Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Video GAME The Basic Elements of Call of Duty: Black Ops
With Treyarch in high gear in the development of the seventh Call of Duty installment, it does not surprise the gaming community that they called for an early announcement about the much-awaited sequel of the post Modern Warfare series. Just a week ago, Treyarch PR guys invited a pool of journalists to attend their pre-E3 event held in a rented studio complex London, where they showcased the first 2 levels of the Video Game.
While Modern Warfare 1 and 2 dwell on the current world events in an ever escalating terror campaign, COD: Black Ops has a Vietnam-vintage setting, for a change. There had been several outstanding Vietnam War-era Video Games in the past such as Battlefield Vietnam and Vietcong series but they were not designed for console Video Games. Way back in 2004 when Battlefield Vietnam was still a hit for historically-inclined dudes like me, sleep was scarce and school was like your regular visit to the dentist that you wanted to avoid if possible. That time, sleep means a couple of hours of eye rest, nothing more. Eyebags due to sleep deprivation were common in those days. Looking at the trailer and the other photorealistic features of COD, Black Ops created a stir of anxiety. I'm afraid I may have another episode of those raccoon attacks again. Well-laid plots are significant historical references and characters are always the good recipe of excellent Video Games. The story revolves around the secretive CIA and their black ops operatives during the Cold War. It can never be better than this.
As mentioned earlier, Treyarch presented a two-level teaser to a bunch of journalists. With expected stunning visuals and sounds, the two sets did not disappoint from the start. The first level, named WMD, opened with an exhilarating ride in an SR-71 over an isolated Russian base in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Then there was a shift of perspective showing a squad of black ops operatives sneaking inside the base. Another shift of perspective and the onlookers were immersed in the sight of a grunt on the ground ready to infiltrate the compound. The squad then rappelled down on the side of a mountain, smashing the window of an observation room in full CoD style. From that vantage point the squad started picking off the opposing soldiers with one sweet shot after another. A new weapon is introduced here in the form of a mutated crossbow--a scoped weapon perfect for stealth infiltration just like this mission. The main objective in this level is to neutralize the satellite communications capability of the enemy. After that successful hit, the squad exfiltrated through the mountain while an avalanche closely in tow. One can immediately remember the first level of Modern Warfare I when Captain Price and his SAS squad nearly kissed the bottom of the Bering Sea after they assaulted the a cargo ship laden with a nuclear device.
The second level was set in Hue, a Vietnamese-city- turned- battleground during the offensive. The player's squad is sort of a reaction force to some besieged unit in the city. While rappelling down, the players chopper was hit by an RPG sending it to an erratic spin. The player was thrown on the upper floor of bombed out building. From that point, the player encounters relentless firefights, giving opportunities to call in gunship and artillery support. The player is using an SPAS-12 shotgun loaded with dragon shells that can pulverize an enemy up close. Persistent Viet Cong units provide juicy targets while the player skips and go around obstacles, every time under intense fire. A hell of a firefight alright, and truly Call of Duty.
Treyarch throws in military heavyweights in this Video Game to make combat situations as hellish and brutal as possible. They consulted Sonny Puzikas, a one-time Spetsnaz operative, and Major John Plaster of the former Studies and Observation Group in Vietnam. Both of them provided more than helpful feedbacks and suggestions to improve the photo reality of the Video Game.
This Video Game can potentially become first to introduce several significant innovations in the series and in its genre. One excellent example will be the ability of the player to give his character his own voice, although this feature may not directly influence the plot or the outcome of the campaign. No hint was given though if this feature is available in multiplayer. Another innovation, the first in this series, will be the ability to capture all the performance including the movements, voices, and facial expressions of the players. However, the most radical improvement that Treyarch is hinting at so far is the full weapon customization feature. While it was not explicitly shown, Treyarch explained that since the Video Game was inspired by CIA black operations, where each operative can assemble his weapon for greater adaptability to a specific mission, it is just logical for them to accommodate this in the Video Game as well. Basing on this hint, it can be deduced that a player may be given a choice not only to assemble his own weapons but can also select his supporting elements such as choppers, gunships, and transports. Now that can really get anyone going anytime.
