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10 Things You Need To Know About Call of Duty: Black Ops
We point out ten things you need to know about this year's Call of Duty.
Written by David Scammell, 28 May 2010
1. You pilot the SR-71 Blackbird
Remember the reconnaissance aircraft shown in Black Ops' reveal trailer? Well, you'll actually get to pilot it in the game, stepping into the cockpit and taking control of the world's fastest manned aircraft. Admittedly control over the jet seems fairly limited - from the demo we've seen, you won't actually be given full flight control, and instead only be able to control the plane as it blasts up the runway, pulling back on the left stick to take off. Still, it's fun while it lasts, and with a tremendously detailed cockpit and fully animated runway crew, also wonderfully convincing.
2. There's a new squad command mechanic
For the first time in the series you'll actually be able to command your squad in Black Ops, ordering squad mates where to run and in which buildings to take cover. However, it's fairly likely that use of the mechanic is going to be limited to certain scenarios rather than being available in general gameplay. We're shown one example of squad control while aboard the SR-71 Blackbird, tracking our squad below via a thermal imaging camera similar to MW2's drone and issuing commands by pushing in the right stick, ordering them to run to the area you're currently hovering over. It's a fairly basic mechanic, and acts as a quick and easy method to move friendlies away from any hostiles, or set them up in the perfect position to spring an ambush.
3. There's a four-player online co-op mode..
..that also supports two-player offline split-screen. We're not entirely sure whether Black Ops' co-op will be similar to World at War's offering, or whether Treyarch will be implementing Modern Warfare 2's fantastic Spec Ops mode - but our chat with Treyarch's studio head Mark Lamia certainly suggests that WaW's infamous Zombie mode may be making a comeback."We very much listened to what people said about the Zombies gameplay that we made for World at War," said Lamia, "and while we haven't announced what our co-op mode is, I think regardless that's a co-op gameplay mode and there are a lot of things to garner from that." Make of that what you will.
4. The player character now speaks
It won't just be your squad mates shouting orders on the battlefield in Black Ops - playable characters now have a voice, which Treyarch hopes will give the player a sense of identity within the game world.
5. The Vietnam levels are a smaller part of a much bigger narrative
In the words of Treyarch's community manager Josh Olin, "This is not a Vietnam game". The game begins in 1968, but is actually set across a large period of time, sending players to battle in top secret missions based on events in recent history. Treyarch isn't prepared to tell us what year the story ends, but with a 2010 finale rumoured, it may be much closer to home than you might think.
6. You can rappel down buildings and breach through windows
P3Zine Issue 45
For our latest Call of Duty Black Ops coverage, click here to download P3Zine Issue 45 for free.Lifting the breach mechanic introduced in Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops lets players breach through windows while rappelling down the sides of buildings. And to make the idea of shooting enemies while crashing through glass even sweeter, it's all presented in slow motion. Nice!
7. There's a crossbow
And it hurts. A lot. The crossbow's a silent weapon that can be used to take out hostiles quietly and efficiently from any range. It seems to be a one-hit kill weapon, and when equipped with a scope, can be utterly deadly -when equipped with alternate explosive-tipped arrows (see 8), even more so. We couldn't tell from the demo whether you can collect arrows from dead bodies to be reused - but we can live in hope.
8. There are alternate ammo types
Fed up of bullets simply making holes in people? Well, you're in luck. Black Ops utilises a new alternate ammo feature that allows players to switch ammo types on the fly with a touch of the d-pad. We were shown the Dragon's Breath ammo type, an incendiary shell for the SPAS-12 shotgun that sets enemies and objects in the environment alight on impact, and told of explosive-tipped arrows for the crossbow. There's bound to be plenty more.
9. There's a first-person freefall section
At the end of the debut trailer you'll have probably noticed the soldier jumping off the side of a cliff. This is actually the player character, and you'll remain in first-person view for the duration of the jump, using the left stick to guide yourself through the air while avoiding the mountain cliff running alongside you. But why are you jumping off a cliff in the first place, you might ask? Well, after destroying the power relay in the 'WMD' mission, an avalanche breaks out on your descent down the mountainside. And if you want to survive, jumping's your only option.
10. Treyarch are committed to making the best game they possibly can
Treyarch have often been given short shrift when it comes to Call of Duty, but whatever you might think of them, there's no doubting their dedication to the brand. If there's one thing that was rammed home to us at our presentation of Black Ops, it was that Treyarch are determined to make the best game they possibly can - and in studio head Mark Lamia's words, "the best entertainment experience of the year".
Other info worth considering:
- One of the playable characters is called Colonel Mitchell. He's the pilot of the SR-71.
- Two missions have been revealed so far: 'WMD', which sees a task force storming a power relay in Russia's Ural Mountain range, and 'Slaughterhouse', a mission set in Hue City, Vietnam during the attack in 1968.
- The PC version has dedicated servers.
- The AK47 returns.
- Uses damage/blood effects similar to Modern Warfare 2's.
Call of Duty Black Ops coverage available in P3Zine Issue 45 - click here to download it for free!
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