Will Black Ops One Up The Competition?

Medal of Honor is trying to woo you with its edginess. Real soldiers overlooked the development process of the gritty war title, did ya know that? Also, they had a Taliban faction before those scheming politicians made them change the name. True story! So with all that MoH has going for it, how'd it do? Not too good. 

Enter Black Ops. With Medal of Honor, Black Ops' primary competition in the gritty war action genre, receiving merely pedestrian reviews, it's time for Treyarch's Vietnam tale to take it's place atop the realistic war action genre. I've called it something different twice, should I just call it first person shooter genre? Eh, whatever. 

The Modern Warfare games made for very cinematic single player experiences. Black Ops looks like it's going to take that and run with it. I mean, pistol on the table, ratty headband, Deer Hunter anyone?! If the game's intensity can be anything close to that brilliantly suspenseful Russian roulette scene, Treyarch will have won my heart. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombifying, Customizing

A lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops stories this week. Achievements have been leaked (warning: minor spoilers). Zombies have been confirmed. Customization has been flaunted.

Treyarch has finally confirmed one of the worst kept secrets ever, the inclusion of zombies in Black Ops. After the success of the zombie mode in Call of Duty: World at War, how could they not? Dead Ops, as it's called, is a four player co-op romp against the undead horde. Preorder the Hardened or Prestige edition, and the four zombie maps from World at War can be yours at no extra cost! No word on whether or not the normal edition cheapskates can get some zombie lovin' yet though. This site has been put up by Treyarch to tease zombie mode. It features creepy music, surveillance video, and people in military clothing shuffling around clumsily. How very zombie-like! 

And for the coup de grâce, the multiplayer customization trailer. The level of customizing Treyarch has added is awesome, allowing you to paint your face, choose different camo types for your clothing, and put your clan tag or personal logo on your weapon. And no longer are you able to access all unlocked gear once you reach a certain level, now you have to be the required level on top of purchasing the item with currency earned through fragging and completing challenges. Just like Halo: Reach! Which is just like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! Which is just like.. Damn, so much idea sharing going on, I'm losing track. 

It goes with out saying, Call of Duty: Black Ops is going over the top to keep gamers reeled in. With the dissolution of Infinity Ward (thanks, Kotick) Treyarch has to show the world that they're comfortable being in the drivers seat of the Call of Duty series now. Black Ops is a step in the right direction.

Call of Duty Black Ops Multiplayer Gameplay

Some guy named Hutch got hands on time with Call of Duty Black Ops multiplayer. He was kind enough to upload some youtubes with his impressions and observations via voice over commentary. From what he says, it seems like Treyarch has attempted to keep the game a little more balanced than Modern Warfare 2. Shotguns aren't overpowered, damage increasing/mitigating perks (juggernaut, stopping power) are gone, and in Hutch's own words, you need some skill to get kills. Nice.

Aside from the Team Deathmatch, Hutch shows us Wager Mode, in which you have only your primary and melee, no perks, secondaries, or grenades. You start off with a pistol, and for each kill you score, you level up and instantly change weapons. The winner is the first one to get a kill with all 20 weapons in the mode, the last being the fucking sweet ballistic knife. Looks like fun. Also, a quick peek at class creation. 

These are definitely worth watching if you're a CoD fan. While the maps look too much like Modern Warfare 2 (I want to see a jungle map) Hutch says the game plays more like Call of Duty 2, which I've never played, but he made sound like a good thing. 

Updated with the official Wager Game trailer, which details the different modes that make up the Wager Game as a whole. Looks awesome, I have a feeling this may be my game mode of choice. 

Videos are after the break.

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