Game Informer's Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

Game Informer stated on its website last week that their latest issue would hit mailboxes next week, but it looks as though one lucky subscriber has received it a bit early. GI reviewed a highly anticipated title in the magazine – Call of Duty: Black Ops. The full text has already been released online, and a rather blurry scan has surfaced as well.

[JakemanPS31994]

im a little surprised but i guess it makes sense.. looks like god of war 3 is gonna get ther goty(its because they always give ther highest scoring game of the year the game of the year)

[AKissFromDaddy]

Bayonetta scored higher than God of War 3

[JakemanPS31994]

no god of war 3 got a ten while bayonetta got a 9.
http://gameinformer.com/gam...
http://gameinformer.com/gam...
theres links

[VenomProject]

Bayonetta wishes it scored higher.

[will11]

We can all agree God of War 3 was sooo over rated. GOTY imo goes to MW2.

[SSKILLZ]

bayonetta was shit, until Sony had to go in like a badass and fix that shit.

[MajestieBeast]

will11 talk for yourself pls i didnt think gow3 was overrated it was a damn good game and deserved its scores.

[masterofpwnage]

i love how you say god3 is over rated and then say mw2 is goty.

i like mw2 but that game was to over rated. had so much bugs and glitches and hacks. to broken to be goty material.

COD4>MW2 any day

edit
Will
and we have freedom of speech to dude.
why the hell would we agree with you if we disagree with you.

you have no idea what your talking about.
no common sense

[will11]

@ all the disagrees.

I live in america, freedom of speech. I should be getting agrees because everyone has a right of free speech.

[Hellsvacancy]

Lol, what an idiot, MW2 was released "last year" didnt it get beat by Uncharted 2? let me guess, another over-rated game

[MajestieBeast]

Who you trying to be will11 randy marsh? I thought this was america.

[will11]

@everyone

Whats up with all the bashing on me? Daymn. All I said is I like MW2 more than GOW 3 which most people can agree with. Look at the sales. MW2 over GOW 3 like 50:1. Nuff Said

[toaster]

@will

lol Stay in school buddy, by 9th grade you'll learn a little bit more about how Government and the Amendments work.

[AKissFromDaddy]

That's one reviewer, lol

IGN Bayonetta - http://xbox360.ign.com/arti...

IGN GOW3 - http://ps3.ign.com/articles...

PlayTM Bayonetta - http://play.tm/review/28075...

PlayTM GOW3 - http://play.tm/review/29362...

EdgeMag Bayonetta - http://www.next-gen.biz/fea...

EdgeMag GOW3 - The stuff of legend, then? Indeed. Although, perhaps fittingly, one with nothing new to say. [Apr 2010, p.88] 8/10

InsideGamer Bayonetta - http://www.insidegamer.nl/p...

InsideGamer GOW3 - http://translate.google.com...

If you mean GI will probably give GOW3 GOTY then that makes sense, however overall Bayonetta is a better game and is easily GOTY over GOW3. I own both and its as clear as night and day which game is more fun and GOW3 being the 3rd installment to a action game I've played already doesn't help GOW3, nevertheless it is still AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! However, Bayonetta is a noticeably better and more fun.

PS. Lets kill this GOW 3 vs Bayonetta discussion in a COD BO review thread.

[TreMillz]

"@everyone

Whats up with all the bashing on me? Daymn. All I said is I like MW2 more than GOW 3 which most people can agree with. Look at the sales. MW2 over GOW 3 like 50:1. Nuff Said"

this ur first gen kid? Dude most people would not agree with that BS u just wrote lmfao!

[jeseth]

Ford Focus outsells BMW 3 series 50:1 . . . does that make a Ford Focus better than a BMW 3 series?

According to your logic you would rather have the Focus.

Quality, not Quantity.

Best Games This Year (IMO)

God of War 3
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption

P.S. MW2 came out last year. . . its okay, you can facepalm yourself!

