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Editor's picks

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (0 reviews):

  (3.5/5)

  

  COD Must Evolve

  Great production value does not make a great game.I'll start with the good things. COD:Black Ops graphics are on-par with any top-shelf title and it has an incredibly smooth feel. The game is reported to run at 60 frames per second and it feels very high def. The voice acting is good, and clearly the production value and marketing budgets are both very high. However, graphics, and hype do not make a good game. Gameplay and immersion do. Here's why COD:Black Ops Fails utterly.1 AI is stupid. These shortcomings remind you constantly that your playing a game, and a poorly scripted one at that.- Enemy recognition: I've seen the AI sit 2 feet away from an enemy and not shoot at them. When they finally do, they shoot it out for 10-15 seconds to score a kill on the enemy. This is ridiculous. Your allies in the field are supposed to be top-notch soldiers just like you. Why can't they do some of the heavy lifting? Why can't they do ANY lifting?- AI... 2/5 3V0LVE - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  An Unfortunate Step Back

  I had never been a fan of the franchise, preferring to do my shooting in the more Arcady Half-Life engine, Halo, Fear etc...Then I played Modern Warfare, and loved it. You felt free to act. On veteran, the game was challenging. The worlds were large, and the enemies didn't re-spawn to infinity. This allowed you to actually be creative in your strategy, instead of tunneling. You could fall back, flank, snipe, or rush. Level design facilitated all strategies and the AI responded. Some levels set up better for different strategies, but the important thing is that it felt organic. When players died, they felt they could do something different--that they had control.A majority of the positive reviews for this game focus on its numerous improvements over other Treyarch offerings, and hey are right to do so. The graphics, story, voice acting, and music are a step up (from COD:WaW), as well as the addition of some "cool moments," and extras like Zombies. However, there... 2/5 reedissleeping (Minnesota) - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 11, 2010

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  The COD gravy train of hype churns on, but I'm glad to be along for the ride

  Ah, another year, another Call of Duty game. It seems like the annual release of the next installment in the iconic first-person shooter series should be a national holiday, given how many people attend the midnight launches for the game and no doubt skipped work or school the next day (myself included). Having hit the apex of popularity with Modern Warfare 2, the big question is how Black Ops will compare. I don't live and die by COD games as some people do, but I can say that Black Ops is one of the most satisfying and intense shooters I've ever played, with the best campaign out of all the games in the series and a multiplayer aspect that I can finally enjoy.Perhaps I'm the odd one, but I mainly buy these games for the single-player campaign as I am not the best at online shooters. The campaign in Black Ops is easily the best out of the series, with more cohesive storytelling and a more satisfying conclusion than the previous entries. Set in the Cold War era (early to... 3/5 Ben Rowland (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews, November 9, 2010

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  List Price: $49.99
  

  Blending of traditional COD, and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience

  Wide array of play modes including single player, local multiplayer versus and online co-op and multiplayer

  Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era

  And ensure constantly flowing and varied action

  New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sited explosive-tipped crossbows

  Diverse variety of play setting ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (983 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  REVIEW FOR NON-ONLINE PLAYERS

  Ok, let me begin this review by saying I love shooters and have been playing them ever since I was a kid and Wolfenstien was on PC. That evolved to Goldeneye on Nintendo 64. That all changed when Metal Gear Solid came out for PS1 and I now wanted a good story to go along with my gameplay. I have always kind of liked the COD world war series, but never got into it. When MW1 came out I was blown away, I loved the game and it had a good story to tell. My only complaint with MW2 was that the story was not only lacking, but down right stupid. I never got into multiplayer because I don't have the time to train myself to compete with a bunch of 5th graders who spend 40 hours a week playing the game.This all leads me to Black Ops, as with all 1st person shooters the campaign is short, yet good. The action is intense and the overall gaming is fun. What made the campaign even more fun was that I felt fully drawn into the game due to the compelling story. I actually wanted to check... 5/5 J. Loftus (Texas) - See all my reviews, November 24, 2010

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  The First Person Shooter Evolves...Finally ***UPDATE***

