Black Ops Cold War is a great game trapped inside Call of Duty
See the original posting on The Verge
At 17 years old, Call of Duty is not quite Americaâs longest war, but itâs close. When I went into the single-player story mode for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, I knew what to expect: a pleasing shooting gallery with familiar narrative twists (thereâs always a nuke about to go off) and re-shuffled scenery (this time the walls are plastered in vintage Doritos ads). But the real twist is that I left feeling frustrated about the game it could have been.
Black Ops Cold War is the kernel of a thrilling and intimate spy story thatâs tragically strapped on the front of a runaway train. The game begins in a neon-drenched bar in Amsterdam on New Yearâs Eve 1980, where your CIA partner beckons you to quickly follow him away from the party….