Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified

GadgetyNews (7 out of 10)

Is Declassified as good as the console version? Are the maps as big and the graphics as good as the PS3? The answer to these questions is no. And yes it would have been cool if there were zombies. But if you take the game for what it is – a very decent handheld version that enable’s you to play Call of Duty on the move – then you won’t be disappointed. The gameplay is spot on, the graphics are superb, and the best part? It’s Black Ops on the Vita.

Gamestyle (6 out of 10)

Despite being playable and somewhat enjoyable for a bit, it is a let down and certainly not the system seller it needed to be.

PlayStation Universe (5.5 out of 10)

As Nihilistic transition from retail games into mobile games and a new name, nStigate, they will be remembered for attempting to bring one of the biggest franchises in gaming to a portable platform as closely as possible. Did they succeed? Many will say no. I think they got close in the multiplayer part but a lack of resources and support hindered them massively and it shows immensely.

Game Over Online (54 out of 100)

In the end, Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified is a pale imitation of its superior forebears. It’s not bad for what it is, but it’s not nearly as good as it should be. Frankly, I expected better. The length of the campaign is criminal – there is no way they should charge full price for this. Frankly, it’s insulting. What’s there isn’t terrible, there just isn’t very much of it. If they bring Call of Duty back to the Vita (and they should), here’s hoping the next installment lives up to it’s illustrious moniker.

Games TM (4 out of 10)

Developer Nihilistic has since recently confirmed that it is rebranding as nStigate Games and is ditching physical retail altogether. While it’s tempting to suggest that the overwhelmingly negative critical reaction to this rather lacklustre Vita title is the reason for the studio’s cathartic rebirth, the choice was clearly made long before the scathing reviews started to trickle in. Even so, Black Ops Declassified is a sorry way to end 14 years of coding history at Nihilistic. The kindest thing you can say about it is that it’s a reasonably authentic facsimile of the Call Of Duty blueprint, yet it feels like the work of an artist who is painstakingly tracing a masterpiece but lacks the craft to replicate the magical that made the original so attractive in the first place.

Push Square (4 out of 10)

With a shockingly brief single-player campaign, and an enjoyable but inconsistent multiplayer mode, your enjoyment of Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified will depend almost entirely on your desire for a portable entry in Activision's blockbuster series. The title delivers a satisfactory first-person experience, but falls seriously short in substance. Sony Cambridge will, in all probability, better this effort in virtually every area with its forthcoming Killzone: Mercenary, which ultimately makes the shooter hard to recommend.

NZGamer (4 out of 10)

Ultimately, it’s about as disappointing as a game could be. It’s less “Call of Duty” and more “cynical cash grab,” attempting to con Vita owners out of their hard-earned. At a budget price, with the bugs fixed and a name that better suits the experience, things might be different; as it is, this game is less Declassified and more Disgusting. Avoid, and tell your friends to do likewise.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (4 out of 10)

Nihilistic's execution lacks flair and, worse, care. The protracted loading times (which appear to extend the longer you play the game in a single sitting) as well as online connectivity problems are technical, while the absence of set-pieces is an issue of time or budget. But Declassified also exposes failings of Call of Duty's form and fashion. The game is a cliché, its thrills limited, its time-stretching ploys clear. It's infused with the character of Call of Duty, but stripped of the spectacle it reveals the underlying game to be wholly plain and an uninteresting use of your time.

Pocket Gamer UK (4 out of 10)

A passionless take on a great licence. Only the most battle-hardened Call of Duty fans should even consider taking this one down to the range.

VentureBeat / Gamesbeat (40 out of 100)

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified feels like a portable experience … in a pejorative mobile-app-store-crapware kind of way. Ironically, this shaky recruit of a game takes its place in the queue of modern-warfare shooters that have failed to match the last few flagship COD releases. Declassified is brief, boring, and bland. It should have stayed locked up in the filing cabinet.

Cheat Code Central (2 out of 5)

Black Ops Declassified isn't a Call of Duty game. It's like one of those grey-market cameras that has an almost-recognizable brand name on the front. And Activision, in all of their laziness, may have inadvertently kicked off the Vita's funeral procession.

The Games Cabin (4 out of 10)

With a retail price not far off the full console games, the experience doesn’t justify the price. Could have been so much more, should have been a hit, instead its dead on arrival.

IGN (4 out of 10)

The Vita’s primed and ready for a great first-person shooter, but Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified disappoints in almost every way. Bad multiplayer, awful story, generic level design and a host of other issues turn what could have been Vita’s biggest blockbuster into one of its biggest duds.

ZTGameDomain (3.8 out of 10)

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified was supposed to be THE Vita game. This was a system seller, and one that would forever showcase just how hardcore the PS Vita was in the handheld scene. Unfortunately, what we ended up with is a watered-down, uninteresting version of CoD that feels almost like a cheap knock-off of the series. I cannot recommend this game for Vita owners with so much other quality software dropping in the last month. Shooter fans continue to hold out, Declassified is not the shooter that will define the PS Vita… at least not in the way Sony hopes.

Gamers' Temple, The (35 out of 100)

Call of Duty on the Vita? The premier multiplayer shooter on a twin-stick portable system with a great display? A dream come true for shooter fans on the go? A nightmare is more like it. This is not the marquee shooter, system-selling game it should have been, and, undoubtedly the game many Vita owners were hoping it would be. No, it's a top to bottom disappointment and it begins with the controls.