  ***UPDATE*** After having spent substantial time with Black Ops, I stand by my initial impressions. The overall balancing has proven to be exceptional as there is no single "money" class to exploit or be forced to use in tough games. The maps are fun, weapons and upgrade system a blast and all of the customization available makes the game really enjoyable.There is a big negative. As mentioned in my original review - connection is a serious issue. Lag, framerate drops, freezes...pretty much any connection problem you can think of applies. Patch 1.04 is on the way from Treyarch to address some of these issues, but connection certainly mars what is an otherwise great online experience.***END UPDATE***I'm about 42 hours into the game. I would consider myself a hardcore-console gamer (if there is such thing). I logged 25+ days on MW2 and have spent time with BFBC2, Killzone2 and pretty much every other game that involves shooting other people in the face... 4/5 Jared Burdick "JBurd" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews, November 10, 2010

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  A bit disappointed...updated 11/17/2010

  I bought this yesterday for the PS3. After playing for about three hours, I say this game is mediocre at best, for now. So far I've played the Campaign mode for about five minutes, Zombie mode for 15, and the rest has been devoted to Online Multiplayer.Let's start of with what's good (and remember, I spent most of my playing time Online Multiplayer)...Pros:-No lag. Or very little of it. I didn't notice the entire time I was playing online.-The new credit system.-Wager match.Now to the not-so-good about the game...-Graphics. What is this, a late PS2 game? It felt cartoonish. I wanted to pop in CoD: MW2 just so I could look up at the nice sky in "Derail" while looking for UAV's to shoot down.-Sound. Not realistic at all and somewhat muffled.-Maps. Most, if not all, feel so confined. Think of it as "Rust", but bigger.I'll update again as I log in more hours, but for now, a rating of 3 out of 5.Thank... 5/5 MF - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  List Price: $49.99
  

  Wide array of play modes including single player, local multiplayer versus and online co-op and multiplayer

  Blending of traditional COD and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience and ensure constantly flowing and varied action

  Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era

  New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sited explosive-tipped crossbows

  Diverse variety of play setting ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat

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• 

  Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (132 reviews):

  (3.8/5)

  

  Black Ops on Wii is every bit as good as it's HD brethren!

  I think it's safe to say that Activision has done right by Wii gamers this generation. Time after time developers have overlooked the Wii, or simply made a crappy port of a title to say they supported the console. Activision has simply done everything they could to push the little white box that could. They've shown that with the Guitar Hero titles which really took advantage of features on the Wii that quite honestly a lot of us didn't know existed.Now here we are with the seventh installment of the Call of Duty franchise, and fortunately this is not the Wii's first rodeo when it comes to COD. We have been treated to COD 3, World at War, and even a ported version of Modern Warfare and the thing that stands out most about these titles is that they all got better. So, the question is does COD Black Ops take a step forward for Wii gamers, or does it fall flat. After spending several hours with the game on Wii I can safely say this is a must buy title for Wii owners looking... 5/5 Aaron B. Smith "Smithers4486" (Carmel, Indiana) - See all my reviews, November 10, 2010

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  A Great FPS, Step In Right Direction for Wii's Online

  Of course there are many who claim the COD games are the same every single year, I am not one of them. I happen to also be a Wii gamer. Anyone making fun of gamers on Wii obviously haven't moved past the year 2006 when Wii jokes were "cool" and cannot comprehend that people like games on different systems. Of course the graphics aren't as shiny as the other versions, this is something that has been known and should be known when you purchase this game. The online isn't Xbox Live, again, this is something that should already be known. I have to say it is as close as ever on Nintendo's console to being something along the lines of "Live". Anyway on to the actual review.**The game as many already know takes place during a bunch of periods in history. The story itself isn't something to write home about, but the presentation is great and it does capture a "cinematic experience". This can add to the experience or detract to the experience. One instance if may detract is when it... 5/5 Primogen - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 11, 2010

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  Hands-down the best FPS on the Wii thus far!

  In this review of Call of Duty: Black Ops, I'll focus on Wii's online multiplayer since I haven't played the campaign yet and since most people play the game for the multiplayer experience, anyway.My review's title says it all: this is definitely the best FPS experience on the Wii so far! The guys at Activision/Treyarch really push the envelope in terms of in-game features and graphics on the Wii. Most features from its 360/PS3 counterparts are present, such as Contracts, Wager Matches, and Zombie Mode, and all of the Perks, maps, weapons, and achievements are the same, as well. A few Killstreak Rewards, such as the Valkyrie Rockets, Chopper Gunner, and Gunship, are absent due to the Wii's technical limitations, but the rest of the Killstreak Rewards are included. Also, the Wii version has the same multiplayer modes as the other versions, and there are certainly a lot of them, including Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Domination, and Free-for-All (there are still others... 5/5 skatastic425 (Mantua, NJ) - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 14, 2010

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  List Price: $49.99
  

  Wide array of play modes including single player, local multiplayer versus and online co-op and multiplayer

  Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era.

