We all knew this year's Call of Duty would be another entry in Treyarch's Black Ops subseries, simply titled Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. However, one interesting and exciting new addition that was kept under wraps until the recent Call of Duty Direct was omnidirectional movement. This means players will be able to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction, and the team at Treyarch not only hopes fans will like it, but that it'll be popular enough to become a mainstay for future Call of Duty games.

On June 10, associate design director Matt Scronce and senior director of production Yale Miller answered questions from the press (including VGC) about Black Ops 6. Naturally, the topic of omnidirectional movement (or Omnimovement as they're calling it) was brought up, and Miller admitted he hopes it will become a new standard for the Call of Duty series when asked. He added, "I think if it’s really good, it won’t just become the standard for other Call of Duty games," suggesting other developers?? could pick it up for their games too.

Of course, that's dependent on how well Omnimovement is received; something Miller is acutely aware of too: "If it’s great, people are going to want it. ... So we hope we do a great job at it..." He and the rest of the team won't need to wait too long for feedback since there will be a beta session in a few months time. There's no exact date for it yet, but frequent Call of Duty leaker BobNetworkUK has said on Twitter it could start from August 28.

Once Black Ops 6 is in players' hands, the team will be able to tweak Omnimovement when needed, especially since Miller is expecting particula?rly skilled players to figure out ways of exploiting the mechanic: "We’re going to continue to tweak as we get different skill levels, really good players. People who’ll find ways to exploit it. We want that, so that we can just continue to polish it."

It will be interesting to see if Omnimovement proves so popular with fans that Activision will want to see it present in whatever Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, the other two major CoD developers, work on next. There is precedent for this; the Zombies mode in Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War was such a hit that it's not only a mainstay of the Black Ops games, but it was also included in Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Vanguard and Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 3. There's also Prestige Mode, which was introduced in the original Modern Warfare from 2007 and would go on to appear in almost every mainline CoD game ever since (though it was ironically absent in the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot).

The post CoD Black Ops 6 dir?ectors hope Omnimovement will become a new standard, not just for the series appeared first on Destructoid.

Nuketown in real life makes for some explosive fun

The Call of Duty franchise has had some truly iconic maps over the years, but few are more famous than Nuketown, which was first introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It's well-known and loved for its close quarters, fast-paced gameplay, and it's seen multiple iterations over the course of the series. Regardless of how the aesthetics of the map change, players know the layout like the back of their hands, which is why it's so intriguing to see the map laid out in real life as Nuketo??wn paintball.

Apparently, the Nuketown map has inspired quite a few real-life replicas at paintball parks, including one pictured in a popular Reddit post. Th??e photo shows an overhead view of the map, which? includes two houses, a large truck and bus, and a couple of cars scattered about. It's pretty uncanny to see in real life when you know the area so well, down to the sightlines.

//www.reddit.com/r/gam??ing/comments/uc967d/t??his_guy_made_the_call_of_duty_map_nuke_town_as/

While the picture from the Reddit post is the Xtreme Paintball Park in ?the St. Louis Metro area, the real-life Nuketown map has been a trend among outdoor recreational parks for years now.

In 2013, Tippmann, a paintball gear company, sponsored an event dubbed "Nuketown 2013" in East Dundee, Illinois that featured the map's layout. Another park called Xtreme Paintball (which is not associated with the aforementioned park of the same name, as far as well can tell) started advertising a Nuketown map back in 2016. Activision even hosted their own live Nuketown paintball event at The Forum in Los Angeles the same year. Other maps like Shipment have also gotten the live-action treatment.

The list could go on �point is, everyone can agree that it's pretty badass to do paintball on a real Call of Duty map, and there are dozens of parks that have posted up the real thing to prove it. I've never played a round of paintball in my life, but I have clocked dozens of hours on the Nuketown playlist in CoD, so I'm suddenly itching t??o adorn some camo and get bludgeoned by some spheres full of ?paint.

