The Simpsons: Black Ops

I've had a couple (read: almost all) of students ask me why I passed on Call of Duty: Black Ops since I had let it slip that I played Modern Warfare 2 (that was a huge mistake, since now they don't want to talk about anything else).

I had a difficult time putting into words exactly what it was about Black Ops that made me go, "meh, I think I'll skip this one..." and then it hit me. "But she's got a new hat..."

So, bear with me, if you will, whilst I explain the "But she's got a new hat" principle. You see, in a classic episode of the Simpsons, Lisa becomes disenchanted with the way Malibu Stacy (the Simpsons' version of the Barbie doll) has been portraying women. So she, along with Stacy's original creator set out to create a new doll, one that is a better role model.

Just as the Lisa Lionheart doll is about to hit it big (in a scene where a mob of young girls and Mr. Smithers are rushing towards a display), a new Malibu Stacy doll is set down in front. While Lisa tries to explain that it's just the same Malibu Stacy, but with a new hat, Smithers points at it and screams, "but she's got a new hat."

Now, if you're still at a loss as to why I use this as a metaphor for why I didn't purchase and don't plan to purchase Black Ops, I'll try to break it down. Adding one or two "features" to an existing model does not a new product make.

So adding the ability to actually pilot the vehicle (as opposed to merely being a gunner, like in the MW games) is not enough to make me believe this is a wholly new product. Now, I might sound hypocritical because I have played both Modern Warfare and its sequel, but I did that to continue the story and because MW was such a solid game that I didn't mind getting "more of the same." But, and it's like this with sports games (who would've thought they put FPS' on yearly installments?), adding one new thing and releasing it year after year is going to get old, really fast.

On that note, Modern Warfare 3 is probably going to be coming this year with what is left of the fracture Infinity Ward team, along with other Activision studios. We'll see if this, too, has a new hat...