tagged w/ Call of Duty: Black Ops
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Often you hear or read about people who complain about the way other people play Black Ops. 9 times out of 10, it’s something that has already been said, but people still continue to bitch about it. In this editorial, I’m going to point out a few Pros and Cons to these complaints to outline that even though players are doing them, most of them normally don’t benefit from them all that much. So, here we go.
CAMPING
A common complaint amongst CoD players of all versions. Camping is defined in the CoD World as: Waiting for the opposing team to pass by or walk into the player’s area or “kill zone” in an effort to kill them with minimal effort. Now most, if not all players frown on this type of tactic. However, while it may seem lazy to everyone else, camping has its benefits. They are minuscule at best, but at times it can be useful…especially if you couple Camping with Ghost Pro. Let’s take a moment to point the Pros and Cons.
PROS
-Camping helps when attempting to get higher Killstreaks like Attack Dogs, Chopper Gunner or Gunship
-At times, the whole team benefits. Usually when you have Run N’ Guns(More on that later), you have Campers to serve as back-up. Most notably, respawning.
-In Tactical game-types, Camping will save your ass! Especially in Search & Destroy or Domination. Camping is kind of a necessity in order to win those game-types.
-Most Campers keep aiming down their sights(or ADS) when focused on a particular area. This can spell disaster for “Sprint Classes”(People who use Lightweight Pro and Marathon Pro at the same time). You have to figure that while you are sprinting around trying to utilize speed as an advantage, a Camper can take you out easily because he/she is already looking at you through his/her sight. You would stop sprinting, have to turn to face the camper and ADS…but by that time, you’re already dead. Game Over. Speed kills….just not for the Sprinter.
CONS
-To camp, requires patience. Now I’m not talking about like waiting in line for a movie ticket. No, I’m talking about fucking Jedi patience. Well unfortunately, some people lack that. In fact, some people suffer from ADHD(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). In layman’s terms, it means your ass ain’t sitting still for NOTHING. Newbie Campers that have no patience, wind up dead.
-After repeated deaths, the enemy team will get wise to where he/she is camping. Especially if there is a Kill Cam. Sure, the Camper may be able to take out 1 or 2 guys in a small squad, but eventually he/she will meet their end at the explosion of a Semtex grenade.
-If all the “good spots” are taken, then a potential Camper is screwed. Not to mention Veteran players will know where all those spots are, and they’ll more than likely have a nice, warm batch of C4 waiting for you.
-Sometimes the fighting doesn’t take place in the area a player is camping in. Meaning that they will more than likely not get a lot of kills that round. Barely any kills means low overall score means your team loses means lots of pissed off teammates.
RUSHING or RUN N’ GUN
This is yet another common complain when playing multiplayer. Rushers are the polar opposite of Campers(Obviously!), but they operate way differently. Most Rushers typically utilize Marathon Pro, Lightweight Pro and Ninja Pro for their Perk set-up. So, in a sense they are fast, have infinite sprint and are quiet as a…ninja. While it may seem like these types of players have some sort of a death wish, you’d be surprised how useful these kamikaze-loving players are and how overly screwed they can get. Check it out.
PROS
-Rushers utilize stealth and speed to get the job done. Combined with a Ballistic Knife(Which is almost as fast as the Tactical Knife in Modern Warfare 2), a Stealth Rusher can turn a friendly game of Team Deathmatch into Friday the 13th with him/her as Jason Vorhees and you as the helpless, half-naked teenager.
-Veteran Rushers can easily get a good chunk of the kills in the beginning of the match for the team. All it takes it for a Rusher to haul ass to a high-traffic area and start shooting.
-Rushers in Search & Destroy have a higher possibility of planting the bomb before the enemy even realizes that he/she is even there. Campers on the team can benefit from a Rushers bomb plant by camping and taking out everyone who tries to defuse the bomb while the Rusher hangs back and has a victory smoke for a job well done.