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Great choice

[Update: Major Nelson has confirmed our suspicions.]

Oh hey, another backward compatible game!

Found by way of Eurogamer, Call of Duty: Black Ops seems? to be the next title that's coming to Xbox One. When I say "found" I mean it, as the Xbox 360 dashboard, something that pretty much no one looks at these days (provided that you own an Xbox One), has been advertising i?t -- since it's an official channel, it looks legit.

The original Black Ops is often hailed as one of the best, if not the best, Call of Duty game. It's still actively played by thousands online, and enjoys a fruitful community to this day. I'd easily drop back in on Xbox One due to the convenience and replay Dead Ops Arcade or a few zombies maps.

Black Ops [Eurogamer]

The post Call of Dut??y: Black Ops seems to be the next backward compatible Xbox One ?game appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, Civilization V for $9 and BioShock Infinite for $12

[Update: Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition has sold out at this price. The other deals still? a?ppear to be available.]

It was only a couple of days ago that the Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition launched in North America, and one of the prevailing sentiments in the comments was that $60 was too much for a year old game, even with the included DLC. Some suggested waiting a few weeks for a price drop, but any who held out need not even wait that long; the bundle is up on NewEgg for just $18. The deal applies only to the Steam key, so console gamers looking to shoot skags for a low price will have to wait longer b??efore a deal hits consoles.

Other deals on NewEgg using that same coupon code are Civilization V for $9, BioShock Infinite for $12, and some of the older Call of Duty games ranging from $6 to $15. It's a good day for people who like shooting things, but ??don't like paying huge amounts of money.

The post Get Borderlands 2: ?Game?? of the Year Edition on PC for $18 appeared first on Destructoid.

Call of Duty: Black Ops owners will want to sign up for the Call of Duty Elite beta sooner th?an later, as invitations?? for the PlayStation 3 version are going out beginning today.

Stat tracking, custom player groups, competitive events??, and video sharing are some of what you'll find in the beta. If you don't see an invite right away, know that more will be going out in the following we?eks. Better late than never.

The post Call of Duty Elite ??beta for PlayStation 3 star??ts today appeared first on Destructoid.

The fourth downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops is once again fashionably late, depending on which systems you own. Rezurrection will be available for PlayStatio?n Network and PC on ??September 22.

The $15 price and content (four "remastered" zombie maps, plus a new Moon-based one) are the same as what's been out on Xbox 360 since ??last month. Treyarch will be flipping the double-XP switch on Sept. 23 - 25 as it tends to do right after new content goes live.

It's times like this when I wish they'd just put out a standalone zombie game for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam. I still don't own Black Ops, but I would download such a thing immediately.

The post Black Ops’ Rezurrection does PC and PS3 on September 22 appeared first on Destructoid.

Activision and Treyarch are really taking this zombie thing seriously, with an all-zombie map pack coming to Xbox 360 for Call of Duty: Black Ops next week.

The pack will contain fiv?e maps -- swamp, night, asylum, factory, and Moon. Wait, what… Moon? Yeah, they're taking zombies to the Moon. If you haven't heard, there's a space theme going on here. It appears that the next level of zombie research involves taking the undead into space. This amusing live action trailer for the pack gives you an idea of what's going on up there… and things don't go quite as planned.

There's some in-game? footage towards the end, to??o, and it looks pretty great. Zero gravity zombie killing is right up my alley. It's out next week as a timed exclusive for Xbox 360, and it'll be $14.99.

The post Call of Duty Zombie Labs goes to the Moon appeared first on Destructoid.

Activision released this latest behind-the-scenes look at Call of Duty: Black Ops focused on the upcoming "Rezurrection" D??LC release. The primary focus here is on the "Moon" map, which sounds like it could be terribly good fun to play if only to see how the change in movement speed and control causes people to change up their tactics. I would think that it won't really offer much of a disadvantage to snipers.

Military shooters aren't my thing, but sci-fi shooters with zombies totally are my thing. Bit late for me to be jumping on the Black Ops ??wagon, though. 