4Players.de (34 out of 100)

Das haben Vita-Käufer nicht verdient: Ein Publisher nach dem anderen speist Sonys Handheld mit halbgaren Umsetzungen ab und Black Ops: Declassified ist ein ganz dreister Fall. Im viel zu kurzen Story-Modus nerven die unglaublich dämlich agierenden Gegner und der Mehrspieler-Part wird von Bugs, Lags und Unmengen technischer Probleme geplagt. Statt auf Biegen und Brechen ein halbfertiges Spiel auf den Markt zu werfen, hätten Nihilistic und Activision wenigstens etwas Feinschliff einbringen sollen. Um die faden Story-Missionen ist es nicht schade, aber mit mehr Entwicklungszeit hätte Activision der Vita immerhin einen guten Mehrspieler-Shooter bescheren können. Wenn denn ausnahmsweise mal ein fehlerfreies Match zustande kommt, blitzt nämlich durchaus Potential auf. In der aktuellen Form ist das Spiel aber eine Frechheit.

PSX Extreme (3 out of 10)

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified had a chance to be one of the first system-sellers for the Vita. But it’s clear to me that this is nothing more than a half-assed rush job, resulting in a monotonous, glitch-riddled, highly repetitive portable experience. The game looks like hell, the AI is terrible, the story is meaningless, and the controls just aren’t right. There is some legitimate entertainment to be found in the multiplayer, but that aspect is so terribly plagued with technical mishaps and an overall ho-hum feeling that it’s not reason enough to warrant a purchase. Man, it’s just depressing to write reviews like this…despite the opportunity to be creatively bitter. ;)

Game Informer Magazine (3 out of 10)

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified is appalling. In dramatic fashion, it completely fails to live up to the high bar of quality gamers expect from the Call of Duty name. It’s also a discouraging sign for gamers like me who shelled out $250 for a Vita in the hopes of console-quality experiences on handheld. I can’t recommend Declassified to anyone; casual FPS players and Call of Duty fans alike will recognize the train wreck Nihilistic Software has developed.

GameSpot (2.5 out of 10)

Bugs are another problem. Crashes occur on a fairly regular basis, locking the system up. It's tough to stay connected to games, and even remaining hooked up to Wi-Fi can be a challenge. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is a massive disappointment that tarnishes this highly regarded franchise. What's more, this is a blown opportunity for the Vita to garner itself a headline game and franchise that could have really energized the system. Instead, we get a quick, forgettable knockoff cranked out simply to take advantage of the buzz around the Black Ops name.

Giant Bomb ( )

You'd think that the people in charge of the Call of Duty franchise would be more protective of it than this.

Gamekult (2 out of 10)

Malgré les apparences, Declassified n'est pas qu'une simple version au rabais du dernier épisode de la série la plus populaire du moment : c'est un ratage complet, le genre de titre qu'on ramène la queue entre les jambes au magasin en prétextant s'être trompé de boîte. Gameplay médiocre, I.A. pathétique, durée de vie proprement scandaleuse et difficulté artificielle, tout ou presque est à jeter dans le solo, et on ne retiendra pour l'instant du multi qu'une forte instabilité en ligne, en attendant un éventuel patch. Pas de doute, certains dossiers mériteraient de rester secret défense...

Polygon (2 out of 10)

The promise of a true, faithful Call of Duty game on a portable platform still carries a lot of weight with people. They want that same addictive experience that they've had for years on their couch carried over to their commute. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified fails to achieve that goal on every single level. It should be avoided at all costs.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (2 out of 10)

Declassified is such a laughable attempt at capturing the Call of Duty formula that it borders on self-parody, with a flaccid campaign that can be beaten in under an hour and agonizing, bug-riddled multiplayer.

Gaming Nexus (1 out of 10)

Even if you can ignore the non-stop technical problems, Call of Duty's first PS Vita adventure is not worth taking. The single-player campaign is pathetically short, the multiplayer is broken and the visual presentation is below par. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is a game that both disappoints and frustrates on every possible level!

PlayStation Lifestyle (1 out of 10)

Those people making these release decisions believe that you will buy an incomplete product. They believe that you will do it, and your image of them will not be tarnished so much that you approach their future products with any degree of hesitation—kind of like what Square Enix did with Final Fantasy XIV. They believe, in so many words, that you don’t think. That’s messed up. Thinking that you are smarter or better than your customers isn’t good business, and neither is releasing a game in this condition.

Game Revolution ( )

This kind of crap is a slap in the face to Activision's entire audience and should not be tolerated. The publisher of this game wants you to pay full price for a game that seemingly required only a small fraction of the work that most games do, and that is far from being a finished product. Don't reward the practice of sending unfinished games to market for full price. Buy something else.

Gameplay (Benelux) N/A

Black Ops: Declassified probeert een brug te slaan tussen Black Ops en Black Ops II, maar slaagt daar amper in. De campagne is povertjes, zombies ontbreken schaamteloos en de multiplayer (vijf klassen, zes mappen, vijf spelmodes, killstreaks en perks) stelt teleur en zorgt voor tal van connectieproblemen. De graphics zijn bovendien ondermaats voor de Vita, al heeft ontwikkelaar Nihilistic wel moeite gedaan om de touchscreens van de Vita in de gameplay te integreren. Zc kan je melee- aanvallen uitvoeren en granaten gooien door gebruik te maken van het touchscreen. Het is niet dat we veel van deze titel hadden verwacht, maar dat Nihilistic zo'n onder- maatse game zou afleveren is, gezien de hoge prijs, echt wel teleurstellend.