  Blending of traditional COD, and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience

  New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sited explosive-tipped crossbows.

  Diverse variety of play setting ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat.

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops II

  Video Games (Activision Inc.)
  List Price: $59.99
  Price: $55.99
  You Save: $4.00 (7%)

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops [Download]

  Digital Video Games (Activision)
  

  Rating (419 reviews):

  (2.3/5)

  

  Technical problems make this game fall flat.

  Want to know the word that sums this game up in a nutshell? I'll give it to you: Stutter.I have a fairly midrange system consisting of an AMD X2 7750BE, Radeon 4850, and 4 gigs of RAM. Since my PC exceeds the recommended system requirements, one would assume that I would be able to run the game. Not a chance. Both the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects of the game are COMPLETELY DOMINATED by stutter, regardless of the fact that I've either turned down or turned off every imaginable graphics setting to alleviate the problem.Confused about what stutter is? Imagine watching a movie and having it freeze for a half second every three seconds. The movie plays as smooth as silk; it just freezes a little every three seconds. Would be frustrating, wouldn't it? You'd probably get a headache around five minutes; maybe leave the movie after ten, wouldn't you? Well, imagine purchasing this game and playing it. That's what's gonna happen to you. Constant,... 3/5 C. Ryll Keller - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  Pure Crap!!!

  I wish, oh boy do I wish, that there was a way to flag this review with 0 stars. Yes. It sucks that much.As a computer programmer, I know how important it is to make a first impression with your project. Whoever approved this game for launch should be fire immediately. I mean that.The lagging. The pausing. The crashing. The . . everything technical about this game just sucks. I'm at a complete loss at how this game was approved for release. Maybe after one or two patches have been released it may be playable, but now, no way.Save your money and wait. If you don't believe me, Google "call of duty black ops PC issues" and be prepared to read a lot. 1/5 Richard J. Method II - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  FAILURE and I'm out $60 - STAY AWAY

  If you wander to Activision's Support website it seems that their #1 reply to problems is that even though there are "Minimal System Requirements", many of our systems are TOO GOOD for Black Ops.Most of the suggestions are to TURN EVERYTHING DOWN. I was almost expecting to see the suggestion to use a monochrome monitor! We're told to cut down screen resolution size, turn off textures, cut down sound rates and more ... wow!For now, SAVE your $60.00 and wait until they get this stuff FIXED or just pass on this title to tell Activision we are not just open wallets. If I would have beta tested this game or played a demo, I would not have purchased it.Here is what I've seen so far:I finished the single player in about 5 hours ... all run-n-gun with zero tactics. You never get to enjoy what there is of the map graphics and are constantly blinded by the white screen flashes between game sequences. You do get to pilot a boat and copter, while... 1/5 S. Solace (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews, November 10, 2010

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  List Price: $39.99
  Price: $36.60
  You Save: $3.39 (8%)

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• 

  Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (419 reviews):

  (2.3/5)

  

  Technical problems make this game fall flat.

  Want to know the word that sums this game up in a nutshell? I'll give it to you: Stutter.I have a fairly midrange system consisting of an AMD X2 7750BE, Radeon 4850, and 4 gigs of RAM. Since my PC exceeds the recommended system requirements, one would assume that I would be able to run the game. Not a chance. Both the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects of the game are COMPLETELY DOMINATED by stutter, regardless of the fact that I've either turned down or turned off every imaginable graphics setting to alleviate the problem.Confused about what stutter is? Imagine watching a movie and having it freeze for a half second every three seconds. The movie plays as smooth as silk; it just freezes a little every three seconds. Would be frustrating, wouldn't it? You'd probably get a headache around five minutes; maybe leave the movie after ten, wouldn't you? Well, imagine purchasing this game and playing it. That's what's gonna happen to you. Constant,... 3/5 C. Ryll Keller - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  Pure Crap!!!

