Call of Duty: Black Ops is Shaping Up Nicely

Where gaming is concerned, I love this time of year. There are so many releases, and as far as FPS titles go, the one I’m really anxious to get my grubby hands on is Call of Duty: Black Ops. As a general rule, I don’t usually research a game too much before it comes out, because I like to keep as much as possible as a surprise, but when I caught wind of an episode of Gametrailers TV featuring the game, I caved.

To date, I must have sunk about 150 hours into Modern Warfare 2, and despite not being all too bored with it, I’m never against a new version of CoD, and fortunately, it looks like Black Ops is going to be a real winner. If we’re lucky, it might even put Modern Warfare 2 to shame, depending on how you look at things. While MW2 focuses on a “modern” era, Black Ops features a classic look at war, taking place during the Cold War period.

After watching the GT TV episode, all I have to say about the game is, “…”. I am almost left speechless, because Treyarch seems to be doing a lot right here. First, the levels look just amazing, and have you running through a winter wonderland one moment and then flying in a helicopter through the amazon the next. The difference between this and other games is that the environments and game control looks simply amazing.

There’s also many new ways to kill people, with one of the coolest being a move where you literally stab the top of a gas barrel, throw or roll it and then shoot it when the time is right. There’s also an RC car weapon that allows you to view a back-mounted camera to steer it, and once you reach your target… boom. I can’t wait to see this in action while in multiplayer (unless I’m on the receiving end).

For multiplayer gaming, a new element is what’s called “CoD Bucks”, which is in-game currency you earn by gambling before a match begins, and then doing well. You use these CoD Bucks for certain perks, or customizations, which can vary from killstreak rewards to face paint. It’s a very interesting mechanic, and one that I find a little more interesting than straight-out XP earning.

Of all the things the GT TV episode shows off about the game, the thing that might have impressed me the most is the motion-capture techniques used. I have never seen a game that offered such realistic character animations before – even the lip movements while talking is spot on. This is helped by the fact that many motion capture markers are placed on a real actor, especially all over the face, and the end result is remarkable.

Enough of me talking, though. If you are amped up for Black Ops like I am, check out the episode below.

We take you through a high stakes world of covert assassinations and underwater espionage. Plus, a look at 3D-TVs.