[kaveti6616]

"Graphics – Call of Duty remains at the top of the visual heap, not least because of the always-excellent framerate."

What? I think Cod's graphics are noticeably bad. I can't keep my eyes off the terrible texturing. I know it runs at a super smooth 60 frames per second, but damn, it doesn't look visually appealing.

[cmrbe]

Its different for different mags but if we use Metacritic

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Gow3 is rated higher and so it should. GOW3 leaves Bayonetta in the dust in Graphics, story, music and scale. The only area Bayonetta is better than Gow3 is the gameplay but GOW3 is no slough either in that department. Byonetta had the advantage in this area because its a new franchise and they are able to one up on the comp in terms of gameplay. With GOW3 SM can't change the core gameplay mechanics much as that would amount to changing the gameplay altogether.

As for GOTY. I think Red Dead might actually run anways with it this year although my personal pick sofar is Starcraft 2.

[VenomProject]

Metacritic:

Bayonetta - 90

God of War III - 92

Just sayin'.

[Masamori Sumimura]

Oh my God GoW got 2 more points then Bayonetta? TUM TUM TUM!!!!!! Even if the game had the same Score I doubt any of the guys above me would give props to bayonetta since they had to play the Bad version of the game on PS3.

Let's get back to COD talk.

[N4WAH]

Please don't feed the multiple account troll - will11
You are giving him exactly what he is after.

On Topic:
The latest video of this game on the nuke map looks bland. I mean really bland. The animation looks stiff too. I am picking it up, a couple copies actually cause my son is into shooters, but most of the videos I have seen are a little underwhelming. I just hope it plays better and is more balanced than MW2.

[Hudahudahuda]

"however overall Bayonetta is a better game and is easily GOTY over GOW3"

Absolutly not.

I bet Darksiders will get more awards than that game. The combat isn't really all that original either. It's the same as DMC, except with a disproportionate protogonist prancing around like a slut. And for so many of the games fans saying the shouldn't take the story seriously, they sure did include a crapload of cutscenes and melodrama. I mean got of war is said to be a story based game and it only has around 45 minutes of cutscenes total which were all used to load new area's of the game.

[Trebius]

Cant believe he takes his own words seriously lol

On Topic: CoD4 was fresh and new, MW2, and all future titles will just keep building on the same formula and not adding anything worthwhile. RC's are not as fun as you'd think...and more klilstreaks are more killstreaks...no big deal.

[evrfighter]

gow3 was boring.

for the consoles it should be red dead. That's the only game I wish came out to pc.

gow3 has no replay value whatsoever.

[DORMIN]

/s

On topic: I'm going to wait for MORE reviews on whether I buy BO. Not just professional, but user reviews too. I'm not going to fall for a MW2 again.

[PostApocalyptic]

The only reason you brought up Bayonetta is because it's also on the 360. If it was a PS3 exclusive you wouldn't have brought it up.

God of War 3 = Game Ranking = 92
Overall Rank: 152
PlayStation 3 Rank: 13
2010 Games Rank: 7
2010 PlayStation 3 Rank: 2
Score based on 70 reviews

God of War 3 = Metacritic = 92
based on 100 Critics

Bayonetta (360) = Game Ranking = 89.80%
Overall Rank: 351
Xbox 360 Rank: 32
2010 Games Rank: 22
2010 Xbox 360 Rank: 9
Score based on 58 reviews

Bayonetta (360) = Metacritic = 90
based on 86 Critics

Bayonetta was a good game. But not for GOTY acclaim.

[raztad]

Hey guys, keep on topic and get GoW out of this thread. Black Ops review, dont forget.

[JakemanPS31994]

yah im sry i didnt mean to start anything

[jony_dols]

The reviewer never even mentioned anything about Black Op's 3D mode (one of the reasons i'm buying it)!

And he even though he praises Black Ops story and character development, he never mentioned that Sam 'Avatar' Worthington voices the main character!

