As well as briefly chatting to scientists and good old Barney the annoying security guard, 'the only man I would ever want to kill if he existed for real', we also meet up with some new guys. Firstly there's a new security guard, he's a tad over weight and has a high pitched voice and a set of automated chatting lines to make even the most un-humours person laugh out loud. Not to mention he also packs a mean little handgun that makes swift work of the various headcrabs and mutated soldiers that wander the inner halls of the facility. Most of the time when you meet him he is actually of some use, not just dotted about the place for added fun like in HL, he always has a task.

Next to that you even meet up with other soldiers, some which give you orders and some that you can order around yourself. There's a medic (helps you and injured comrades), a machine gunner (take a guess) and a machine gun wielding welder for getting you through those ehumm tight metal situations. You work with them much the same as you do with Barney or the others and the rest cover themselves so long as you make them follow you to the right direction to do their job. The first time you meet them and see a door torched open and then kicked down is a day to remember in your save game archives.

My only reservation is that their AI lacks in perfection, sometimes if they got caught up in somebody else's explosion or got in the way of us opening a door then they would just open fire on you. Other things like not following you around tight corners or just not following you at all when asked were of a constant nuisance. The game AI in general really hasn't changed in any noticeable way but that hardly matter's as it's perfect the way it is, all of challenging and rewarding.

The plot thickens

As you progress it begins to be noticed that all is not what it seems as you soon find out that Black Ops don't exactly like the grunts, but you'll show them! In the end you're just a soldier, hampered at almost every turn by aliens and Black Ops and fighting to get out with your life. Along the way scientists are hurled through windows, rooms collapse cinematically around you and giant almost penis like worms scare you in more ways than one.

The problem is while it starts out perfectly (Gearbox hasn't over done the Zen theme like the original) it does get boring later on. Eventually the final few areas become a little bland and boring as you repeatedly have to travel through the same level parts to turn this and that on or off in order to get something working. Fine as it is but perhaps just a little overdone or maybe even re-done. On a whole the Gameplay is original in every logical sense but the later repetitive edge does ease the fun factor and incredibly the final battle is about as dull and over drawn as it gets (not giving it away).

Multiplayer wise Gearbox have compiled some stunning maps and along with the powerful and attractive new weapons featured in the game (The Saw and Magnum are of particular note!) multiplayer can be nothing short of a teamplay, dm or even TFC blast. Although others might simply prefer to go back to Counter-Strike, well we did anyway =)

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