A year in gaming just wouldn’t be complete without a new, annual version of the long-running Call of Duty series, and with Activision having wrapped up their Modern Warfare trilogy, it’s time to once again delve deeper into one of their other in-game universes.
Call of Duty Black Ops, despite being released back in 2010. is still going strong today, with industry rumours pointing to the Treyarch developed FPS game returning this year for a sequel. Info regarding the sequel was recently posted on the official Black Ops forum before it was taken down with ninja-like precision by Activision, but by then, it was too late already.
Here’s a look at what players can expect in CODBLOPS 2. Maybe.
Thanks to a cache that is still available on MP1st, the following info may not be officially confirmed yet, but the haste with which Activision removed it lends some credence to the theory.
According to the details Multiplayer game modes will include:
- Escort, a variation of Search and Destroy, where a live player must be protected by their team as they are escorted to a safe zone in several rounds. Players will also only have one life.
- Drop Zone and Kill Confirmed will return
- Team Defender and Infected will not return
Pointstreaks
- Will be based on the system from Modern Warfare 3.
- Larger emphasis on objectives
- A bomb plant will be worth 2 points
- A neutral flag is worth 1, however an enemy flag is worth 2
- Flag assist capture is worth 1, a capture is worth 2
- The Specialist Pointstreak has be modified. 2 kills now gets you 1 perk. The 4th kill gets you 2 more perks. The 6th kill gets you 3 more perks. The 8th Kill gets you 4 more perks. You do not get every perk when you reach 8 kills. Perks only become “Pro” when you have them Pro
- RC XD will not return
- Heat vision is a new Pointstreak reward. When you get the required points, you can activate this Pointstreak and your player pulls out a scope and attaches it to your weapon. This scopes main advantage is it’s ability to detect enemies through most walls. Note, the scope can only be attached to primaries not including shotguns
- Item Packages requires 5 points. Fall along side care packages and air drop traps. Features a list of package items only including ammo, mini gun, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and body armor
Prestiges
- There will be a total of 15 prestiges
- There will be 50 ranks
- For every two prestiges, there is a 5 rank increase
- The final prestige will have 90 levels
ELITE 2.0
- ELITE is being fully incorporated into Black Ops 2
- Combat record will be modified and re-named as ELITE Stats
- There will be a specific lobby for clan matches in order to create better clan-levelling (new way of leveling clans)
- Clan Tournaments can now be implemented
Removed
- No MOAB or Nuke
- No last stand
- No death streaks
- No flame thrower attachment
Map Design
- Map design and size will be similair in scope to Black Ops, not Modern Warfare 3
Sniper Rifles
- Improved sniper rifle usage.
- No aim assist for any sniper rifle.
- Less sway
Customization
- No longer just perk 1 chooses the players appearance
- Appearance is a combination of all perks and type of Pointstreak being used.
Hardcore
- Larger emphasis on hardcore than ever before
- No grenade launchers
- Only vehicle guided rocket launchers permitted
- Respawn timings decreased (for most modes)
- 1 bullet in the foot will no longer kill a person, a head or chest shot is usually required.
- A person will now bleed out if severely injured.
Perk System 2.0
- The Perk Pro system has been upgraded
- There is now 2 options a perk can advance to.
- Both require different challenges to unlock
- Once the desired Pro version is unlocked, the player can select that as their “Perk Pro”.
- Once selected, the only way to choose the other option is by entering prestige mode.
- For example Perk slot 1 has the perk called Speed
- Speed – Reduces the time taken to aim down the sight. Pro I – Swaps weapons faster. Pro II – Throws equipment faster
Combat Training
- Will be returning with vast improvements.
- Difficulty is no longer based on how long the bots take to start shooting.
- Bots now have an advance AI system
- Similar to the behavior seen in the MW3 Spec Ops survival
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg spoke earlier this years about Call of Duty, saying that “This year we expect to further expand our presence with the launch of an all-new epic first-person shooter title under the Call of Duty brand. From what we’ve seen to date, the game already looks fantastic and will bring meaningful innovations to the franchise.”
Personally, I’m still a big fan of Black Ops, as it does have a completely different attitude and feel to other COD games, and alongside the news that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is also getting a sequel, this just made my day.
Last Updated: March 29, 2012
