Scratch

My first review, so it will probably stink. And I was kind of lazy. But here it goes.

I think everyone knows that Call Of Duty Black Ops was marked as the biggest video game release in the world so far, and it's worthy of that. Today I will be reviewing the Wii version of Black Ops.

Many people dis-own the Wii for being less powerful than the PC, Xbox, and PS3, and for having "immature" games, but this is one of the great gems on the Wii. It almost perfectly captures the entire Call Of Duty experience better than any previous Wii Call of Duty games.

Generic:

It is essentially the exact same game with worse graphics and some things taken out. For starters, some levels are shorter than on the other versions of Black Ops, and there are some minor glitches.

Controls:
You can use two different control set-ups, Classic Controller, or Wiimote+Nunchuk. If you prefer the controls of the Xbox and PS3, the Classic Controller will make you feel at home. It is the exact same controller set up, but to sprint you hold down b, to melee press x, and to switch your weapon, press down on the d-pad. I haven't played much with the Wiimote + Nunchuk set up, but using kill streaks is a bit awkward. I believe you have to press right on the d-pad, while pressing LEFT on the analog stick, making your thumbs feel a little awkward reaching up to that d-pad.

Gameplay:
The online multiplayer is great, and for the first time on the Wii game, you can add others without having a friend code, and you can have voice chat and live updates. These are all great things that make your Call of Duty experience even better.

There are also several glitches, many involving not being able to see your gun, or glitches to get out of level maps. These glitches don't occur often and are easy to ignore for the most part.

The Zombie mode is great, especially in co-op. The premise of this mode is simple, there are endless waves of zombies and you must fight to get as far as possible without dying. This is a great challenge, but the online mode is a bit frustrating, as it is filled with many people who have no idea what they are doing.

Online Generics:

Your friends list can hold 70+ friends, but when sending messages to multiple people, I would suggest picking at most about 5 to 10 people or your Wii will crash. That is the biggest problem I have with this game. When you try to select menu options too quickly, or if you select a large amount of friends to send a message to, your Wii will likely crash forcing you to un-plug your Wii, and turn it back on. The gameplay itself is great, but there is only one major snag. The people on the Wii version are not anywhere near as skilled as people on the PS3/Xbox/PC. Other than that, the online play is outstanding and addicting.

Graphics:

This is one of the area's that Black Ops Wii fails in. The graphics, compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360, are simply mediocre and look like something out of an early PS2 game, with choppy blurry images, and simply ugly looking textures. These issues are easy to get past after playing for a bit and aren't that noticeable anymore. There are also several times when displaying things that are a down-right pixelated mess. When watching the intro, it's nearly impossible not to notice how pixelated and low resolution the video is. Other then that, the images are decently sharp.

Presentation:

The presentation is great, aside from a few minor issues. For one, there are no kill-cams. The Wii could not handle it therefore you have to sit at a black screen for a few seconds. Also, when spectating others, you have to wait about 5 seconds just to simply spectate, and the camera is very awkward and choppy to move around the player you are spectating. Other then those minor problems, the menu set-ups are great.

Audio:

The music sounds great, nothing to complain about. The sounds for the guns are different, making some guns sound strange.




Overview:

Controls: 9.5 (Classic Controller controls are great, Wii Remote + Nunchuk controls can be a tiny bit awkward, especially when trying to use kill streaks)

Gameplay: 9.0 (Gameplay is great, but Zombie mode is filled with played who don't know what they are doing and there are many glitches)

Online Generics: 8.0 (Many game freezes when trying to do a large amount of things too fast, but can hold a large amount of friends and has decent match making)

Graphics/Presentation: 7.5 (Graphics are very bad, but do-able. Presentation is generally great but there are several moments when things are outrageously pixelated)

Audio: 10 (Guns sound slightly different and "awkward", but still sounds nice and crisp and music sounds great)

Overall score: 9.0. This game is a great game, but compared to the PS3/Xbox/PC versions, the Wii version simply isn't anywhere near as good. I would still consider this one of the best Wii games I have played, and if you have a Wii and like Call Of Duty, go out to your local gaming store and buy it!

Suggested Products To Buy Along With:

Classic Controller Pro (If you prefer the Xbox and PS3 controls, this controller will make you feel at home. I use it every time I play Black Ops     )

I suggest this immediatly, it is the way COD is to be played.

PDP Headbanger Headset (Trash your Wii Speaks, and go out and buy the PDP Headbanger Headset. Wii Speak is not compatible with Black Ops, but the PDP Headset is great anyways. The only minor issues is that it is wired, but there is alot of wire space, and it fits on your ear slightly uncomfortable)

I suggest this, but it's not necessary.