click the link for more!Often you hear or read about people who complain about the way other people play Black... more
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The Pack a Punch Machine is a utility in Call of Duty: Black Ops and can be accessed in the “Der Riese” map and Zombie mode. It’s similar to a Mystery Box or the Perk-a-Cola machines. The Pack a Punch allows you to upgrade, customize, rename, and even engrave certain weapons in game. IGN user Alex Watters has taken the delicate time to list all the weapon upgrades available through pack a punch in the guide above. Check out the guide and thank you Alex for the help!The Pack a Punch Machine is a utility in Call of Duty: Black Ops and can be accessed... more
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Call of Duty: Black Ops takes gaming to a whole new level. Play an Epic Campaign as a member of an elite special forces unit or join the millions of players across the globe in multiplayer mode. Call of Duty: Black Ops gives you more action than ever including covert warfare and classified missions. Check out the latest cheats, hints, and unlockables to enhance your gaming experience.Call of Duty: Black Ops takes gaming to a whole new level. Play an Epic Campaign as a... more
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Has the Cracked map got you all cracked up? Well, look no further than IGN's Expert Tour of the entire Cracked map. Cracked, was originally designed as a VIP map during the Beta stages of the game and later was used as a template for the single player level "The Defector". Some stuff I've read online for this map suggests to "bridge" in the middle and use snipers to control the position. But IGN goes into much more detail than that covering choke points, exit shortcuts, surprise attacks and more. Thanks IGN for another great video!Has the Cracked map got you all cracked up? Well, look no further than IGN's... more
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Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC is right around the corner. The First Strike map pack hits XBL on Feb. 1 and here is a brand new trailer to indoctrinate your mind into spending 1200 Microsoft Points for it.Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC is right around the corner. The First Strike map pack hits... more
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MOM, listen up. There's more to a video game than blowing stuff up or getting a virtual achievement and trophy. They actually improve skills that are essential in real life, and we have evidence to prove it.MOM, listen up. There's more to a video game than blowing stuff up or getting a... more
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Activision Publishing, Inc. announced today that Call of Duty: Black Ops continues to set sell-through records crossing the $1 billion mark in sales worldwide since its launch in November, according to internal Activision estimates.
News: http://gamingahead.com/news/view/id/308Activision Publishing, Inc. announced today that Call of Duty: Black Ops continues... more
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GamrReview's review of the Wii version of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
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ODC1
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1 year ago
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The first 3 games in the Call of Duty series started by covering the world wars, which were very successful in their own right despite the fact that the medal of honor series had already trodden that path, to great success. Modern Warfare’s release in 2007 was a breath of fresh air to the ‘war’ themed fps games of recent years, showing a fresh approach to story telling and weaponry, proving to be hugely successful and spawning a successful sequel two years later. Needless to say the hopes for the next game in the series, (assumed to be simply, Modern Warfare 3), were high, and many people just wanted more of the same, an exciting storyline, high production values and an unparalleled multiplayer experience.
This isn’t Modern Warfare 3.
This isn’t modern.
This is set around the Cold War era in the 1960’s but with a storyline reminiscent of a Jerry Bruckheimer flick. The game follows the character of Alex Mason, a special forces operative who after being kidnapped is subjected to an interrogation Jack Bauer would be proud of. Mason is grilled about a series of numbers that he is the key to decipher and the story is played out in the years in the run up to Mason’s interrogation, having you play through all his important missions.
Campaign...
Starting in April 1961 in Cuba during the Bay of Pigs invasion where a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles invade southern Cuba with support from US government armed forces, to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The game starts in a Cuban bar where it all kicks off immediately with a police shoot out through the streets at night. The first noticeable thing is the graphics. The player models seem a lot more realistic than in MW2, and everything seems to have a more glossy feel. Unlike MW2, there’s no training section where you get to try out your guns or learn how to jump, this time you get given a gun and the first target in your reticule is a Cuban policeman’s head. The controls are perfectly mapped out as usual, everything is in the right place and veterans of the series will feel instantly at home here.
Where the recent Medal of Honor was like a theme park ride through all the clichés of war, Black Ops is a homage to popular culture. Storming into a room where it switches into slow-mo, enabling you to expertly pick off the soldiers taken by surprise as debris and bullets fly through the air. Very reminiscent of a John Woo movie (minus the white doves). The Vietnam sections with the Vietnam rock soundtrack, the split-screen ‘24’-esque cut scenes. One level sees you riding a motorcycle with a shotgun in your hand, and when you reload, Mason twirls the gun around a la Arnie in Terminator 2. Very cool and bought a smile to my face. Another level sees you with a giant slingshot on the roof with the aim to find the right trajectory to then fire into an enemy structure in the distance. Angry Birds anyone?