Critics and fans of MW2 would contend that this Video Game should be the yardstick for future shooter Video Games, but they may have to accept that CoD: Black Ops deserves the same honor. Great graphics and sounds, historical touch, and simply raw battlefield scenarios--all the best there are--put this Video Game, and the CoD series, yet in the hot seat again, for a good reason.
While Modern Warfare 1 and 2 dwell on the current world events in an ever escalating terror campaign, COD: Black Ops has a Vietnam-vintage setting, for a change. There had been several outstanding Vietnam War-era Video Games in the past such as Battlefield Vietnam and Vietcong series but they were not designed for console Video Games. Way back in 2004 when Battlefield Vietnam was still a hit for historically-inclined dudes like me, sleep was scarce and school was like your regular visit to the dentist that you wanted to avoid if possible. That time, sleep means a couple of hours of eye rest, nothing more. Eyebags due to sleep deprivation were common in those days. Looking at the trailer and the other photorealistic features of COD, Black Ops created a stir of anxiety. I'm afraid I may have another episode of those raccoon attacks again. Well-laid plots are significant historical references and characters are always the good recipe of excellent Video Games. The story revolves around the secretive CIA and their black ops operatives during the Cold War. It can never be better than this.
As mentioned earlier, Treyarch presented a two-level teaser to a bunch of journalists. With expected stunning visuals and sounds, the two sets did not disappoint from the start. The first level, named WMD, opened with an exhilarating ride in an SR-71 over an isolated Russian base in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Then there was a shift of perspective showing a squad of black ops operatives sneaking inside the base. Another shift of perspective and the onlookers were immersed in the sight of a grunt on the ground ready to infiltrate the compound. The squad then rappelled down on the side of a mountain, smashing the window of an observation room in full CoD style. From that vantage point the squad started picking off the opposing soldiers with one sweet shot after another. A new weapon is introduced here in the form of a mutated crossbow--a scoped weapon perfect for stealth infiltration just like this mission. The main objective in this level is to neutralize the satellite communications capability of the enemy. After that successful hit, the squad exfiltrated through the mountain while an avalanche closely in tow. One can immediately remember the first level of Modern Warfare I when Captain Price and his SAS squad nearly kissed the bottom of the Bering Sea after they assaulted the a cargo ship laden with a nuclear device.
The second level was set in Hue, a Vietnamese-city- turned- battleground during the offensive. The player's squad is sort of a reaction force to some besieged unit in the city. While rappelling down, the players chopper was hit by an RPG sending it to an erratic spin. The player was thrown on the upper floor of bombed out building. From that point, the player encounters relentless firefights, giving opportunities to call in gunship and artillery support. The player is using an SPAS-12 shotgun loaded with dragon shells that can pulverize an enemy up close. Persistent Viet Cong units provide juicy targets while the player skips and go around obstacles, every time under intense fire. A hell of a firefight alright, and truly Call of Duty.
Treyarch throws in military heavyweights in this Video Game to make combat situations as hellish and brutal as possible. They consulted Sonny Puzikas, a one-time Spetsnaz operative, and Major John Plaster of the former Studies and Observation Group in Vietnam. Both of them provided more than helpful feedbacks and suggestions to improve the photo reality of the Video Game.
This Video Game can potentially become first to introduce several significant innovations in the series and in its genre. One excellent example will be the ability of the player to give his character his own voice, although this feature may not directly influence the plot or the outcome of the campaign. No hint was given though if this feature is available in multiplayer. Another innovation, the first in this series, will be the ability to capture all the performance including the movements, voices, and facial expressions of the players. However, the most radical improvement that Treyarch is hinting at so far is the full weapon customization feature. While it was not explicitly shown, Treyarch explained that since the Video Game was inspired by CIA black operations, where each operative can assemble his weapon for greater adaptability to a specific mission, it is just logical for them to accommodate this in the Video Game as well. Basing on this hint, it can be deduced that a player may be given a choice not only to assemble his own weapons but can also select his supporting elements such as choppers, gunships, and transports. Now that can really get anyone going anytime.
Critics and fans of MW2 would contend that this Video Game should be the yardstick for future shooter Video Games, but they may have to accept that CoD: Black Ops deserves the same honor. Great graphics and sounds, historical touch, and simply raw battlefield scenarios--all the best there are--put this Video Game, and the CoD series, yet in the hot seat again, for a good reason.
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