  I wish, oh boy do I wish, that there was a way to flag this review with 0 stars. Yes. It sucks that much.As a computer programmer, I know how important it is to make a first impression with your project. Whoever approved this game for launch should be fire immediately. I mean that.The lagging. The pausing. The crashing. The . . everything technical about this game just sucks. I'm at a complete loss at how this game was approved for release. Maybe after one or two patches have been released it may be playable, but now, no way.Save your money and wait. If you don't believe me, Google "call of duty black ops PC issues" and be prepared to read a lot. 1/5 Richard J. Method II - See all my reviews = Fun:, November 10, 2010

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  FAILURE and I'm out $60 - STAY AWAY

  If you wander to Activision's Support website it seems that their #1 reply to problems is that even though there are "Minimal System Requirements", many of our systems are TOO GOOD for Black Ops.Most of the suggestions are to TURN EVERYTHING DOWN. I was almost expecting to see the suggestion to use a monochrome monitor! We're told to cut down screen resolution size, turn off textures, cut down sound rates and more ... wow!For now, SAVE your $60.00 and wait until they get this stuff FIXED or just pass on this title to tell Activision we are not just open wallets. If I would have beta tested this game or played a demo, I would not have purchased it.Here is what I've seen so far:I finished the single player in about 5 hours ... all run-n-gun with zero tactics. You never get to enjoy what there is of the map graphics and are constantly blinded by the white screen flashes between game sequences. You do get to pilot a boat and copter, while... 1/5 S. Solace (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews, November 10, 2010

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  List Price: $59.99
  

  Wide array of play modes including single player, local multiplayer versus and online co-op and multiplayer

  Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era

  Blending of traditional COD, and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience and ensure constantly flowing and varied action

  New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sighted explosive-tipped crossbows

  Diverse variety of play setting ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops LTO

  Video Games (Activision Inc.)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (4.7/5)

  

  black ops

  this is the best deal ive ever got becuase its such a good game and comes with a map pack free 5/5 Eduardo Torres "Ed" - See all my reviews = Fun:, October 16, 2011

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  Good game bad price

  This game is amazing for thet that it has nazi zombies.The zombies mode in this game took this game to a new levelthe maps are elaborate and each has something special about it. They change up the maps and force people to learn to play new strategies and ways of playing. I bought all the map packs for this game purely for zombies and felt like it was worth itThe story mode is pretty fun and unique, but it is no modern warfare storyMultiplayer has its ups and downs. Wager match was a new aspect added into the game (a free for all game mode where players bet their points), I found myself playing that more than team death match.The main thing I did not like with this game was the fact that I could have my aim right on the enemy then press shoot and it seemed like it took a couple shots to register (which is often the difference between life and death), this is the main reason why I like modern warfare 2 better for multiplayer.Price: I have one word of... 5/5 ryannort - See all my reviews = Fun:, January 28, 2012

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  BEST COD GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  The campaign is fabulous, and the zombies extras!!!! wow its an amazing game!!!! Love the free map pack!!!! And in 3D you can't describe this game in words!!!! 4/5 Juan C. Arevalos "John" (Fernando de la Mora, Central PY) - See all my reviews, January 9, 2012

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  List Price: $49.99
  

  Diverse variety of play settings ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat.

  Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era.

  Features -

  New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sited explosive-tipped crossbows.

  Blending of traditional COD, and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience and ensure constantly flowing and varied action.

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops II

  Video Games (Activision Inc.)
  List Price: $59.99
  Price: $55.99
  You Save: $4.00 (7%)

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• 

  Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (19 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  Commies, Zombies and Copters (OH MY!)

  i just finished the easiest version of the game and am currently replaying it on medium. You spend the majority of the game as Michael Shaw (this is my first c.o.d. game, so maybe you always play as him) a u.s. black ops sergant, i believe. you fight in many farmiliar locations (cuba, russia, afganistan, vietnam) and preform a variety of missions, from flying through the jungle to bomb a communist encampment, to destroying a russian submarine. there is also a small part of the game where you play as a russian solider (forget the name) and battle soliders in afganistan. The game takes place in the sixties,of course, in the cold war era.so yeah.... flight and ground missions make this a very entertaining, if rather quick, game.as for the zombies comment, there are sections of the game where you can play as a solider fighting against nazi (or perhaps communist) zombies. its not as if there is a plot.... its just a fun survival minigame.im exactly thirteen, i am a boy... 5/5 Heather - See all my reviews = Fun:, December 23, 2010

