May 12, 2010
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Black Ops USA Today Preview
The first solid official Call of Duty: Black Ops news has finally been revealed. USA Today » has posted 3 articles about their hands-on time with the game. Continue reading to learn about the single player level they experienced, co-op confirmation, and a scoped military crossbow.
Black Ops Hands-on
The Single Player level that USA Today was shown is titled "WMD" and is set in 1968, during the Cold War era. This level sees the player in a Lockheed SR-71 recon plane spying on enemies below in the Ural Mountains. The players job is to guide 4 ground soldiers past a Russian convoy in the mountains by pointing to areas on the screen. The view is similar to the AC-130 in Call of Duty 4; however once the job is done, you will then regain control of the characters on the ground. They also talk about a military crossbow, a rappelling scene, and a window-shattering breach of a control room.
Players spy on suspicious activity while piloting a Lockheed SR-71 recon aircraft over the Ural Mountains; on the ground, they tackle a radar station lodged in the lofty terrain, flurries whipping in the wind. You hear the click-click-click as your character adjusts the sights of his modified military crossbow to take out the enemies. A firefight ensues, then a dizzying rappelling scene and — guns blazing — a feet-first, window-shattering breach of a control room.
USA Today also mention that it appears Treyarch is trying to achieve what Infinity Ward did with Modern Warfare 2's blockbuster like missions in an attempt to match the success of the Modern Warfare genre.
Avatar is one of 2009's most successful films with it's breath-taking special effects and motion capture, and having this technology incorporated into Black Ops seems like a great deal. Treyarch's studio head says that the motion-capture technology employed by James Cameron in Avatar will allow them to "actually capture the performances of the actors" rather than "individual motion-capture, voice-overs and then facial animations". This technology also allows them to include more realistic facial muscle movement into the game.
One of the new Call of Duty features that has been added is alternate ammo that can be changed quickly. They mention that "the lead character switches from a standard arrow tip on his crossbow to an explosive tip". They then go on to say that once the crossbow is fired, a beacon flashes for a few seconds and then "boom goes the enemy". They also officially revealed that an AUG assault rifle will in the game, and attachments can be placed on the gun.
Their final verdict on the level is that it delivered "the intensity and explosiveness of previous Call of Duty titles" and that they were left wondering what other surprises Treyarch have in store after experiencing SR-71 scene.
Interview with Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia
USA Today were then able to get an interview with the studio head of Treyarch, Mark Lamia. He talks about how they were eager to try out this era, confirms a 2-4 co-op mode and how they got their research for the game.
The team is really excited about creating a game in this period. We really felt like it was fertile ground for us and we could provide something fresh for gamers. Our writers are focused on telling an epic story. This period hasn't really been done in games and it spans a period of time.
Research for the game included consultations with Maj. John Plaster, a veteran of the Studies and Observations Group (SOG), a multi-force black operations unit led by the Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam War. (Plaster) was able to talk through what it was like being in the SOG and in particular his experiences during the Vietnam War era and the kind of, at the time, classified and sort of black operations that he was a part of. He talked about everything from his training to missions to tactics. He reviewed our characters, our weaponry and, aside from the inspiration and drawing upon some of the history he was able to talk about, he was able to advise us on very practical matters. It was exciting for the team to do something it had not done before with Call of Duty.
Variety of gameplay. Variety of setting. There is a real focus and an attention to detail and pacing.
To read the articles in full, head over to USA Today's official site.