2 pretty big things to leave out.

[xCaptainAmazing]

god of war has no shot at goty. it was technically outstanding, but this year had a bunch of better games.

edit: raztad is right this is totally irrelevant anyways.

[Imperator]

Unfortunately I agree. Games released at the beginning of the year almost never have a chance at GOTY. I doubt games like GOW3, ME2, and SMG2 will be recognized as they'll be overshadowed by the newer releases. Then again, who knows, I may very well be wrong.

[Jamegohanssj5]

They haven't Tony Hawked Call of Duty? Lulz that's one of the biggest lies I've heard all year.

TGSI

[THE TRUTH]

GOTY has not been released yet. Mark my words GT5 will get GOTY.

[kaveti6616]

it's just a meaningless title.

there are a lot of different publications that award GOTY status. Why do people think the VGAs are better? And then they bash the VGAs for being overhyped.

[visualb]

only GoTY award that matters is my own

that aside, there is one situation where GoTY's matter:

HOW MANY you rack up =)

uncharted 2 racked up most of them last year, thus, its the over all accepted GoTY =)

this year ?! =O i doubt it'll be BO, if it is gaming is going down hill

maybe Mass Effect 2, RDR or GOWIII

[punkpop101]

Maybe but that doesn't mean that God Of War 3 doesn't suck.

[abczby]

I guarantee you Mass Effect 2 gets GOTY from Game Informer.

[Klipz-Wish]

This game is really good if your on the fence I advise you to buy it!

[lazysey]

I'm glad were all talking about GOWIII in a COD article. I get called a PS3 troll? Awesome.

[TrevorPhillips]

Impressive score :)

cannot wait only a few hours more till middy launch

[JakemanPS31994]

midnight launch isnt till tomorrow i thought?

[TrevorPhillips]

It's Monday 3:16PM here in Sydney Australia so it comes out soon.

All good Jakeman :)

[JakemanPS31994]

oh ok its because i live in washington and its 818 pm here haha

[big_silky]

a 9? so in reality, a 7 or 7.5.

[raztad]

8 to me. I always deduct 1 point from GI scores.

[silkrevolver]

I find that GI scores are usually at least half a point away from what I’d give a game, so I trust them.

[SyphonFilter]

they gave this pos a free pass,it never changes yet other games get knocked on for being the same.

[SJPFTW]

other games have tried to emulate call of duty yet none have gotten even close. COD's gameplay is just too darn fun.

[SyphonFilter]

i don't mean an fps,i mean any genre in genera. also cod is crap and boring.arcady game that takes no skills.gunplay feels weak and light.

[VenomProject]

I absolutely LOVE how GameInformer bashes some games for being repetitive or being more-of-the-same, then they give Black Ops a 9.

Oh, GameInformer, you contradictory fools.

[neonlight45]

does anybody know whether Treyarch is going to reset the multiplayer severs when the game is officially out?

[SJPFTW]

i heard they were.i think it was confirmed by Vahn

[Sparticus_1]

OMG you mean to tell me the greatest game ever only scored a 9...wtf..thats not right..I demand a recount!!.HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH AHA Its not perfect....go figure..the billions and billions of dollars they spent to let the world know how great it was with every commercial, pop up ad, and webpage...and it got a 9 BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... .not to mention its the same damn game ever year...like a woman with fake tits....same hooker...different look.....

[xCaptainAmazing]

Review basically said the biggest gripe was that it felt like Modern Warfare 2.5, but in all honesty, isn't that what everyone was looking for; a fixed version of MW2?

Single player looks to be far more interesting, and the additional modes are the best. That and a way more balanced multiplayer spells nothing but win.

There's a pretty lame assumption going around that all Call of Duty titles are overrated as well. Just because Modern Warfare 2 got its dick sucked by reviewers doesn't mean every title has, and every future title will. Where MW2 seems to have gotten tremendously good reviews from franchise association, Black Ops will more likely make reviewers think twice.

