(Nov. 23, 2010) — It’s 11:59 p.m. Junior Shant Salkhorian is waiting anxiously in order to get his hands on Black Ops. Hundreds of eager fans are desperately awaiting for the doors of GameStop in the Glendale Galleria to open. At 12:04 a.m., Salkhorian gives $60 to the cashier and finally gets his desire. Black Ops , the latest installment of the Call of Duty series, has more of an air of the blockbuster film sequel or much-awaited follow-up album about it. The hype and colossal development efforts were certainly similar, but is it worthy of all this shock and awe? The series has sold millions of copies and catapulted itself from a solid, World War II shooter to the sprawling multiplayer playground and Hollywood-style campaign that we know today. Call of Duty: Black Ops takes much of what made Modern Warfare 2 great and slightly expands and modifies it. That’s not to say that there aren’t mistakes to be found within Black Ops , but I think Call of Duty fans are going to be happy with game designer, Treyarch’s latest effort. Shifting the action to the 1960s and the Cold War sends special ops veteran Alex Mason into furious combat with communist hordes in Russia, Cuba and Vietnam – the game opening in an aggressive interrogation, leading to playable flashbacks from the titular covert missions. Featuring historical events such as the Bay of Pigs incident and Kennedy’s assassination, Black Ops delivers a roller-coaster single-player campaign roughly a third longer than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ; a lesson learned after gamers voiced their displeasure last time around. Black Ops looks and feels much the same as MW2 , with sharp movements and responsive controls enabling you to duck and dive around fully destructible environments. Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman and Ice Cube deliver expert performances and really nail their respective characters. Yet Black Ops brings no real innovation to the genre. There are twists, some of which work better than others, and the plot seems to get bogged down and slightly disjointed towards the middle. But unlike Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops does a wonderful job of cleaning everything up for the finale. Call of Duty: Black Ops largely succeeds in the multiplayer, presenting a similar set of modes as Modern Warfare 2 . Black Ops is a more focused effort, and there will inevitably be those who miss a few of the omitted modes. Black Ops makes its most significant departure from Modern Warfare 2 by adding CoD Points, the currency in the game. Earning experience points and leveling up now handles macro stuff like unlocking more custom class slots, Create-A-Class, new modes to play, and the availability of certain weapons and bonuses for “purchase.” Everything else (weapons, perks, killstreak bonuses, emblems, different colors for your targeting reticule) is bought with CoD Points. Call of Duty: Black Ops is a great overall package that has a ton of content to enjoy. The multiplayer modes are largely based on what was established by Modern Warfare, but the twists that Treyarch throws in work well. The story is the best I’ve ever seen from a Call of Duty game. Salkhorian agrees saying, “The story is well-scripted and is one of the best.” Couple both of those substantial offerings with more Zombie content than some full-fledged zombie games and Black Ops is certainly worth your time, even if you aren’t already a fan of the series. Black Ops is still best in class by some distance, but let’s hope there will be a little tactical tweaking away from the linear and claustrophobic single-player game Modern Warfare 3 .