SPAS-12 shotgun
The player assumes the role of various characters during the single-player campaign, changing perspectives throughout the story. The playable characters are covert operatives conducting black operations behind enemy lines. Each mission features a series of objectives that are displayed on the heads-up display, which marks the direction and distance towards and from such objectives as it has been in the earlier versions. The player is accompanied by friendly troops throughout the game. Although the game is primarily a first-person shooter, certain levels feature sequences where the player pilots a Hind helicopter and guides friendly troops from a SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft. In addition, the campaign features several scripted cinematic moments.
Multiplayer
The online multiplayer gameplay of Black Ops consists of one of several styles of team-based action, depending on the chosen game mode. For example, in Team Deathmatch the team with the most kills wins, while in Capture the flag, players take the other team's flag and return it to their base. Additionally, there is Free For All in which players are not separated into teams. Not including downloadable maps released after the game´s launch, there are 14 different maps.Black Ops retains the experience points and unlockable reward system that has been kept since Call of Duty 4. The multiplayer focuses on socialization and customization. "Create-a-Class 2.0" allows enhanced personalization with appearance items as well as upgradable perks; weapons are extensively customizable with writing, emblems, attachments, and camouflage painting. Even reticles can be modified.
Weapons can be personalized with a number of attachments, allowing for extensive customization; for example, the player can choose between a red dot sight or a reflex sight, both of which share many of the same traits, although the red dot fills up less of the screen. Character models depend on the first tier perk instead of the weapon's type. Furthermore, face paints can be unlocked. New custom killstreak rewards include explosive R/C cars, guided missiles, and controllable attack helicopters.
A currency system has been implemented allowing players to buy weapons, as well as cosmetics, accessories and clothes. Players can gamble with their "COD Points" in a free-for-all based playlist called "Wager Match", which is composed of four game modes. Time-limited objectives known as "Contracts" can be purchased to gain more currency and experience points. The progression system is not featured in the local split-screen multiplayer. In the local split-screen play, all character customization options are already unlocked. Players can no longer define game rules such as win conditions.
Players can play alone or with friends against AI opponents in "Combat Training" with a separate progression system. Online split-screen is re-introduced on Xbox 360 and PS3. The guest account can rank up but is reset after each sign out. Only on Xbox 360, a second Gold Xbox Live account can be used to keep the second player's progression. Aside from the Combat Training mode, Xbox users can also have up to four players in split-screen mode play against AI opponents even without having an Xbox Live account. This is done by configuring the Local Split Screen settings and setting the number of enemies to a value greater than zero.
For the first time in the series, clips from online gameplay can be recorded. Some specific features that have been removed from the PC version of Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 return, such as the ability to lean around corners. mod tools, the developer console, and dedicated servers. Dedicated servers are exclusively provided by Game Servers. Steam is the exclusive platform for Black Ops on PC, and the game is protected by Valve Anti-Cheat.
The Wii version of the game includes in-game voice chat. This is the first Call of Duty title to include the voice chat feature for the Wii. Nintendo and PDP have partnered to release the first headset to be used with the Wii known as PDP's Headbanger Headset.
Zombies
A zombie-themed survival co-op mode, titled "Zombies", can be played with four players online or as a two-player split screen co-op mode. Originally featured in World at War, it was revamped to be included in Black Ops and future titles. The Zombies mode takes place over various eras of time, mainly during the final year of World War II and the 1960s. The story mostly follows a crew of four soldiers: "Tank" Dempsey of the United States Marine Corps, Nikolai Belinski of the Red Army, Takeo Masaki of the Imperial Japanese Army, and Doctor Edward Richtofen of the Wehrmacht.In this mode, one to four players fight an unlimited number of waves of zombies, beginning with an M1911 pistol as their only weapon. Players earn points for killing zombies or repairing barricades in boarded-up windows, which are used to expand areas of the map, access stronger weapons, or upgrade existing weapons. Zombies routinely break the windows to enter and attack the players; if a player is attacked enough times, they fall and will need to be "revived" by another player in a certain time, or will respawn in the next round with their weapon progress reverted if they are not revived. The game ends when all players are damaged enough to fall. The base game features three maps, "Five", "Kino Der Toten", and the unlockable "Dead Ops Arcade".
Dead Ops Arcade is an unlockable game mode that the player can unlock by typing "DOA" within the data terminal of the main menu. Once unlocked, the player can start a game of a retro, twin-stick shooter-styled arcade version of the main Zombies game mode. New elements like extra lives, unique mini maps, and zombie bosses are present within the game mode. Dead Ops Arcade includes co-op playthrough through either Xbox Live or split screen of up to four players.