After all of us core gamers hating on the rehashed Call of Duty formula for the last year and screaming at reviewers, you can bet they reviewed it "as is" this time. If it mustered a 9 with lots of scrutiny, you can bet it's (most likely) legitimate this time.

As for "hackability," there's no way to fairly review a game on these grounds. It's a popular game, therefore a crap shoot. What you all know now is that at its core its a very good game.

[R_aVe_N]

No everybody was not looking for a MW 2.5 They were wanting a game that was good... Any other game that played like this would get a 7-8, but since it says CoD on it they always get a free pass.

[Ducky]

... and who decides whether a score is genuine or artificially-increased?

Seems if the score agrees with one's personal opinion, then it's genuine.
If the score is higher than one's opinion, then that means it got a free-pass.
If the score is lower than one's opinion, the reviewer is an idiot.

Reviews are just one guy's opinion. Treat it like any other opinion (except the reviewer, being an actual journalist hopefully, might have more credible feedback than the typical single-console-humping jockey)

[SJPFTW]

i think a huge majority of fans wanted a game that is similar in spirit to COD4 as opposed to MW2. COD4 was the shizzle. MW2 will be remembered but will not be missed.

[Rainstorm81]

Still looking for MW2..... MW2 = MW1.5

I have the game, its great IMO better than MW2.

BTW Pentagon Zombies are merciless

[thetorontokid]

I'm at level 15 multiplayer so far, just playing team death match. The Modern Warfare games are way better, this game feels and looks so sloppy. Only talking about multiplayer, since call of duty for me is all about the multiplayer. Don't get me wrong it's still a fun game, just doesn't feel polished, the controller's are as tight as modern warfare 2, or COD4! playing ps3 version, maybe the 360, is a bit better?!

[Chnswdchldrn]

the console versions are identical

PC version is superior

also, how can the game look and feel sloppy?
all treyarch has done was build ontop of an already established cod4 engine...

[Chnswdchldrn]

Graphics – Call of Duty remains at the top of the visual heap, not least because of the always-excellent framerate.

Lol.

LOL

LOOOOOL

LOL AND MORE FUCKING LOL

top of the graphical heap MY ASS

it looks the same as COD4 I'm afraid....which at the time looked good but now looks dated and ugly. Sorry, but the reviewer fails.

@Nexus-Knight yeaa i get a little carried away sometimes....

@XI_-Minty-_IX

as a PC gamer I reap the benefits of both amazing graphics and a framerate far exceeding 60. For Blackops to look like such ass for me....there is no excuse! For the consoles there is tho, as you said, a fair tradeoff

@ Jack Pyro

Hows about I name 5 pc exclusive games that have come out in the last 10 years that are graphically superior to black ops and run at fps exceeding 60....o wait...gonna need a bigger box to type. :D

[SSKILLZ]

LOL @ you reaction.

[XI_-Minty-_IX]

CoD's graphics have always been low-res textures covered in an extremely thick layer of oil and polished to high hell. From afar, the textures look good and shiny, but go up close to, well, just about anything and it looks really ugly. But hey, the low-res textures is the primary reason for the 60fps framerate, so it's a fair trade, I guess.

[Jack-Pyro]

Name 5 other multiplatform titles that have come out on consoles in the last 3 years that have "better graphics" and also run at 60 FPS.

I'll admit that CoD isn't a gorgeous game, but it certainly looks good, and as long as I can see what I'm shooting at with reasonably good clarity, then the dev's have done their job correctly.

Now troll harder.

[Ducky]

PC exclusives is one thing.

Multiplatform games, on the other hand, are usually on the same visual level between consoles and PC.
So any game that sacrifces visuals for FPS on the consoles will look bad on the PC.
A game that settles for 30FPS (like BadCompany2) will look much better because the devs pushed some pixes and sacrificed the FPS.

Ofcourse, to a PC user, FPS doesn't matter... if anything, FPS below 60 means you need new hardware.

