As the traditional Call of Duty release window draws nearer, Activision have broken the silence over the always highly anticipated multiplayer aspect of Black Ops 2.
While it’s pretty clear that the graphics have once again been spruced and tuned, the obvious focus of the trailer lies with the maps, equipment and HUD. And while it retains the familiarity of the past, there are enough new gadgets to make even Batman blush.
First we have the guns. New smoke-proof scopes impress, and examples of new handguns, machine guns and rifles also appear. While they look great, and the animation has clearly been improved, the tinny clatter of gunfire remains. With so much shooting, you want realistic audio design. Work in progress perhaps?
The equipment is borderline ridiculous. Mechs, drones and what looks like a stun-emitting sentry gun all feature, once again confirming the kill streaks that serve as a Call of Duty staple. A new electrical hand grenade makes an appearance, as well as the classic throwing axe which both sport a futuristic new look. But who cares what the axe looks like, as long as it’s embedded in an enemy’s skull?
New maps are also glimpsed amongst the chaos, showing a shipyard, a debris littered L.A and a destroyed wind turbine in some sort of valley. It’s classic CoD, with choke point bridges, long corridors and of course, lots and lots of corners.
A new load out screen is shown, as well as plenty of achievements, kill cams and then finally, what sounds like a broadcasting feature. This could be the most interesting reveal, as it’s actually something new and fresh. Allowing live commentary by either an A.I or a human spectator could be quite fun, then again it could remove the element of realism.
And then it’s over. Regardless of everyone’s opinion, one thing’s for sure – the game will sell like hot cakes. And while we all love to hate on Call of Duty, the trailer actually looks pretty good.
