A timed rescue mission, you run along a narrow path through a Vietnamese air base trying to save some guys in suits using a predetermined load out of gear. It took me about one hour to get through the game’s second campaign mission on the lowest difficulty setting. “Arcade” is an important word to keep in mind here. The closest this game comes to gut-punch moments like crawling away from a nuclear explosion or bringing down the Eiffel Tower is a slow-motion jump out a window. Like Capcom’s Commando: You’re in enemy territory! Shoot the enemy! There are also none of the soap-operatics or set piece spectacles that defined the series since Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Declassified tells its tale the same way arcade games from the 1980s did. Bookending its ten campaign missions are gravelly narrations about the nefarious dealings of KGB agents, terrorists, Vietnamese troops, and the special forces soldiers of the original Black Ops, Alex Mason and Frank Woods. An Archaic Flavorĭeclassified attempts to tell a story.

Declassified’s primary single-player modes are actually kind of fun once you strip away the expectations of its title. And at least mechanically, it isn’t that bad a game at all. This game Nihilistic made on behalf of Activision and Sony is not a Call of Duty game. Declassified is held back first and foremost by its name. In fact its biggest problem isn’t a crime at all. These crimes aren’t Declassified’s biggest problem, though. The levels are ugly, the objectives simple, and the Horde Mode – forgive me, the Hostiles – is about as exciting as playing Jacks without the bouncy ball. Brilliant! Writing quality akin to a direct to DVD Universal Soldier sequel is always the high bar to which games should aspire. “No one gets fu**in’ left behind,” yells your CO.

Each line of dialogue reinforces every negative stereotype about military-themed shooters. The incessant butt rock music that plays in the background during every campaign mission sounds like the generic noise you would hear in a radio commercial for ringtones circa 2002. Incredibly short - not counting all the cheap deathsĬall of Duty Black Ops: Declassified for PlayStation Vita commits a few crimes.

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