"Only the best game ever"

"It's the best game ever," stated PSU junior Alex Chase. On Mon., Nov. 8, more than 35 anxious gamers lined up outside Wal-Mart to get their copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

At 11:30 p.m. there was already a line of future customers waiting patiently. As the minutes wound down to midnight, the line jutted out of the store and into the parking lot. Residents and students alike came for their copy. While some PSU students came with friends and waited in their cars for a few hours, others joined the crowd just before midnight.

Wal-Mart has promoted video game releases in the past. One month ago the store held a midnight release for Madden 2011, but the debut drew far less than Monday's crowd. Wal-Mart prepared for the masses as well as Black Ops "M" rating by positioning two ID-checking employees at the door.

"All Call of Duty games are good," said Seth Brace, a resident from Plymouth who spent nearly two hours in line with his friends.

Black Ops follows the successful release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Like its predecessors, Black Ops is a first person shooter that incorporates real firearms currently in use by militaries around the world. The Call of Duty series has drawn the attention of college campuses and high schools nation wide, so it's really no surprise that Black Ops received this much hype.

 So, how can it out sell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? For one, Black Ops was created by Treyarch, the developer's of Call of Duty 5: World at War, which differs from the game's previous makers, Infinity Ward. Although World at War wasn't as popular as Modern Warfare, it still sold as many units as any popular shooter out there. 

"It doesn't matter if Infinity Ward made it or not," said Seth Brace, still waiting in line ten minutes before the release. 

Does the game live up the hype? According to gaming website IGN.com, it does, calling the game "great" and giving it an 8.5/10.