Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile

Created by Glu, and published by Activision, Black Ops Mobile is a slightly different take on the first-person shooter created by Treyarch.

Most obviously, Black Ops Mobile discards the first-person view that the series is known for, instead opting for a top-down view and eight-way movement system. But it also abandons the rather intriguing narrative that its counterpart uses.

This time around you'll be thrust into the boots of Sergeant William James Bennett and dropped into the thick of the Vietnam War. There's no timeline-jumping narrative or multi-layered conspiracy theories here. It's all really rather straightforward.

And because of that, it's a little bit dull.

Shooting from the hip

Despite its changes, Glu's interpretation of the series doesn't just rest on its laurels. You'll participate in chopper battles, boat chases, and daring escapes from brutal ambushes.

It'll also continually try to throw tricky situations at you, but – despite a difficulty spike or two – things are far too simple.

Movement is mapped to the thumbstick or the '1' through to '8' keys, with '5' being reserved for firing and '*' for throwing grenades. You'll also pop into cover automatically whenever you're next to it.

This is all well and good, but as you automatically aim at any nearby enemies, you really just need to run up to cover and hold down '5' until they’re downed. Popping into cover to regenerate health when needed.

Essentially, don't expect the same Call of Duty: Black Ops experience you know and love here. It's really only the same game in name, and nothing else.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile

While there's certainly got its moments of fun, it's far too basic and repetitive to really be a worthwhile addition to the Call of Duty franchise. A missed opportunity at most
Score
Vaughn Highfield
Vaughn Highfield
Quite possibly the tallest man in games, Vaughn has been enamoured with video games from a young age. However, it wasn't until he spent some time writing for the student newspaper that he realised he had a knack for talking people's ears off about his favourite pastime. Since then, he's been forging a path to the career he loves... even if it doesn't love him back.