The post To the moon ?in Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrecti??on appeared first on Destructoid.

Yes, that's the correct spelling. Rezurrection. We can let that slide as this new fourth DLC is an all-zombie affair. This DLC, coming August 23 for Call of Duty: Black Ops, was just revealed by Activision this afternoon during ?earnings call.

These maps might be familiar to you: Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa and Der Riese. There's also a new Moon level. Dude, it doesn't get less serious than zombies ??in space. All with new weapons and g??ear. On top of all of this, expect a new Zombies Moon dashboard theme and an enhanced soundtrack with three new songs.

Some hardcore COD fans have already seen the first four maps, as they were on the&??nbsp;Hardened and Prestige editions of Black Ops, remastered. You guys will get this all for free, even the upgraded and new content. For the rest of you it's the standard 1200 MS Points, or $15.

C??heck out the new screenshots in our gallery. They have to be seen to be ?believed.

Oh, and this date? It's only for Xbox 360. You'll have to hold for more details, PS3 pla??yers.

The post Zombies! COD: Black Ops R??ezurrection DLC coming August 23 appeared first on Destructoid.

The obligatory month of Xbox 360 exclusivity is up, so Call of Duty: Black Ops players on PlayStation 3 and PC can now download the new Annihilation downloadable content for $15.

As has bee??n said many times before, this pack includes the Hanger 18, Drive-In, Silo, and Hazard maps for competitive multiplayer, in addition to the new zombie level Shangri-La. That last one does?? look legitimately fun, and that's coming from someone who is mostly burned out on both zombies and this style of shooter.

For the occasion, Treyarch is activating double experience points across all Black Ops versions. Gotta get that prestige, or else the kids won't think you're cool.

The post PC and PlayStation Network get Annihilation ?fo??r Black Ops appeared first on Destructoid.

I guess the theme of this video is "I do??n't like old stuff."

And as a Destructoid viewer, I hope you can understand that none of my anger is?? directe?d towards you.

On top of the list today is Halo: Reach. I believe I've covered the other Halo FPS in a condensed fashion. To get a preview of the running jokes and spelling errors, click here. When the news of Halo: Reach reached my ?ears, nothing but toothbrush commercials and cheap jokes entered my mind. However, Halo has never forsaken me. Since the first person shooters have always been insanely well developed, it's hard to be classy when trying to humorously analyzing the game. And I think that becomes apparent two minutes and ten seconds into the video.

For some reason, I feel there sho??uld be something in ??between these paragraphs...never mind.

Now we come to Call of Duty: Black Ops. I have a bit of history with Call of Duty, here, here, and here, dating back to when I though it was another dull franchise making faggy World War II games. Now, it seems Activision can do no wrong. Of course, even though I found Black Ops fun, there's plenty of bitching when I'm on the ca?se.

For anyone interested, here is the fan-made flash game.

Also,?? Sarah will ??not be pursuing a careering in acting.

Also, also, t??he Future Storm story arc comes to a close.  Continuity errors are abound.

The post Storm’s Adventure with Halo: Reach and Black Ops appeared first on Destructoid.

"Annihilation," the third downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops is hitting PlayStation 3 and PC on July 28.

Actually, Activision's press release said it's "13 days away," so I had to pull out a calendar and count days with my finger. Because math is hard. And then I was like "Are they counting today as a day? Because like, there's a full day ahead of us." But no, it's definitely launching on July 28. My job is?? so diffi?cult sometimes, really.

The map pack brings with it f??our new multiplayer maps, plus a wild zombie map that takes place in Shangri-La. It's going to cost you $14.99. The pack has been available for the Xbox 360 for a few weeks because, you know, exclusives. Deal with it.

The post Call of Duty: Black Ops ‘Annihilation’ dated for PS3, PC appeared first on Destructoid.

Millions of you have signed up for the Call of Duty: Elite beta, which is being rolled out to Xbox 360 players ?over th??e next few weeks on an invite-only basis. The first invitations went out earlier today.

