Black Ops was a good movie, nothing more

Don’t worry, that headline isn’t loaded. I’m not here to refer to Call of Duty: Black Ops as a Michael Bay movie or unfairly compare it to one of the many bad films of yesteryear. In fact, Black Ops has a decent plot, great graphics, the characters are easy to grasp, and it’s a lot fun to watch. All these ingredients make for a good movie viewing experience. However, since this is a video game, shouldn’t it have been a bit more than that?

For the entirety of Black Ops' single-player campaign I couldn't help but feel like I was watching. Sure, I'd aim down the iron signs and I'd take down whatever opponent decided to step in front of my gun on that particular day, but a vast majority of the cinematic moments were taken completely out of my hands. I wasn't playing the game, I simply ushered in the cutscenes. Considering I started up a video game, I felt extremely cheated by the experience.

Now, I'm not about to sit here and hate on Call of Duty as a franchise. I don't plan on standing on my soapbox and bitching about a game because it's what's popular. In fact, Call of Duty has provided me with some of the best single-player experiences I've ever had. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is perhaps one of the most explosive, exciting single-player campaigns I've ever played for two simple reasons: it lets you fail in fair ways and the player is in control.

When you fail in Modern Warfare it’s because you’re immersed in the world. If you walk out into an enemy patrol and die, it’s because the game allows you to. You’re made a character in the game, rather than an observer. You follow the story instead of a script. I’d much rather be given the opportunity to fail because I didn’t run out of a sinking barge fast enough, instead of being put inside an invisible box and allowed to play whack-a-mole.

Holding someone’s hand and carefully telling them a story isn’t what a video game should be, it’s a movie – and video games have the distinct opportunity to be better than movies. We let movies take us for joy rides all the time, and we do it gladly. But when I'm holding a controller or have my hands on a mouse and keyboard, why not let me do the steering? If I'm going to fail a mission by not concealing myself well enough while a Russian patrol helicopter flies above, don't just put up an invisible wall, give me an opportunity to lose. I want to experience the game; I don't want to play a shooting gallery.

[Note: I'm speaking specifically about Black Ops' single-player campaign. I want to make it perfectly clear that I think the multiplayer is among the best I've ever played.]