Call of Duty Black Ops story seems familiar! (Spoiler!)

[GrizzlerBorno]

So, i recently finished Black Ops like many of you, and looking back on it, something hit me. why does Black ops have the exact, same premise as Battlefield Bad Company 2? Don't know what i mean? then check this out?

Spoiler

During the last stages of World War 2, a platoon of Allied Soldiers are sent to extract an Axis scientist essential to the development of an experimental Axis Superweapon, but fail (in some way) resulting in the weapon falling into the hands of an evil Russian General Bloke, who in the present time, plans to deploy said super Weapon upon the continental United states as a first strike measure to be followed by a full scale Russian invasion. So now a group of 'immortal-until-the-plot-demands-otherwise' soldiers must go figure out his plot, stop the countdown at exactly the last second and then kill the bad guy in the most dramatic and action movie-esque method available to them.

That intentionally ambiguous prompt basically describes the premise of both Bad Company 2 and Black Ops, Word-for-Word!

Note that I'm not crying foul play or anything. I assume that this is a coincidence, but imo, it's also a right shame. why? because i want Black Ops to be able to claim that it has an intelligent, original story.
It sure as hell does a better job of 'telling' the same story than BC2 did, since the latter was just one BIG awkward laugh, constantly poking you in the ribs and saying "We're Funny! Just stop shooting back at that tank (that's about to blow you up) for ONE minute and listen to this joke that you're friend is saying in the MIDDLE OF A F*&@ING WAR!"
I especially liked the well orchestrated, if a little predictable, plot twist near the end of Blops:

Spoiler

"Reznov...isn't really there!" "Yeah, i know that from the fact that no one ONCE stopped to ask, why this random Russian dude is following us around, or ....you know... saying "Hi there! who the hell are you, exactly?"

But anyway, do you guys think that this coincidence just shows how stagnant the modern military shooter genre has become in, what, 4 short years.

 

[Tuken]

Spoiler: Let's just keep this safe from spoiler fanatics

I thought Black Ops was similar to some book.
I did a quick search and couldn't find anything nor have I read the book or played black ops so I may be completely wrong but from what I heard about black ops was that you were a sleeper agent that was meant to sabotage America for the Russians during the Vietnam period or something similar.

What I got when I played Bad Company 2 was some scientist in WWII decided it would be a good idea to invent an EMP type weapon when the best electronics around used valve tubes and were immune to EMPs but then this weapon disappeared for 60 years until some bad guys decided to uncover it and use it against America.

I think you may be over examining the plots and trying to get them to fit together, but I may be wrong since I've only heard most things about Black Ops instead of actually playing it.

 

[Vampire cat]

It's an interesting point, but I'm not sure if Black Ops told the story in a better way than BC2. I do feel that we've been shooting a lot of Russians lately, seeing as the Nazi's got kinda old a couple of years ago, so I'm just hoping that whatever shooter pops up next will have something more fun to lob frags at than Russians and Nazi's. I've heard the one about the corrupt general now, tell me a new story.

Also, I'm thinking of a movie that did this plot too (being from Norway I'm not sure how popular it was, I just find random stuff and watch it...), can anyone guess which one?

I think you may be over examining the plots and trying to get them to fit together, but I may be wrong since I've only heard most things about Black Ops instead of actually playing it.

I think he's on to something, what he's saying is actually a pretty much spot-on description of the core of both plots.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I thought Black Ops was similar to some book.

I think you may be over examining the plots and trying to get them to fit together, but I may be wrong since I've only heard most things about Black Ops instead of actually playing it.

I think you may be referring to "The Manchurian Candidate". Yahtzee actually mentioned that in his Black ops review, and while i've never seen it (it's a film, not a book) i read about it and it's supposed to have that whole "you were a sleeper agent that was meant to sabotage America" deal.

But the "sleeper agent" plot isn't actually the main plot of Black Ops. it is a sub-plot, albeit one so skillfully made that it blows BC2 out of the water. i won't spoil the details for you, but you should really play Black Ops. it is, i stress, an overall good game.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

Just fyi, as soon as I met Reznov for the 2nd time, I called this twist.

 

[irishstormtrooper]

Sure, there was a superweapon that kills people fast, but that wasn't really as important to the plot as it was in BC2. Black Ops is more about trying to get personal revenge, not about the weapon itself.

 

[comadorcrack]

Just fyi, as soon as I met Reznov for the 2nd time, I called this twist.

lol pretty much yeah. In my mind i go "Hmmm... He's not really there...."

Then BAM!

Right on the money

 

[Captain Pirate]

Spoiler

"Reznov...isn't really there!" "Yeah, i know that from the fact that no one ONCE stopped to ask, why this random Russian dude is following us around, or ....you know... saying "Hi there! who the hell are you, exactly?"

But anyway, do you guys think that this coincidence just shows how stagnant the modern military shooter genre has become in, what, 4 short years.

Spoiler

Yeah they did. In the mission where you get the flaming SPAS-12, Frank Woods asks who Reznov is, can he be trusted, etc.

And no, I don't think it has become stagnant. Yes, now that you look at it that way, BFBC2 and Blops have similair stories. But the thing is, Blops focus WASN'T the Nova Six gas really. It was about Reznov, the plot twist, and killing Dragovich, Kravtchenko and Steiner. As far as I was concerned the Nova Six gas superweapon was second to that.
Important, sure, but not the main point of Alex Mason's story.

Besides, I think Black Ops did it way better than BFBC2 ever did, so I forgive Treyarch if there are similarities.
Now, if BFBC2's story was God's gift to campaign modes, and if Blops's was mediocre at best, then I would be annoyed that a good story has been ripped off and ruined.

However, in the real case it's the opposite.

 

[Sronpop]

Well to be fair there is only so many plot devices you can use in games, here is a list of a few

1. Assault on enemy facility to either A. Kill someone important B. Rescue someone important C. Get important information D. Stop some big superweapon

2. Defend an area from an incoming attack

3. Escape from area with 1. Important person 2. Inportant information 3. Having blown shit up

Actually that pretty much just describes every level from ever fps I can think of. Throw in some variations like a stealth aproach or a big weapons approach and you have the 'varity' in all fps games too.

When the plot has to fit around those kind of levels you aint got much flexibilty, the only questions is which level do you put the emphasis on.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Well, yes, that's a pretty good comparison.

However, BC2 already took a huge chunk of its story from MW2 and it's all good.

Also, it's the premise, it never really mattered that much in CoD - the series is highly situational and set-piece oriented.

Also, whatever the story (I believe BC2 handled it really well, actually, without the unnecessary melodrama or fanfares), at least Black Ops' campaign is not an exercise in frustration and futility, like BC2's campaign.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

Just fyi, as soon as I met Reznov for the 2nd time, I called this twist.

lol pretty much yeah. In my mind i go "Hmmm... He's not really there...."

Then BAM!

Right on the money

I had it in mind from the 2nd time meeting him, but then when it did the "our chopper went down. Reznov survived that too" line I just immediately thought "okay so he's a figment of Mason's imagination or is otherwise not actually real."

 

[EinTheCorgi]

I couldn't even follow BFBC2s story because it was so stupid! I want to know what the hell happened to BFBC the first one was teen, yeah some of the jokes were corny but I mean there just normal guys! Your not going to war with jack black or steven lynch there just normal dudes and it was just a fun game and the multiplayer was fantastic! Then I heard that BFBC2 was coming out I almost pissed myself with joy but then when I played it it was boring as hell and the multiplayer was to CODish.