X’10
Chapter 2 – The Blackening
By Jorge Figueiredo - August 20th, 2010
Following my XBL/Kinect session, I waited in line to get into a behind-closed-doors demo of a game that piqued my curiosity when it was first announced…
Call of Duty: Black Ops
I sat down on a comfortable stool, surrounded by other excited media-types, ready to see what the hullabaloo was about surrounding Call of Duty: Black Ops. Black Ops is developed by Treyarch, the folks behind Call of Duty: World at War, which really didn’t sway me from Modern Warfare, to be honest; it was an interesting game (and the flame-throwers were awesome), but there was something missing that I could never quite put my finger on it. Black Ops, on the other hand, looks to be pretty wicked. John Sweeney, from Activision, took us through a mission, but not before a bit of a preamble.
Black Ops takes place during the Cold War, and involves operatives performing risky missions behind enemy lines. The Black Ops were the best of the best, completing the most daring of missions; missions that never officially existed due to the need for secrecy. Already it’s very apparent that stealth mechanics will be at play. From what I saw during the mission, sensitivity to your presence is high, so you had best watch yourself when you play; when John happened to slip a little and stray into view (or audible range) of an enemy, results were not so good for him.
Another great touch to the game is the ability to use human shields. During the opening of the mission, you swim to a location (yes, I said swim) and find yourself surrounded by the enemy. John acted quickly, grabbing the closest unwilling volunteer, pulling him close, and shooting around him.
Graphics are decent enough, with great environmental effects and “bullet time” for some of the more interesting moments. Sound design is pretty awesome, complete with a haunting score that makes you feel like you’re in the jungle. Black Ops steers slightly away from the usual trappings and takes on a sort-of hyper-realism, much like a modern war movie. I don’t think this is a bad thing at all; it’s immersive and entertaining. This may sound morbid, but one of the most impressive bits was when John’s character was swimming underwater, and the bloody bodies of enemy soldiers were falling and sinking all around him; the blood effects were incredible, as clouds appeared in the water, appearing to follow the movement of the water.
With single player, multiplayer competitive and co-op, Black Ops looks to be a great game. Call of Duty: Black Ops will be available in November for most next-gen console platforms and PCs, with DLC hitting the Xbox 360 before the other folks.
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