While Beachhead is pushing the community, competitive, and stat-based improving-your-game aspects of Elite, I wager most of you will be in it simply for the downloadable content that's r??olled into the cost of the service. And there?'s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

For those wanting to see what the fuss is about, here's a 30-minute developer walkthrough video.

The post Call of Duty: Elite beta kicks off for Xbox 360 appeared first on Destructoid.

An unfortunate customer who purchased Call of Duty: Black Ops on PC has been so incensed by his inability to play the game that he's taken over modernwarfare3.co.uk, putting up a page that criticizes last year's hit game and asks sympathetic gamers ?for money.

"I was unlucky enough to waste my money on Black Ops on the pc," he writes. "To t?his date it is still unplayable due to crap coding and design and a number of patchs (sic) which made things worse!!!. Please feel free to make a donation if you feel sorry for me lol."

Black Ops' performance on anything that isn't an Xbox 360 has become a notorious issue. We reviewed the PC game with stern critique, petitions have been formed ?by PS3 users, and complaints have flooded foru??ms everywhere. 

While I'm not going to give this guy any money, I certainly don't feel sorry for anybody involved with the porting of Black Ops to PS3 and PC.

The post Furious PC gamer hijacks modernwarfare3.co.uk appeared first on Destructoid.

Would you like another story about how much money Activision makes and how Call of Duty owns this entire industry? Of course you do! With that in mind, let us rejoice that Call of Duty: Black Ops has become Britain's biggest selling game. 

The game's overall sales since launch to June 25 were numbered 3,722,411, beating Modern Warfare 2's record of 3,702,410.

So, we'll see you next year, same time, for the news that Modern Warfare 3 has become the UK's biggest seller.

Black Ops breaks UK sales record [MCV]

The post Call of Duty: Black Ops is UK’s biggest selling game ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a quick heads up for those that haven't picked up a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops yet.

There's a new limited time offer on Call of Duty: Black Ops for both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Starting today at all major retailers, specially marked Call of Duty: Black Ops g??ames (see? our gallery) will include a free download token redeemable for the first Black Ops content pack, First Strike. That's a $15 value. This offer is only good in North America.

The post C??all of Duty: Black Ops: Free First Strike token offer appeared first on Destructoid.

What a fun way to start the day.

Have you been keeping up with Call of Duty: Black Ops' Annihilation map pack? It comes out tomorrow on Xbox 360, so you might want to look into it. I didn't much care for the previous trailer, which was rather safe overall and even a little bland in s??pots.

This trailer, however, is a step in the right direction. It's for the zombie portion of?? Annihilation, Shangri-La. Besides looking wild, and uh, having zombies -- more than the regular ol' undead -- it's got?? "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." And that makes it awesome.

The post Black Ops Annihilation trailer has jungle zombies appeared first on Destructoid.

The next map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops is set to arrive on June 28 for the Xbox 360. The new DLC will include four new versus maps and a zombie map all for $15. There was a trailer for the new content last week, but everyone on th??e Internet has short attention spans so here you go again!

Also, that burger gu??y is so play??ed out now. I do want a burger right now though.

The post New Black Ops Annihilation trailer makes?? me want? a burger appeared first on Destructoid.

Earlier today, Destructoid user mrandydixon let us know that GameStop was listing a mysterious Call of Duty: Black Ops Limited Edition with DLC. We later noticed the game being listed on Best Buy, including the box art shown in the image above.

Now Activision has confirmed with us that it's real, and that it's hitting North American retailers on June 28. The $59.99 game will include a redemption code for Black Ops' first downloadable?? content, "First Strike," which normally would cost gamers $15. It will be available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Folks who haven't purchased Black Ops, don't be shy -- this is the deal you've been waiting for, ri??ght?

