Few details are known about Call of Duty: Black Ops so far. Of the single-player campaign, we at least know of one grunt whose boots you will be filling. This time around, your character won’t just be pumping bullets, but he will also have a voice. Its just one of the many changes being made by Treyarch, who are aiming for the most cinematic and memorable Call of Duty experience to date. Going off the grid and into uncharted territory with the Cold War setting is another modification to the usual tradition. Players will be sent on numerous covert – or as Treyarch likes to say, ‘deniable’ – operations. With the bulk of silent war between the United States and Russia still unknown, the studio has taken some creative liberties with the game’s plot, while using authentic weapons of the day, to craft an intense first-person shooter.
Better hope he packed a parachute.
So far, two levels have been displayed at E3. In the first, players are placed in control of a jet. The entire sequence is on rails, and the controls are kept very basic. Setting down in arctic weather, you then assume command of a surveillance craft. In almost RTS-style gameplay, players have to direct their troops, all the while keeping them hidden from the enemy. You then join your soldiers in the field, staying silent and stealthy. The cross-bow is a perfect weapon for quiet work, and we were treated to a demonstration of it in action. Using all new explosive rounds, you can shoot an enemy with a dart from far away and watch the fireworks a few second later. Overall, the first level was rather impressive, with large set-pieces and a strong ending – a freefall jump off the side of large a cliff.
The second stage on show, titled Payback, had already been seen at the Microsoft press conference. Nonetheless, that didn’t make it any less entertaining. Things start off with the player just having fought their way out of captivity. You and your partner-in-arms creep up on a clearing littered with enemies. Sitting right in the middle is a Hind helicopter – the perfect getaway vehicle. You fight your way to the flying machine, at which point your partner observes it might be a good time to give the enemy a taste of their own medicine (hence the name of the level). The rest of the stage plays out from inside the helicopter cockpit, from which you can obliterate anything and everything on the ground. The controls don’t look too difficult to master, and raining death from the sky in something other than a AC-130 gunship should add some nice variety to the typical Call of Duty gameplay.
Time for payback.
Despite coming off the strengths of Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops is really gaining momentum. With the Cold War setting, the game has an interesting backdrop to craft an entertaining plot. Throw in the new gameplay additions, and Call of Duty: Black Ops is looking much further than the your tradition first-person shooting. Multiplayer and co-operative options are yet to be unveiled, but if Treyarch can put as much love and attention into the other modes as they have the campaign, Black Ops might just be the biggest call yet.
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