Call of Duty: Black Ops[6] is an upcoming 2010 first-person shooter video game[4] developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for release on November 9, 2010.[3] Officially announced on April 30, 2010, the game is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series and the fourth game in the series to be developed by Treyarch after Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. It was initially only available for pre-order on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, however, Activison has confirmed that it will also be released for the Nintendo Wii
The game features new equipment for the series, such as a scoped crossbow with different kinds of ammunition (e.g., explosive) as well as Dragon's Breath rounds for shotguns. During the campaign, the player will pilot aircraft: an SR-71 Blackbird and an attack helicopter have been confirmed.[8][9] The dismemberment feature, showcased only in Call of Duty: World at War, can be seen in the teaser trailer.
Currently, little is known about multiplayer modes. Vehicles will return[9], as well as dedicated servers for the PC version, unlike Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2.[10] "Create-a-Class 2.0" will allow enhanced customization with appearance items as well as the usual perks.[9] Treyarch's multiplayer lead designer confirmed on their official forum that "killstreaks" will not count towards each other but will carry over after the player's death. He also stated there will be no TNW or other game-ending killstreak rewards.[11]
There will be a distinct four-player online co-op mode.[12]
[edit] Setting
Call of Duty: Black Ops is set during the Cold War.[13] Players take the role of black ops operators involved in missions behind enemy lines, taking place in various locations such as the Ural Mountains and Vietnam.
As SOG operators, playable characters will have much more significant roles on the battlefield than their previous counterparts who were often the common soldiers. In this way, the player's characters will have their own traits such as voices (during in-game sequences) and shadows.[14]
Black Ops is a sequel to World at War, as one of its main characters, Reznov is returning.[14]
[edit] Development
In May 2009, publisher Activision was rumored to be looking for licensing regarding Vietnam War-era music which led to speculation that Call of Duty 7 would be set in Vietnam.[15] Still in May 2009, Treyarch employee David Kim revealed on his LinkedIn profile that he will work as a senior animator on Call of Duty 7.[16] In November 2009, only a few days before Modern Warfare 2's release, Activision officially announced a new Call of Duty title for 2010 through their third quarter financial call.[17] In February 2010, a casting call for Call of Duty 7 led to speculation that the game would be taking place during the Cold War-era with some battles taking place in South Vietnam.[18] On April 30, 2010, Call of Duty: Black Ops was officially announced.[3]
Mocap actor Jeremy Dunn acting for Call of Duty: Black Ops, using the full performance capture technology.Treyarch is working only on the game and nothing else currently, unlike past practice. However, it has different teams, each working on separate game modes.[19] Treyarch is using a motion capture technology similar to the one used in James Cameron's Avatar film, which allows accurate facial expressions, capturing the whole performance of the actor.[5] The studio also consulted special forces veterans from both belligerents of the Cold War: Major John Plaster (US Army-Ret.) who served in the MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War, and former Soviet special forces operative Sonny Puzikas.[13]
[edit] Marketing
Call of Duty: Black Ops was first officially unveiled when the website for the game went live on April 30, 2010[3] prior to the release of its debut teaser trailer on GameTrailers TV Episode 310.[20] Along with the site, a blog was also uploaded which contained an official announcement of the game by Treyarch which was dated April 29, 2010, a day prior to the game's unveiling.[21] In early April 2010, an unmarked envelope was sent to various gaming news publication as well as high profile Call of Duty fans via mail. It contained an USB flash drive with sound and text files. These files were codes to be decrypted, only to find a mysterious teaser site for an unknown game. Other codes were updated periodically. Many evidences proving that the site is related to Call of Duty: Black Ops and Treyarch have been found as the codes were decrypted.[22] The game has been first covered on the Internet by USA Today.[5][8][13
Similarly to Modern Warfare 2's marketing, the first full-length trailer of Call of Duty: Black Ops was aired after the 3rd Quarter on ESPN during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 18, 2010.[23]