Call of Duty: Black Ops

Lamia explained that there will be online co-op for the Wii, a rarity that is usually overlooked when it comes to Wii editions of multiformat games. Thankfully it should remain intact, though the specified number of players has yet to be announced (the other versions will have four player co-op), so fingers crossed. Treyarch also seem to be going the way of Capcom and are ‘negotiating' with Nintendo; there was not much detail given on the matter, but it sounds as if Treyarch are pushing for either lack of friend codes or the opportunity to use Wii Speak - or even both. Mark Lamia was also passionate about keeping the Call of Duty name rolling. With each iteration of the franchise it gets more popular, but also the games progress at a faster rate, so trying to top the past games has been a main focus for Treyarch.

 

Even though only the Xbox 360 version was shown at Activision's pre-E3 event, if Treyarch hold true to their promises, the Wii version should be just as immersive. Black Ops takes place during the Cold War and, whilst not much was disclosed about the story telling, the trailers featured multiple flashbacks. This gives a large area for the team to develop on, thus giving them many locales, conflicts and pacing of the plot. You take control, unsurprisingly, of a member of a small group of elite black ops agents and are placed into many different scenarios allowing Treyarch to focus on the three main aspects of the game: customisation, personalisation and socialisation.



The demo started off with a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping flight in a fighter jet to the edge of the atmosphere, directing the black ops team via thermal signatures to keep them out of danger. You soon switch places with a member of the black ops team right in the thick of it. Vistas show off the incredible engine underpinning Black Ops, a re-mastered version of the one featured in Call of Duty: World at War, and you are up and away, stealthily using a crossbow to take out enemies silently. Squad commands have improved, with leaders and comrades issuing constant feedback of the surrounding area, so the player is never without a target. Then things get loud. Really loud.

 

Treyarch have done some investigating into real black operation units and discovered that soldiers could choose their load outs, vehicles and modify their weapons before they used them in the field. Treyarch have taken this on board and given the player different varieties of ammunition for each weapon, Remember that crossbow that kills silently? You can switch the ammo out so that it becomes a time delayed explosive which sticks to enemies and causes a lot of destruction wherever it goes off. As all hell breaks loose, the team delves through the thicket of Soviet enemies to prevent a missile launch, and at the end of it all base jump off the side of the mountain to prevent their fall at the hands of the Russians. Blood pumping stuff.

 

Next, the demo moves onto Vietnam; more specifically, Hue City. Taking place in the middle of the war, you rappel off the side of helicopter...but that never works out so well, and you end up crashing through a window a few floors up. Once recovered, your team mate throws you a weapon which happens to be a Spas-12 shotgun...with a twist. Treyarch show off their ammo system once again by giving the player incendiary ammo which sets the surroundings on fire - and, of course, your enemies. Progressing through the 'Slaughterhouse' level, you are able to call in help from a helicopter to thin out the opposition and help your progress. The action is intense, with buildings toppling under the might of the helicopter and other explosions crumbling and destroying the environment around you.