5 easy steps to be a great player on black ops

1. Combat Training

This is the most valuable way, barring the next point, to improve your game. Combat Training has most of the benefits of online multiplayer -- leveling, unlocks, money, etc. -- without one pesky element: other players screaming at you. Select a map, tweak some variables (skill level of A.I. bots, match length, etc.), and go play. The A.I. actually uses some decent tactics on its own and there's really no better way to learn map layouts, feel of the guns, and your favorite Perks before playing against real people. You can also invite friends into your session to practice some team coordination. Just keep in mind that the stuff you unlock and purchase in this mode is separate from actual multiplayer.

2. Instant Replay, aka Theater Mode

Here is another way for you to refine your game: Use the Theater mode to watch and analyze your performance. Theater mode stores full videos of every match you've played for the past seven days, allowing you full control of the camera to examine what actually happened when you turned the corner and got shot in the face. You can even view the playback from any player's perspective, including those of the best player on the map, so you can pick up a few pointers.

3. Don't Get Killed

It may sound obvious, but this is the best advice someone can give you. In a majority of cases, you don't want to run right into a room, hallway, or around corners. Instead of rushing into battle look down your sights when you come across any of these sorts of areas and tread carefully. Sometimes being hesitant is the best way to stop your death streak. A lot of people tend to camp in certain places waiting for you and your teammates to run senselessly around the map. Unless you're to the point where you have equipped Lightweight and Marathon Perks, only run when you're in the open.

4. Plan Ahead

Think about what sort of situation or multiplayer modes you'll get yourself in and plan accordingly when creating your class. If you know you'll play tons of regular deathmatch, make a class that you love. Then create an additional class that nearly mimics it except for a few minor tweaks in the Perks area. So if you find that your enemies continually plant claymores around the map or love lobbing grenades a lot, you will want to have an additional class to combat this situation. The Flak Jacket and Hacker Perks help alleviate some of these problems.

5. Identify Your Style
Ask yourself what types of guns you prefer and if your Perks and gameplay style reflect that. If you like rocket launchers don't go nuts with an SMG. Do you prefer to camp but enjoying knifing people instead? You might want to consider ditching the camping aspects of your game. Every one of us has a comfort zone. It's up to you to find yours and stick with your strengths. Only later when you become more advanced in the game could you learn to adopt various playstyles.