It’s full of fantastic moments, some of which I’ve mentioned, but a lot of which I won’t spoil. A harpoon and an enemy helicopter spring to mind.
The game is certainly action-packed, there’s hardly any let up once the mission gets going with constant waves of enemies to mow down, explosions, tanks and vehicle driving sections where you have to dodge debris while taking out potential attackers. When there is a quiet area, this is usually filled with well-scripted dialogue (voiced by veteran Hollywood actors such as Gary Oldman and Ed Harris), or the occasional stealth section where you must take out guards silently usually followed by the guard suffering a grizzly knife-related death of some description. I don’t really have any complaints about the campaign apart from the odd interactive cut scenes which just seemed a bit like an afterthought really, for example on one mission you get into a car and on-screen prompts tell you to press LT which makes the car reverse, and then RT to accelerate the car forwards. No steering is involved, just hold down the RT and enjoy the slow-mo gunfire and shattered windscreen. This is something I noticed quite a bit throughout the game, essentially glorified cut-scenes where you follow an on-screen prompt to move the action forward. For example, being able to steer the car through the streets as you try to escape would have increased player immersion and made it a bit more exciting.
Considering the fact that most people probably won’t even give the campaign a look in, it amazes me how breathtakingly good it actually is, and how much time, effort and production value has gone into what will essentially be, criminally overlooked.
Multiplayer...
The multiplayer is, as expected, awesome. Most of it is similar to MW2 so I’ll just concentrate on the new additions to the incredible multiplayer model that has already been established.
Wager matches see you betting your hard-earned ‘COD points’(earned alongside XP) against other players, adding something a bit different to the mix, and another incentive to win.
‘Gun Game’ sees you get a weapon upgrade after every kill, which you lose if you get stabbed.
‘One in the Chamber’ each player is given one bullet with three lives. Every stray bullet could mean you losing the match! Incredibly intense.
‘Sticks and Stones’ arms each player with an explosive-tipped crossbow, expect lots of explosions.
These new additions make the multiplayer experience fresh and exciting to keep people coming back day after day. The online experience is second to none, with the additional feature now to be able to record your previous match and play it back and also the ability to take screen shots. This is something the Halo games have done since Halo 3 but it’s a worthy addition and one I’m sure to be used during all those “Did you SEE THAT?!” moments.
Zombies...
As another addition to the package, there is Zombies, a mode which sees you trapped inside an old Nazi building and either alone (or up to three friends) you must fight off the waves of zombies smashing and clawing their way through your barricades. Once the wave has calmed down you have chance rebuild the barricade which earns you credits (as well as killing them) and in turn enable you to buy guns and open new doors to other parts of the level.
To say this addition isn’t as addictive as hell would be a lie. It’s incredible, and anyone with a familiarity of the Zombie mode in COD:World at War will know exactly what I mean. Like a Nazi ‘Left 4 Dead’ – amazing.
Overall...
I would definitely rate COD: Black Ops as a fantastic package. The single player mode alone, although not massive, (coming in at around seven or eight hours), is intense and exciting enough to leave you feeling satisfied once the credits roll, with the replay-ability that all the COD games have, encouraging you to replay it through again on Veteran mode (if you didn’t first time round) and get those extra achievement points. The multiplayer will keep people playing into the early hours of the morning like MW2 did, probably even more so with the new game modes and the multiplayer zombie mode too.
A game which is hard to fault in single player, with a multiplayer which is also hard to beat, a truly generous package, an essential purchase, and one which was well worth queuing up at midnight for.
9/10
Adam KnightThe first 3 games in the Call of Duty series started by covering the world wars, which... more
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The Call of Duty: Black Ops Launch Party was a pretty cool event with Metallica headlining for a charity event that helps veterans transition into civilian life by raising $1 million. Nerd Reactor was there to cover the red carpet event with Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Common (Terminator: Salvation), Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue), Amber Lancaster (The Hard Times of RJ Berger), Matt Lanter (90210, Star Wars: Clone Wars), James C. Burns (COD: Black Ops), Ryan Rottman (Gigantic) and Hoobastank.The Call of Duty: Black Ops Launch Party was a pretty cool event with Metallica... more
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While fans and gamers alike rush to the stores for the next installment in the highly successful and popular Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, PlayStation LifeStyle has compiled a trophy guide to help you unlock the game’s 51 trophies. 36 of which are bronze, 13 silver, one gold and a platinum.While fans and gamers alike rush to the stores for the next installment in the highly... more
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HAVANA (AP) — Cuba harshly criticized a new video game in which U.S. special operations soldiers try to kill a young Fidel Castro, saying Wednesday that the violent role-playing glorifies assassination and will turn American children into sociopaths."What the United States couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually," said an article posted on Cubadebate, a state-run news website.
