Why I Never Bought Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty. A household name and one of the most recognized series in the history of the videogame medium. A series that has sparked so much controversy and a following of biblical proportions. With over 25 million people playing the franchise online, this is the juggernaut of todays gaming. So the $33+ billion dollar question is: why don't I care anymore?

Let me start by saying that I have been a big fan of Call of Duty since the very beginning. I remember purchasing the original PC game the day it came out and spent many hours both on and offline. This may sound strange at first, but the original Call of Duty game resulted in my family emigrating from 'sunny ol' England' to the United States. Basically, my father and I frequently played on a server and got friendly with an American gaming clan which we ended up joining. Several years later, my mother, father and I decided to visit America for the first time and also meet the faces behind the microphones resulting in a new found love for the country and five years later - end up moving to. All because of this videogame. I also made approximately a dozen or so custom multiplayer maps for the game (and it's sequels) which were -and still are- played on many servers even today. The only game I didn't buy on launch day, was Call of Duty 3; and that's just because I had no console to play it on. In short - I love the Call of Duty series and I still praise the series as a whole. So why was I fast asleep and in bed the night that Black Ops was released? Short answer: because I don't give two shits anymore.

Ohh, controversial! I can already feel the accusing eyes from those who will probably wish to castrate me for making that statement. Don't get me wrong, I am sure this latest installment is heaps of fun. I'm sure it controls nicely and the gameplay is as refined as ever. But, I played the same game three years ago. "How dare you say that!" I hear you cry. Well, tough. I'm simply not going to pay $60 for a game that could be considered an expansion for all it's worth.

Call of Duty has this formula in both it's single player and multiplayer components that throws me back to the days of Resident Evil and reminds me of a popular phrase: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. While I may agree to an extent, the line between small improvements and flat out not changing anything is becoming real blurry. Call of Duty games since Modern Warfare (and some may argue even Call of Duty 2) have followed the same set pieces in it's single player that always left me thinking 'have I played this before?' As cinematic as these campaigns are, they can be completed in under 6 hours mostly, which is simply unacceptable for me.

I was speaking to a friend of mine, and the topic of Black Ops came up and he said, and I quote: "The campaign isn't the reason I got it" So in reality - he's only buying half of the game, and until the game is half price, I won't touch it. But by that point it will be pointless as everyone would have moved on to the next game. Anyway, the conversation continued and he concluded that even though he knows nothing has changed since Modern Warfare, he will continue to purchase the recently announced Modern Warfare 3. This is also a view I've heard from various other people too. They are fully aware that it's essentially the same game, yet they continue to support it and pay full price when the next title is released. I just fail to understand the logic.

Call of Duty has become nothing more than a stale series with nothing new to offer. Like with the older Resident Evil games, people will eventually get pissed off and finally realize what Activison are doing. People are already starting to notice it seems, judging by the user review rating on MetaCritic.com for all versions of the game (proof, proof, and proof). Complaints being that the single player is short, the game is buggy, nothing new to offer, the list goes on. It may be acceptable for one or two sequels, but keep doing it and gamers will eventually notice. It's also interesting to see the stark contrast in opinion from the 'professional' reviewers.

So go ahead Activison, make the new Call of Duty game. Be sure to include a piss poor campaign with an obvious story, same set pieces and game mechanics from the last four games and put all your focus on multiplayer and set the TV trailer to a completely irrelevant Eminem song. Speaking of multiplayer, I understand that the acclaimed Zombie mode has only two maps, and one has to be unlocked by completing the campaign -- that's pathetic. Let's face it, the series might just as well strip away the single player. They obviously don't give a shit, so why should we. So go and put down your $60 pre-order on Modern Warfare 3, I'll be in bed when you're waiting outside GameStop at midnight itching to get your hands on what would then be a 5 year old game.

It just kills me to see such a series go down the drain like this. I should also add that I'm still bitter about them shafting PC users for the last two games too. Performance issues up the ass, no proper map editor, compatibility problems, the list goes on. The game is bugged to the dick. It's become nothing more than a console focused, multiplayer franchise now, and for that, I'm sure Black Ops is the shit. But that is of course until next year when Modern Warfare 3 comes out, then that will be the shit, and so the cycle goes on.

Let me stress that I do not expect Activison to change their ways. At the end of the day, they're a business who need to make money. From that standpoint they're a success. They don't make the games, they just tell whoever is making it how to make it, when to release it by and then market it. I also do not expect this article to change anyone's opinion on the series. This is just my opinion on a series I've been playing since the very beginning. I am also fully aware that this article will generate probably more hate than praise but that's something you have to accept when you say something remotely negative about this series, nowadays.