The post Black Ops Limited Edition landing with ‘First Strike’ DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

So GameStop has started pre-orders for the "Annihilation" map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. There's no incentive to pre-order, Activision will never run out of download codes for any downloadable content and you can easily download the pack straight from the ??comfort of your own home once it's released.

So, y??eah. This. This is a thing. Really, the on??ly benefit here is that you can trade in some old crap towards the purchase of the new DLC, I guess.

The post Pre-order Black Ops ‘Annihilation’ DLC from GameStop appeared first on Destructoid.

The next map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops was announced and it's going to bring four new versus?? maps plus a zombie map?? too. The downloadable content is hitting Xbox 360 owners first on June 28 and will run you $15.

Here?'?s a video and new screens to show you what you can expect and ... ARE THOSE ZOMBIE MONKEYS?! AWESOME!

The post Take a look at the new ‘Annihilation’ maps in Black Ops appeared first on Destructoid.

Activision has officially announced the previously rumored "Annihilation" Map Pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The fifteen dollar map pack??, which will cost fifteen dollars, is a fifteen dollar timed exclusive to Xbox Live and will launch on June 28 for fifteen dollars.

"With Annihilation, Black Ops fans will get four exciting and unique multiplayer settings with Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard,"? said Treyarch boss Mark Lamia. "Players will also enjoy an all-new Zombies experience, Shangri-La, an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly?? traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters."

While no official price has been announced, FIFTEEN DOLLARS FIFTEEN DOLLARS FIFTEEN DOLLARS!??!!

The post Black Ops ‘Annihilation’ Maps coming to Xbox 360 June 28 appeared first on Destructoid.

Of course there's more Call of Duty: Black Ops downloadable content on the way. You guys keep buying it, and Activi??sion isn't going to leave money on the table. 

While it hasn't been announced, an alleged GameStop promotional flyer has outed the details of the third pack, reportedly called "Retaliation." The pack is said to feature four new multiplayer maps -- "Hangar 18," "Hazard," "Silo," and "Drive-In" -- along with a new zombie map. ?;

The info comes from a blurry photo of the supposed marketing material, so until its confirmed, this is rumor only. Seems like a hot little package Activision could use to get people playing Black Ops and testing that Elite service this summer... not that it needs any help. ? 

[RUMOR] Map Pack 3 Leak? [Digital Warfare 24/7]

The post Rumor: Next Call of Duty map pack is ‘Retaliation’ appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: All codes given out! C??heck your Private Messages to see if you ?won one!]

The Escalation map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops has finally hit the PlayStation 3. You get four new multiplayer maps along with one new zombie map. We have?? 15 of the codes to give out and all you need to do is leave a comment in this post telling us you want it.

We'll pick 15 of you at random to give the codes to after the giveaway closes tonight at 11:59PM CDT. Go go go!

The post Win ?an? Escalation map pack code for CoD: Black Ops (PS3) appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot of people don't even know that  Call of Duty: Black Ops is out on the Wii. Activision has done next to nothing to promote the Wii vers??ion. Still, I know that you, the discerning audience of Destructoid is aware of this "down-port", and that some of you have even been looking forward to it.

I've been looking forward to it too, if not just to see how it compares to Black Ops on PC/PS3/360. Much to my surprise, the pre-release talk was for real; the game is pretty much the same on the Wii as it is on HD platforms. For that reason, I'm not going launch into a full re-review of the game. For the bulk of the details on Black Ops, check out our review of the PC version.

Hit the jump for the Wii specific pros and cons (and that all important review? s?core).

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii [reviewed])
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Release date: November 9, 2010
MSRP: $49.99

Like I already mentioned, Black Ops on the Wii is pretty much the same game as it is on other home consoles. The maps, the storyline, the multi-player, the c?o-op zombie mode, the promise of DLC, almost everything from the HD versions is here, all in glorious standard definition.