So... it's more so the limited console hardware thats to blame for the visuals.

[Rainstorm81]

I have COD:BO and graphically it destroys previous COD games... Im not the biggest COD fan and MW2 was lackluster IMHO, But i feel like Treyarch have outdone themselves, Black ops probably has more content than MW1 & 2 combined.

If you liked any recent COD then Black ops is a must buy.

Edit @ raztad

Yeah the more content is for the MP, tons of gun and character customization.....like 40 differents face paints to about 50 different reticle types. As far as the SP personally its the most fun ive had out of a COD SP campaign. The visuals especially the face models and the explosions are done very well i also agree on previous COD graphics. The campaign isnt the longest on normal... BUt it is action packed and takes you everywhere and is paced far better than MW2 and the story ... actually exists.

This COD may actually earn its praise IMO

[raztad]

"I have COD:BO and graphically it destroys previous COD games"

Previous COD games have very poor visuals. Plain, low res textures everywhere. I understand the 60fps thing but how much of an improvement BO is?

How long is the SP campaign? or more content refers only to online maps/modes?

[cb4g]

I've always enjoyed the COD games, including MW2. Felt the SP was a lot tighter than MW1. A bit cheesier, like subsequent seasons of 24, but still an adrenalin rush.

From what I've been hearing, Treyarch have done a great job on both the SP and MP.

[Jack-Pyro]

Like I said, MULTIPLATFORM!!!!

As in games that have to look at least similar on all platforms, and can't "reap the benefits" of a high end graphics card.....

Go ahead an name those PC exclusive games as well, I'm sure they'll look better, but not by the lightyear's your talking about.

[Der_Kommandant]

Realistic Gore!

[Arnagrim]

I hate how these Call of Duty games get pretty much a free pass rating wise for only small improvements (debatable seeings how MW2's multiplayer is a bit of a clusterfuck). I mean, COD:MW is a great game, but by the standards these magazines seem to have then every Madden or Guitar Hero sequel should be getting 9's as well.

[thetorontokid]

@Chnswdchldrn
maybe your right its just that its visually dated, but modern warefare 2, looks and runs better....

[thetorontokid]

maybe they had to modify or downgrade the engine, to add all the new feature, rc car(there kinda fast), and match recording, i don't know, food for thought

[despair]

hmm seems like they did exactly what everyone expected, take the same formula and tweak it ever so slightly. If and when they do the same thing next year with COD 8 I hope a reviewer finally shows some balls and rate it down for being the 4th clone.

That said it does look like the MP is the best of the 3 latest ones, if only by a little.

[AKA]

It's about the outdated engine and outdated tech they are using, COD need a new nextgen engine to call my atention but I gues sheeps don't care and will keep buying the same outdated game over and over.

[ender411]

A. I could care less about what "draws your attention"
B. We are not sheep, you are the same narcissistic prick who elevates himself so high he can't see his own bullshit.
C. Who care's about a game's visuals if it plays better than everything out there?

[AKA]

1 you are a sheep
2 it plays better for you and all the other noobs with it auto aim and balance in the game. But it's not the end of all games only a sheep will think that.
3 your mad because I'm making you see the true? Don't hate the player hat the game kid.

Btw I never said "visuals" in general the game is outdated and arcade and it's ok to like or have fun with a arcade game iPhone users do every day but this game is over rated and if they want to get 9s and 10s they better update their engine becuase is outdated.

[Anti-Fanboyer]

Medal of Honor- 7.0
Bad Company 2 - 9.5
Black Ops- 9

[Sparticus_1]

I just farted.

[cb4g]

Thanks for sharing

[likedamaster]

Fanboy!!

[Grimhammer00]

It's super smooth & seems after 8hrs of mp, to be quite balanced.
The rc car is nowhere near as annoying as I thought. Even with hardline perk!

