Call of Duty:Black Ops

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Whoops..someone let the cat out of the bag early.

http://www.callofduty.com/blackops/

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Activision has officially confirmed the game, saying it hits stores on Nov. 9, 2010 and will be developed by Treyarch.

In their press release Activision calls the game, the follow-up to the biggest entertainment launch in history, which can only be Modern Warfare 2. The release says that the game will "introduce fans to the elite world of Black Ops" as the Treyarch-developed game "takes players behind enemy lines in an entirely new chapter in the groundbreaking and record-setting, No. 1 first-person action series of all-time."

"We can't wait for our community to experience Call of Duty: Black Ops," said Mark Lamia, Studio Head for Treyarch. "We have focused our entire studio on this game, with dedicated multiplayer, single-player and co-op teams creating the most intense, gripping and riveting experience possible for our fans on all fronts."

So that's behind enemy lines, this year, Treyarch developed and, seemingly, modern setting.

For more information, visit http://www.callofduty.com/blackops immediately following the game's appearance on GameTrailers TV on Spike this Friday and also, via Twitter at JD_2020.

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Teaser

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

[[SCUM] McPhil]

Sort of a cheesy "world exclusive" but they have my attention at least. Again, I just hope it offers something novel.

[[SCUM] McPhil]

Well, that's too bad it's not a Vietnam era game...

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GT POP BLOCK

a little bit more info.

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

[[SCUM] McPhil]

GIMMEE MY HIND! Put DW in the Apache, now we gotta game. OK, now it's really got my attention.

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First impressions: 'Call of Duty: Black Ops'

Call of Duty has always been about the soldiers in the trenches, so it's interesting that the level of Call of Duty: Black Ops showcased by Activision and studio Treyarch kicks off with an operative leading colleagues from up above.

Hovering above from inside an SR-71 Blackbird, players will send orders guiding a group of four soldiers past a convoy of Russians in the Ural Mountains. They simply point to areas on the screen and hit a button to lead the squad, so don't expect a complexity of, say, a Ghost Recon. But, similar to the view above an AC-130 gunship in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the SR-71 scenario offered a fascinating perspective of the battlefield.

Of course, this is still a Call of Duty title, and once that brief command-based sequence concluded, the story shifts back to the soldier on the ground, as he and his three colleagues attempt to infiltrate a Russian facility.

The name of the level, "WMD," is set in 1968, during the height of the Cold War. The players' character is part of a larger endeavor to stop the spread of Communism. As the foursome moves through the facility, they come to a relay station they must take out. One by one, players will pick off unsuspecting foes with a scoped crossbow. Similar to previous Call of Duty titles, players will click to hold their breath and fire away.

This is when we check out one of the franchise's new features: alternate ammo that can be changed on the fly. As the group gets closer, they find an area with at least a dozen enemy soldiers, two of which sit by a truck. The lead character switches from a standard arrow tip on his crossbow to an explosive tip. Once fired, a beacon flashes for a couple seconds and boom goes the enemy. The lead character would eventually switch to an AUG assault rifle that could house attachments, although none were available during this level.

The firefight that ensues is textbook Call of Duty. Chaos dominates as players must navigate streams of bullets to reach their destination. Black Ops seems to follow the footsteps of the Modern Warfare franchise in attempting to deliver a more cinematic presentation, with the team ending the "WMD" level diving off a large cliff.

Overall, the level seemed to deliver the intensity and explosiveness of previous Call of Duty titles, and the SR-71 section left me wondering what other surprises Treyarch might have in store for Black Ops.

[[SCUM] McPhil]

GIMMEE!!!

[Viktor]

Really looking forward to this one. I've said it before and I'll say it again, whatever bitching you do about Treyarch, at least their willing to listen and look after their gamers.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Dedicated To Dedicated Servers

PC gamers who felt burned by the decision to drop dedicated server support for Modern Warfare 2 may have a friend in that other Call of Duty developer Treyarch. The developer all but confirms dedicated server multiplayer in Black Ops.

Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia tells CVG that dedicated servers are "excellent" and that the Call of Duty: Black Ops team is "excited about what we're doing right now."