By standard, I really mean "the 3rd party Wii port standard, which is pretty much the same standard set by the a PS2 ten years ago. Sometimes it gets better than that, but most of the time, the game's textures look sub-Gamecube in quality. There are also a lot of little details that were left out; flags don't wave, leaves don't sway in the wind, et?c. With the Wii being over 4 years old, there's really no excuse for 3rd parties to be churning out games like this. If you're like me, then you don't even expect to see anything better than this from a 3rd party on the Wii, and the visuals wont really bother you. Still, it's worth noting that the Wii can do better than this. It's ??a bummer that Activision didn't bother.

Besides the graphics, there are a few other things seem to be missing from this port. Maybe I just haven't found a way to unlock them yet, but the Flamethrower attachment appears to be gone, various customization options (face paint and player cards) are missing, the JFK zombie mode is M.I.A., and the Dead Ops top-down shooter mode isn't here either. It's strange to see these things omitted, as none of them would have taken up a lot of memory or processing power. I have to wonder if the Wii version was rushed out without these features in order to?? make the game's release date. It would be nice to see these modes and options hit later on as (preferably free) DLC.

As irritating as the unambitious visuals and missing details may be, this is still the only way to play Black Ops with pointer controls, as the PS3 version doesn't have Move support. The controls are really responsive and accurate, regardless if you're going for the Wii remote/nunchuck or the Wii Zapper. Sadly, the controls aren't as f??reely customizable as they are in some other Wii FPS's. There are bunch of pre-set control layouts, and that's it. That didn't bother me though. [UPDATE] (Somehow I totally missed the fact that the controls are in fact, totally customizable. Sorry guys! I feel like a moron. OK, back the the review as previously published). I never felt the need to customize the controls anyway. The game was easy to control from the start. I was popping off headshots and slitting enem??y throa??ts from the word go. 

Another advantage to the Wii version is that so far, I've run into no problems getting online, and have experienced no lag, even with a wireless connection. Maybe this is because there are fewer people playing the Wii version, but compared the the 360 version of the game, Black Ops ?on the Wii has been noticeably better. I have been kicked out a few losing games, which caused my Wii to crash, but I blame that more on the people I was playing with than the game itself.

Bottom line -- if you prefer playing First-person Shooters with pointer controls, and you don't have a hang up about playing games that look they could run on the PS2, then this Wii port is the way to go. This is definitely not the version of the game that most pre-existing CoD fans want, but for those that are looking for a slightly cheaper starting point to the series, or if you just don't like playing FPS's with dual analog sticks, then this is the version of Black Ops that I would recommend.

The post Review: Call of Duty Black Ops (Wii) appeared first on Destructoid.

It's that time of the year again. November is officially designated Call of Duty month. It's the reason why this ti?me of the year? no longer has a huge saturation of top-quality games, as publishers scrabble to steer clear of Activision's almighty entertainment behemoth. 

With its power to completely empty launch calendars, Call of Duty: Black Ops sees Treyarch taking the reins from Infinity Ward for another crack at the whip. With Infinity Ward on its knees at the moment, has the "lesser" studio stepped out from the shadows to seize the ?series as its own? We'll probably need a videogame review to answer such a burning question!

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC [reviewed])
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Release date: November 9, 2010
MSRP: $59.99

Black Ops finally sees Treyarch leave behind the ever-popular environment of World War II and embrace the slightly more modern era of the Cold War and Vietnam. Taking place throughout the 1960s, the latest Call of Duty boasts what is perhaps the most comprehensively structured, story-focused narrative that the series has ever had. In fact, I'll go one step further and say this -- Black Ops boasts the best singl??e-player campaign that the series has ever had. 

From its genuinely intriguing plot, full of dark twists and historical cameos, to the endless set pieces that throw the player from one ludicrously action-packed scenario to the next, Call of Duty: Black Ops is the game with which Treyarch has final??????????????????????????ly put its definitive stamp on the series, and even eclipsed Infinity Ward in terms of in-game narrative and memorable moments. 

