Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

You've seen the ad campaign. You've heard about the zombie mode. You've eagerly waited to get your hands on the multiplayer. But was the wait worth it? With this being the seventh iteration of the Call of Duty name can Black Ops stand up to the rest? There are a couple of answers, and you will be hard pressed to find a consistent answer from the gaming community. Although the game does suffer from some problems, mostly in single player, Black Ops offers a gaming experience that will leave fans of the series pleased, newcomers shell shocked and online headshot hunters yelling... well, you know.

Because of the variety of the game players should consider 4 areas of the review: Single Player, Multiplayer, Zombie Mode and finally the overall score, which combines these modes of gameplay. Goat Fu gives this game an overall score of 3.5 out of 5 hooves.

Single Player
It is important to distinguish between multiplayer and single player with this game. They are so different, and that turns out to be a good thing. You play Alex Mason, a black ops operative who is the best there is. (Will they ever make a game where you are the worst there is, or an average guy who just wants to make it home alive? Probably...) Warning: If you don't like spoilers I will try to avoid them, but there is a good chance parts of the plot will come out at this point. Don't say I didn't warn you.


As you sit strapped in a chair with an IV in your arm and a strange man asking questions you flash back to your illustrious career as "the best." The missions are really well done, in fact one could argue that Vietnam has never looked so good in a game. The story is pretty great too. It took me some time to get into, but when it was all said and done I can honestly say I enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed Modern Warfare 2. Here's where the problem lies...

Single player is nothing short of linear. "How is that any different from previous Call of Duty games?" you might ask. Good question. In most cases even combat decisions are carefully chosen in advance by the game, not the player. Choosing a difficulty at the beginning is merely a formality, as putting it on hard only scolds you even more for not choosing the path deemed most correct by the level design.

After all of this one might think you would hate the single player, but that would not be true. Although I didn't feel like I was in control of my own fate most of the time, one almost has to consider the single player more passive entertainment than the immersive combat scenario players have come to expect from such games as Crysis or Half-Life 2. (You could argue that Half-Life 2 was just as linear, but it just did SUCH a better job of immersing you into the world instead of wondering, "Ok I wonder what the next level looks like...")

Goat Fu Single Player Score: 3 out of 5 hooves.

Multiplayer
Many players will come to this game just for the multiplayer, some might not even give the campaign a glance. (No judgment here) I had the campaign nearly completed and needed a break from the cold war, so I decided to see if the multiplayer added up to meet or exceed the expectations of MWF2. By the time I logged in to the first available ranked server there were already level 28 players running around flaunting their kill streak awards and shiny new guns. And I can honestly tell you nearly a week later the thirst for more has gotten worse.

The good news is it wasn't hard to grab one of the premade classes and get to fragging. Actually it's your only option at first - you don't get to unlock customizable classes until level 5. This part is actually similar to MWF2, with the key difference being in the points system. Like before you earn experience to level up, but this time you also earn points that you can spend on new equipment, kill streak upgrades, new perks and much more. Tactical equipment like a sentry camera and motion sensors make for some interesting class combinations and turns the online battlefield a fun place to explore. While it may seem like there are too many options for things to spend points on, it actually turns out to be a blessing rather than a curse because you can focus a lot more on what works for you. Don't want to get the iron sights for that pistol because you never use them? Don't. You can also bet points in wager matches where the opportunity to win big, and cry bitter tears of loss, is huge.

Besides regular perks, customization is the name of the game. Players can create unique logos with different layers, as well as a unique clan tag that can both be placed on the side of your weapon. (Players who pick up your weapon when dropped will see your unique tags.) In addition players can unlock individual camo for their gun as well as a slew of face paint. Not only that, each tier 1 perk creates a different overall look for your avatar. I cannot stress how much just the customization alone adds to this game.

The maps are brilliant. At first I was taken aback because they felt smaller than MWF2 and other online shooters I played, and certainly they do feel different. They are so well designed however that this sense of pixel induced claustrophobia went away quickly. One map is the kind of fake town you'd see during a test drop of a nuclear bomb, with mannequins inhabiting the homes, park benches and sidewalks of a landscape straight out of Pleasantville. In another a nuclear bomb literally launches while you run around the map - get caught in its fiery wake and you become fiery fallout.

There is a lot to do, and so much to explore. If this was your sole reason for picking up this game you won't be let down as there is even more opportunity for customization than before and plenty of surprises in store. I won't spoil too much for you, but the first time you see a remote controlled car with a blinking green light speeding toward you, you should run after you are finished laughing.

Goat Fu Multiplayer Score: 4 out of 5 hooves.

Zombie Mode
I put this in its own category because it's so different than the rest of the game. If you are thinking of Call of Duty meets Left 4 Dead prepare for disappointment. That's not to say this isn't good, clean zombie mayhem, it just lacks the polish of a game like L4D. The premise is you are trapped in a house and zombies are breaking in. (At least for the first unlocked level) You and your teammates have to find a way to turn on the power and survive wave after wave of zombie attacks. Mostly this mode is a fun distraction from regular multiplayer and single player and generally lacks the polish of the other game modes, but it's fun nonetheless.

P.S. I would be remiss to not mention the zombie arcade mode you can unlock. ::SPOILER:: When sitting in the chair in the main menu of single player, repeatedly tap space bar to free yourself from the chair. Wander around the room until you find the computer, when you get to the command prompt type in "DOA" to unlock this mode from the zombie mode menu. Fun will commence.