If that doesn't quite sound like solid, undeniable confirmation to you, maybe this will make you feel a tad better. Lamia says that Treyarch is working to "reconcile" the needs of those who want to play on dedicated servers and those who want a more console-like multiplayer experience.

"We're working very hard to marry those two things, so people can run dedicated servers and also participate in the communal experience the console players get to have, given they're all on first-party servers," he says.

So... yay?

[[SCUM] McPhil]

Really looking forward to this one. I've said it before and I'll say it again, whatever bitching you do about Treyarch, at least their willing to listen and look after their gamers.

Completely agree. Good to see their marketing, PR, and game designers can communicate with each other effectively.

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More info...


We've taken some creative risks," Lamia confides. "We want to do something different than we've done before. It's time."

"We want the game to speak for itself," Lamia says repeatedly.

"Without mincing words, this is guaranteed to be one of this year's very biggest, and best, Xbox offerings." OXM

- We'll be fighting the North Vietnamese Army in certain missions.
- You're an off-the-grid, best-of-the-best badass with a more important secret agenda.

- Spas-12 confirmed with Dragon's Breath incendiary rounds

"You're not just relegated to mini-gun man who holds down the trigger and nudges the aiming reticle around the screen. For once, you're flying the helicopter. And firing the missiles. And the mini-guns. That's a lot better, eh?" OXM

"The start of "WMD" sees you climbing into iconic Cold War spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird. You take off, the screen fades out and you're then providing recon from space to the troops down below." OXM


"As you pick your way through the Huong River, you have to get past the huts and villages built upon the water. This means diving and swimming through the murky river with only your knife for company." OXM

"So we're stretching the rules a bit, but you have to see it in action. With a vertigo-inducing viewpoint and each crash back into the cliffside felt with a bone-jarring thud, it'll make you feel queasy." OXM


- Vehicles will return, but "not in the way you remember them from WaW".

- There will be "dedicated co-op" with separate levels. Treyarch changed the subject when we asked about World at War's hugely popular Nazi Zombies.

- A multiplayer beta's being "considered", Lamia told us with a literal wink.

- Treyarch will be improving mulitplayer by taking on feedback - even going so far as to openly acknowledge the under-the-map glitches that initially plagued World at War.

- Changes are being made to the matchmaking to "make it easier for [players] to get into games with their friends."

- Multiplayer was up and running so early that some campaign levels were actually built from multiplayer maps.

- Create-a-Class 2.0 will allow you to customise yourself like never before. This should include kit and appearance items as well as perks.


"Payback - This sees you clearing out a helicopter crew before jumping into the helicopter, take off and...you're controlling it! It would be easy to slide into cynical gamer mode and expect to be relegated to mini-gun duty, but by god, you're actually controlling the helicopter." OXM

"The evolution Treyarch has undergone between World at War and Black Ops feels very familiar. In fact, we don't have to look far to figure it out. We saw this exact kind of "oh-ha!" corner-turning in game design and execution from this very franchise back when Infinity Ward leapt from A-list to the AAA-list between CoD2 and the first Modern Warfare.

"We're all-in on this," affirms Lamia, noting that for a studio who previously had three games in development at once, their entire 200-plus roster is now focused on Black Ops." OXM

As you can see from the excitement in this article, Call of Duty: Black Ops definitely looks to be impressing the industry. Judging by the comparison to the leap from CoD2 to Modern Warfare, it looks like we've got something great in store for us, something that we have yet to see from the Call of Duty franchise.

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XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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Call of Duty: Black Ops for PC will allow for dedicated server support when it's released this November.

In the latest issue of PC Zone (via CVG), Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia confirmed the upcoming shooter will support the feature, allowing fans to create custom matches and modifications with ease.

"We do work very hard to reconcile the desire to manipulate and modify those dedicated servers with offering them the persistent experience and benefits that the console system provides," said Lamia.

"We're working very hard to marry those two things, so people can run dedicated servers and also participate in the communal experience the console players get to have, given they're all on first-party servers."

Controversy arose last October when it was revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dropped dedicated server support and forced players to use Infinity Ward's IWNet client for multiplayer matches.