Much praise must also be had for the variety of gameplay. Not only is there plenty of traditional FPS action, but a number of vehicular sections are liberally spread throughout the game, and all of them are surprisingly?? fun. Expect to pilot helicopters, boats, motorcycles and more throughout the course of the game, and expect to be excited while doing so. 

Even the pedestrian sections are spiced with variety, with guns that differ not just in model, but in modifications. Throughout each level, you'll come across guns with scopes, guns with extended mags, and guns with shotgun, grenade and even flamethrower attachments. Each gun feels powerful and heavy, with shotguns especially packing a punch. Throw in a new bunch of incredibly vicious melee kills, and you've got a brutal game that should please even the mos??t blood-starved gamer. 

The campaign pretty much does everything right. The grenade spam that plagued World at War has been annihilated, while the level designs feel inspired and heartfelt, and sometimes horrific (the section involving a certain gas attack is especially intense). Truly a magnificent single-player experience that manages to tell more in its one story than the Modern Warfare series has done with two.

Unfortunately, the quality of the single-player campaign ha??s not been matched in the multiplayer mode, at least on PC. While you can tell that there is a very well-built, solid multiplayer experience at its core, the game is almost impossible to enjoy due to intense lag, server connection errors, and matchmaking issues. These? aren't just annoying bugs -- these are issues that render the game damn near unplayable. 

Even when it "works," Black Ops still stutters tremendously, and should you venture online, you best be prepared to eat several deaths simply due to the game's issues, all the while reading in-game chat complaints about how laggy everything is. For a Call of Duty game, having a poor multiplayer mode is unforgivable, due to the relative brevity of the single-player campaign, and with a multiplayer this poor, Black Ops becomes a total let-down. 

I'd love to focus this review on the interesting "COD Points" system that allows you to spend in-game currency on unlocking Perks and equipment in whatever order you choose. I'd love to talk about how balanced the gameplay is and how cool the maps are. Unfortunately, after getting a "connection error" message the very second I began a last-ditch effort to fight through the problems, I've officially given up trying to suffer it. The frustrating part is that from what I have played of the multiplayer, I can see piles of potential fun. I've loved Call of Duty's multiplayer for many years, and this looks to be as good as any other, with a few extra unique twists and fun Kill Streaks. Unfortunately, it's not fun right now. ?Not at all. It's excruciating, frustrating, and broken bey??ond forgiveness. 

Luckily, at least one multiplayer mode partially works properly -- Zombies. Matchmaking seems to have its own set of issues, since it can be difficult to get a match started, but at least when one starts, the amount of lag is kept to a minimum, usually only stuttering a few times per game. Zombie mode is also very fun indeed, with Treyarch making a far more involved and character-driven version of the minigame first found in World at War. The use of historical figures such as John F. Kennedy may be considered tasteless by some, but it's far more amusing than it ?has any right to be, and provides a sense of humor that offsets the intense, sometimes nerve-wracking gameplay that only waves of encroaching undead can provide. 

I honestly, truly wish I could say more in Black Ops' favor. This is the first Call of Duty in which Treyarch has stepped out of the shadow of Infinity Ward, but the triumph has been ruined by an unbearable PC port, and this is coming from a game that had promised to do much more for PC gamers than Modern Warfare 2 did. Since we currently l?ack a 360 or PS3 version of the game at the time of writing, I can't say how much better they are, but this version is a disaster. 

The truly stunning single-player campaign offsets many of the multiplayer's flaws, and the Zombie mode is tons of hilarious fun, but neither manages to be lengthy or deep enough to make Black Ops the truly great game that I know it should be. This is an incredibly well-made game that, once patched, will easily sit among the hottest titles of the year. As it exists right now, however, I can't recommend the game fo?r purchase. Wait until an update comes, and then by all means jump in, but anybody who currently buys the game will get shafted.

Once the multiplayer is fixed, feel free to pop ?at least two more points, most likely even three, into this review's score. I can only review what I've got in front of me, however, and what I've got is a superb game that has pissed all o??ver itself.

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