The brouhaha surrounds one of the most highly anticipated shoot-em-up video games of the year, "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which went on sale in the United States on Tuesday. The game, from California-based Activision Blizzard Inc., takes players on secret missions to American Cold War enemies such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos.
The Cuban operation is one of the first challenges players face in the ultra-realistic game. The mission takes place with John F. Kennedy in the White House in the months leading up to the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear Armageddon.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2g9xxfshkOBVItjL1vjT_Vu3VYg?docId=ef86b500f3e541d79942d270ecd9b7ebHAVANA (AP) — Cuba harshly criticized a new video game in which U.S. special... more
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Cuban leader Fidel Castro is known to have a rather dry sense of humour when it comes to the myriad of unsuccessful assassination attempts that have been carried out against him. "I think I hold the dubious record of having been the target of more assassination attempts than any politician, in any country, in any era," he once remarked in a speech. "The day I die, nobody will believe it."
But his regime has taken a dim view of the latest Call of Duty game in which players take part in an imaginary attempt by a US special forces to hunt down and kill the Communist leader.
The island’s state run media today launched a visceral attack on the game, claiming America was trying to initiate a virtual assassination of the Cuban leader through a game that would turn children into “sociopaths”.
"What the US couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually," was the opinion of Cubadebate, a state-run news website. “This new video game is doubly perverse. On the one hand, it glorifies the illegal assassination attempts the United States government planned against the Cuban leader ... and on the other, it stimulates sociopathic attitudes in North American children and adolescents."
The target for Cuba’s ire is Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest game from the highly popular first-person-shooter franchise by US publisher Activision which had its global release on Tuesday.
The game is set at the height of the Cold War with players taking part in covert missions against Communist enemies of the United States such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos.
The opening level is set in the hours leading up to the Bay of Pigs invasion, the disastrous 1961 attempt by Cuban exiles and the US military to topple the Castro regime. Gamers take on the role of a member of an elite CIA assassination squad sent into Cuba before the invasion to try and decapitate the regime.
After a series of skirmishes in the streets of Havana, the squad breaks into a villa where they are told the Cuban leader is hiding.
The assassination team bursts into a room and guns down a bearded man in military fatigues that they suspect to be Castro. At the end of the level, however, one of the members of the squad is captured and discovers that they only succeeded in killing a body double. The “real” Castro, complete with pixelated cigar and menacing laugh, then hands over the CIA operative to a renegade Soviet general.
Although the game’s mission is fictional, for the Cuban regime it clearly contains shades of reality that are a little too close for comfort... (continued in link)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/black-ops-game-draws-fire-from-cuba-over-castro-target-2131502.htmlCuban leader Fidel Castro is known to have a rather dry sense of humour when it comes... more
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Is it going to far to advertise a violent video game by using popular athletes in real-life war scenarios, gleefully firing RPGs and automatic weapons in situations that appear to be of a currently ongoing war that has taken the lives of thousands of American soldiers?
Whenever I think that our society can't possibly glorify war and violence any more, I see something like this...
"Call of Duty: Black Ops has just released it's trailer, entitled There's A Soldier In All Of Us, showing real people (including celebrities like Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel) in actual combat scenarios in lieu of scenes from the game.
How much more can our society glorify war, violence, and antisocial behavior if not by showing real people enjoying the death and destruction of a sovereign nations' citizens and towns as if it's a sport? Maybe I wouldn't find the video as disturbing if it did involve a war that is currently active with soldiers and innocent civilians dying every day..."
http://schrodingerstim.blogspot.com/2010/11/have-violent-video-games-gone-too-far.htmlIs it going to far to advertise a violent video game by using popular athletes in... more
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It is a glitch so bad, one that defies all logic...how could they have missed this?!