I'm not a fan of 70% of the weapons...but, it's 1968. My Vector hasn't even been thought of yet! Lol

Maps seem designed to limit snipers. I tried to camp a few times, to see how long it took to get noticed. I made sure I could see at least one of the hot zones....and I was discovered quick!

I'm certain a dlc weapon pack is in the works. I'm not saying it needs it, but I'd like to see more weapons.

I can say with 100% certainty that blackops is the best full package COD.
It's the complete opposite though of MOH's realism. In that, MOH is a snipefest compared to this COD.

One thong that's odd....the RC car allows you to drive after you die if you already started to drive, and it does have about 30secs before the car fizzles out of juice.

[Brasi82]

To everyone saying God of War 3 will get game of the year, I direct your attention to the truth. (At least for 80% of GotY awards)

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Every other game fails in comparison. This year at least.

[R_aVe_N]

That was a very good game so I can see it winning GOTY. I would not bet against GoW either.

[commander]

mario has gotten old. he was cool like 10years ago.

[Dark-Cloud]

perfect score for it :) ... 9

[likedamaster]

Maybe if we complain loud enough about the violence/terrorism in the game they will make the next COD a candy coated musical. Yeah, let's do that.

Give me a fun, uncut & raw Call of Duty or nothing.

[NickX]

Mass Effect 2 or RDR is GOTY, there is no other games that even come close.

[phntom]

Can't understand why this game is so hyped, it's just more of the same.

[jjmustoe]

Metacritic
god of war 3-92
Halo Reach-91

[XabiTheHumble]

word

[damnyouretall]

i think ill wait when the people that buy the game compare it to mw2. like some folks i wasnt impressed with the last installment. cod has never really sucked in any way, just gets a little old with a new one every year

[tiny1114]

I don't think they have "Tony Hawk-ed" it either yet..or a better analogy is "Madden-ed" they have taken the original COD king (COD 4) and improved on it...and thats all i ask. IMO MW2 was good but plagued with hacks, glitches, boosters, cheats and don't forget the screaming 5 year olds playing..Treyarch seems committed to listen to the community..lets see if they follow through

[Dark_Legend]

I dont think that BO will be GOTY. That would be a real shame for all gamers. They should rather pick something which really impressed the gaming world, for example Heavy Rain with its dramatic story.
IMO Bayonetta is the best or Vanquish, I know these games dont have good stories or grafics like GOW or Uncharted, but for me Gameplay matters the most and thats where Bayonetta or Vanquish score. I like them because they offer a real challenge.

[CurlUpAndDie]

PS3= LAME-O's.com
Xbox 360= Ultimate gaming Console
Get over yourselves,and Thanks you.

[CernaML]

You can't have apostrophes in a domain name, dummy.

[Moragami]

It's like watching two kids fight over which of their squirt guns is most powerful, when you're packing a firehose. PC gamers laugh at you both.

[NUT-N-FANCY]

Bad game reviews hurt the game industry on one hand,but on the other hand ppl can't be giving great reviews to crapy games.cod's won't change they will always be good games with small bugs holding them back from perfection.however cod games are getting boring,and they need to fix that problem bc boring games make upset gamers.personally I'm disappointed with GI bc of there review of moh,there's no reason to give a review score that bad.it even hurt EA's stock.all bc there bored with fps.

[Vinushka]

Vanquish is my game of the year. Yeah, that's right, what? I know not having God of War 3 as my GOTY is down right blasphemous in these parts, but what can I say, Vanquish is insanely fun.

And for the record, I liked Bayonetta way more than God of War 3. Shocking I know, but then again I'm not a sheep. Bayonetta was over the top fun and it didn't take itself too seriously, which is always a plus. God of War 3 is good but there is only so much I can take of Kratos shouting. Sorry.

And these people saying GOW 3 is better than Bayonetta just because of a review score are probably the same people that would rage and insult the person to no end, and would probably say reviews don't mean anything if Bayonetta scored better than God of War 3.

<3