Goat Fu Zombie Mode Score: 2 out of 5 hooves.

Call of Duty: Black Ops First Review Start to Come In

First reviews are starting to pour in for Call of Duty: Black Ops. They are pretty sparse right now, but the initial ones are looking good - will update this list as more come out and post one here as soon as it's in our hooves:

• Game Pad Review
• USA Today Multiplayer Review
• MTV Review
• IGN Review
• Gamespot Review
  

Civilization 5 Review

Summary
Civilazation 5 is good. Really, really good. So good in fact, you could keep playing it for the next several years and have a different experience pretty much every time. As far as turn based strategy goes, this is the epitome.

There are some downsides, the biggest of which is also one of the games greatest strengths: the sheer magnitude. This game is huge. Even a "quick paced" game will take you several hours to complete. Because of that it lacks the instant replayability of popular online games like Starcraft 2 or the Modern Warfare series, but to be fair that is like comparing apples to oranges. Fortunately the game boasts over a hundred achievements to keep players coming back to build an empire.

While the game teeters on tedious, especially toward the end of a game you are "close" to winning (the game does manage to get that "just one more turn" feel just right) that shouldn't stop you from buying it. If anything it's part of what makes Civ 5 great.

Goat Fu gives Civilization V 4 out of 5 hooves.

The Start

Starting out the game does a really good job of finding out what level of player you are, and throwing you into the game world. Since I hadn't played a Civ game in quite a while I really appreciated all the tutorials. They weren't in your face to the point of being obtrusive, and they were informative enough that I didn't just x out of them whenever one popped up.

The Tech Tree

At first this component of the game can be intimidating because it is really... REALLY big. The second and third time you play through the game though you get a better idea what route you want to take through the tech tree depending on what type of victory you want to achieve. If you are going for a science victory, you might want to tech toward advancements that help you research quicker, but as with everything else in the game, what will you sacrifice to make the next big leap? Will you forgo a military technology and fall behind? Nobunaga will punish you for that...

Not only that, but the game's policy tree is pretty large on its own, but not large enough that you feel overwhelmed. Different policies lend themselves to different kinds of victories so players will have to carefully choose which policies to build toward.

Combat

Combat is a lot of fun, in fact you could replay this game several times just to see how many different ways you can dominate the game board through sheer military strength. Ghandi offers a gift of silk and gold? Accept it for 20 turns, then crush him under your heavily fortified boot!

Civ 5's combat system does differ slightly from past Civ's, the biggest and most notable change being that units can no longer stack. While this was a pretty big change for those used to the old way of doing things, it does a great job of moving the game along and forces players to be more thoughtful of where military units are placed.

Victory

There are several ways to attain victory in this game. Culture, military, science, diplomatic and score.

A cultural victory means you have researched enough policy trees, each of which gives a bonus to your society, so that you can work on completing your utopia project.

A military victory is really straight forward, just crush everything that stands in your path. A science victory will lead you to a space race where the first to get into orbit wins. (Hope Richard Branson is born in one of your cities)

A diplomatic victory is basically a popularity contest run by the United Nations. If you are well enough liked, and voted for, you can win by vote.

Finally, if time just runs out, which comes out to about a year of your life, the game will eventually end sometime near 2075 on the game calendar at which point scores are tallied and a victor is declared.

Gameplay

The game plays very smoothly. Other than the wait between turns which can feel a little long, you always feel like there's more that could have been done. The game does a very good job of pushing the player on to the next thing and making them feel like they are on the verge of the next big thing all the time.

Difficulty

You can make Civ 5 both as difficult or as easy as you want. The normal difficulty should prove challenging enough for most players. Veterans of turn based strategy have plenty of room to grow as the game features multiple levels higher than hard.

Graphics

Although it might be a glitch with my setup, I did have issues with screen tearing in square blocks occasionally across the map. Usually zooming way out and then back in fixed it, but it was an issue. Other than that the game was very pretty. All of the critters are beautifully animated. The elephants swing their trunks, the foxes play, the deer graze and the giant robots make pretty destructive laser 'splosions.

Even the CG at the beginning of the game, while not representative of actual gameplay, was very pretty to look at. Who would have thought I could say that about a leather-faced old man? Also, a quick gripe about the intro, and this goes out not just to the makers of Civ 5, but to game developers everywhere. Make it easier to hit escape to get out of the opening cinematic, intro, cool logo you spent lots of money on.

Conclusion

With the holiday season coming up and game choices becoming more abundant gamers are looking to spend their money on quality. Rest assured this game is quality. If you are like me and enjoy a variety of games but have a limited budget, it might be best to wait until the game has been out a bit longer and some sales start popping up on steam so you can focus your current gaming budget on games like Fallout 3 and Black Ops. Fans of turn-based strategy, on the other hand, this is your game this season.

DOTA 2 Site Launched

The DOTA 2 site was launched this week with the first bit of content being a Q&A about the game. For more information people can head over to the DOTA 2 website and check things out. It's in the early stages still, but lots of excited gamers are waiting for this one.

Red Shirt Guy at Blizzcon Gets His Come-Uppins

If you weren't fortunate enough to see Red Shirt Guy (or RSG) in action Blizzcon this year, here is the video:

It took major cojones for this kid to get up in front of that massive crowd and challenge the developers in their own lore. Blizzard took it one step further by both correcting the problem and immortalizing Red Shirt Guy in the Cataclysm expansion by making him a fact checker for Falstad Wildhammer. Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons would be proud.







Sometimes being that guy pays off.