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The hype and clamour surrounding the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops has been huge; no surprise really, since its predecessor Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 holds the world record for the most successful entertainment launch in history.Major supermarket and gaming chains opened their stores at midnight especially for the game, fans reportedly queued for over 32 hours, and I'm having quite a bit of trouble getting hold of a copy. See? Huge. But is the game actually any good? Let's take a look at the reviews:The Guardian - 5 stars
Call of Duty: Black Ops quite probably represents the pinnacle of the linear military shooter experience – and you wonder where the sub-genre can go from here. Treyarch's game is exhilarating and beautifully orchestrated, but it feels like a full-stop, it needs to be a full-stop, because toward the end of the campaign, bombardment fatigue begins to set in. As CoD players we have travelled the world, killing people, following orders, hunting down madmen … many of us have had enough.
Daily Mail - 4 stars
Despite the most complicated back story to date, Black Ops represents an incremental advance upon what has gone before, with the multiplayer’s attractions overshadowing the single player’s inadequacies more than ever.
Official Xbox Magazine UK - 9.0
Black Ops could have easily cracked under the enormous pressure to deliver given the unusual circumstances but deliver is exactly what Treyarch has done. When all is said and done, this is the 'proper' Call of Duty fans have been waiting for.
IGN - 8.5/10
Whether extensive customisation options and inspirational multiplayer makes up for the ragged single player portion is sure to be a subject of controversy in the weeks and months ahead. Maybe next time we'll get the full package...
Kokatu - Editor's Choice
This is what video games should be, a confusion of interaction and story-telling, of graphics and camera movement, of play and parable.
Telegraph - 10/10
If Treyarch felt they had something to prove with Call Of Duty: Black Ops, then the developer can give itself a well-deserved pat on the back. They've really hit one out of the park with Black Ops; this COD entry is easily the gold standard for this franchise now. This is a game that will silence any naysayers and beat off any competition.
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With a huge gaming release, comes a price war. Here's the Guardian's roundup of the best deals and the cheapest prices for Call Of Duty: Black Ops.The hype and clamour surrounding the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops has been huge;... more
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richjm
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1 year ago
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Last night's launch of the most highly anticipated computer game in the world went of with a bang at Battersea power station, south London.Games went on sale at midnight in more than 400 shops around the UK (including 70 branches of HMV), who stayed open late due to the high demand. Gamers had queued for hours to be among the first to get their hands on the game, which casts players as various US military special ops soldiers during the cold war era, in locations such as Russia, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam.
Many retailers offered discounts if customers either bought or traded in games in the current charts. HMV, for example, was offering Call Of Duty: Black Ops for £7.99 if you trade in a copy of the recently released Medal Of Honor, published by Activision's arch-rival, Electronic ArtsAt the launch at Battersea the celebrties came out in force; N-Dubz, Alex Reid, Ashley Cole, Calum Best, Duncan James and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were all there in black in reference to its name – Call of Duty: Black Ops.Activision's first-person shooter game has a tough act to follow as last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 holds the record for the most successful entertainment launch of all time, with first day global sales of £242.4m, comfortably beating any movie. It went on to sell more than 20m copies worldwide, and gross more than $1bn. Activision hopes that Black Ops will outsell its predecessor, and few would accuse it of over-optimism.Nick Parker, a games market analyst, said: "With a growing installed base of consoles in homes, especially after the recent price drops, Black Ops could very well become the best-selling Call of Duty [version]."
Last night's launch of the most highly anticipated computer game in the world... more
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Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin confirmed today via tweet that the 4 co-operative maps that will be included within both Hardened and Prestige editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops are the 4 zombie maps from World at War.
"All 4 existing CoDWaW Zombies maps will be included in Hardened & Prestige editions of CODBlackOps as callback co-op levels!"
http://nerdreactor.com/2010/08/13/zombies-confirmed-for-black-ops/Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin confirmed today via tweet that the 4 co-operative... more
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Last year one the most sought after collector’s editions was for the best selling game of the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 came in two versions of it’s special edition, the Hardened Edition, which was pretty much your standard collector’s fare, and then the Prestige Edition, which came with a pair of Night Vision goggles along with a plethora of game-related content.Last year one the most sought after collector’s editions was for the best... more
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The E3 2010 Call of Duty: Black Ops remix trailer featuring Eminem.
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