Review: "Call of Duty: Black Ops" is as good as it gets

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" is considered by many to be the best first person shooter video game of all time. I happen to be one of them, so naturally I held little hope for the COD series to produce a game anywhere near its caliber again.

Thankfully, I was wrong.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops" takes what "Modern Warfare 2" did and takes it to a level I never thought possible. The game's graphics, controls and endless multiplayer options are unparalleled.

The COD games have always been known as leaders in map design and graphics, but "Black Ops" exceeds all expectations. It builds maps that are realistic and beautiful. Both in online and single player modes of the game, "Black Ops" gives gamers the feeling that they are actually in combat. Other games have made strong efforts toward this imitated reality, but "Black Ops" succeeds where these previous efforts have failed.

It's not solely the graphics that cause this sense of reality. The controls for "Black Ops" have been tweaked to perfection. The typical control structure remains the same, but small tweaks such as the ability to dive and turn in the air while diving drive "Black Ops" to a new level. It is the perfect balance of old and new. It's different enough so long time COD fans will respect the tweaks, but is still easily accessible to new gamers. That's one of the reasons the controls are so great. It bridges the gap between COD experts and newbies.

Online play – as is the case in most COD games – is the real powerhouse in "Black Ops." The typical team deathmatch and free-for-all modes are still available, but the game expands upon the online world like I've never thought possible. There is far too much to develop in this review, so I will simply focus on my favorite online feature, zombies.

After the wildly popular Zombies download for "COD: World at War," it seemed inevitable that the next COD installment would try to capitalize on this trend. "Black Ops" did and it is a treat. The zombie missions, which are available to play online and solo, are amazing. They are as intricately designed as every other portion of the game and adds a whole new dimension to "Black Ops" that challenges the wildly popular "Left 4 Dead" series. The levels take players through several stages of Nazi zombie bliss, which will literally cause two hours of any gamers' life to disappear.

There really is no downside to this game. I've tried to find one, but it seems impossible. For fans of first person shooters, this is literally as good as it gets. I can only hope that the COD series will prove me wrong and create an even more entertaining addition to their series some time in the future.