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  My kids love it

  Buying this rated T game for the Nintendo DS was my concession to my 8- and 10- yr old boys who play Call of Duty Black Ops at their friends' houses on the Xbox, which I understand is a rated M game. They play their new DS game all the time and have told me they love it. I am content that at least the level of violence is decreased to a rated T level for this game, and they are happy that at least they get to play Black Ops. 4/5 Patricia Gasper - See all my reviews, January 12, 2011

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  n-Space has done it again!

  After last year's somewhat disappointing (at least to me) Modern Warfare: Mobilized, we get an awsome, well-made FPS. With the Cold War setting, you can expect a different type of gameplay, and here's what you get:Story- 7/10 If you have happened to play any past installments of Call of Duty on the DS, you will notice that n-Space isn't the best at creating storylines. Not that this is a problem, but it's nice to have some sense of suspense in a game. Black Ops DS has a decent storyline, though, that is enough to give the game some structure, but I hope that future DS installments will have better ones.Gameplay- 9.5/10 Gameplay hasn't changed from the same addicting combat. You won't be disappointed.Improvements- 10/10 Returning players will notice many differences in the interface and engine from the other DS Call of Duty games. One major one is the inclusion of a button control-scheme. Another is weapon recoil. This is beginning to prove what the... 5/5 0, March 11, 2011

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  List Price: $19.99
  

  Activision Publishing

  Rating: Teen

  Nintendo DS

  Condition: New

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  Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition

  Video Games (Activision Publishing)
  

  Rating (54 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Worth the money you ask?

  Alright, I'm a serious COD fan and I logged almost a month on Modern Warfare 2, and a little over a half a month on all the other COD titles. You all know what the prestige edition comes with, as it is all listed above, but is it truly worth the extra money?It's hard to say. It certainly cool and I waited outside of my local Best Buy at 9pm before the midnight release to get in line to make sure I got a copy. The ONLY thing that comes with the prestige edition that is not included in the hardened edition is the RC-XD killstreak remote controlled car. That being the only thing different-I'll go over it a bit.--It feels cheap and very light (not complaining, exactly what I would expect-I didn't expect a serious quality RC car).--It takes 12 AA batteries, 6 in the remote and 6 in the car, which drain pretty fast. (especially if the camera is on)--The car zips around pretty well but won't do well in the grass at all.--I've played with RC cars all... 4/5 Jonathan R. Asleson "Jon Asleson" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews, November 10, 2010

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  A Blast!!

  Had a blast with this! The remote control car is about as much fun as the game! A must buy! 4/5 ngris - See all my reviews = Fun:, February 15, 2011

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  GOOD!,but there was flaws

  i bought this game at gamestop.for about 6 bucks cheaper than new, anyway when it came to campaign it was a good story that kept you waiting to see who was interogatting you, i beat it in likie 5 hours.. and the thing i didn't like was there was no huge fight or anything, (spoiler alert) you kill dragovich but no big fight except yo drown him. the story was ok as far as it goes but the ending left me a little disapointed.MULTIPLAYER: online play is ok, ofcourse you can't get others with killstreaks to go for your kill streak which im ok with, as far as that goes, alot of campers and snipers. the graphics are pretty good and most players are at a decent level. if you play local the AI is dumb. when i played local the enemy ai ran past me for like 20 feet and then tried to shoot me.ZOMBIES: fun, graphics are great but when you play online some ppl aren't at there tv and wont ready up.OVERALL: good, ais could be smarter and the ending to campaign needs to be... 5/5 Theresa Erickson - See all my reviews, July 9, 2011

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  List Price: $149.99
  

  Includes the full Call of Duty: Black Ops Hardened Edition w/ Collector's Medal and 4 extra playable co-op maps not in standard edition

  RC-XD Transmitter - 2" backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen to receive video from car

  RC-XD Video Surveillance Vehicle - Fully custom RC vehicle modeled after in-game RC-XD Killstreak Reward

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