Treyarch is in a unique position. Always referred to as 'the second developer' when it came to Activision's blockbuster Call of Duty series, it now has a chance to reinvent itself with the upcoming Black Ops and show the world it can be just as contemporary and forward-thinking as many gamers gave Infinity Ward credit for in years past.
On the other hand, with Infinity Ward now in dire straights, this studio is under intense pressure to follow in Modern Warfare's footsteps. Which might be why Treyarch has decided to do away with the whole World War II thing for a change and focus on a completely different conflict. One that, even today, is shrouded in secrecy, bureaucracy and intrigue. The Cold War.
It seems that Treyarch is keen to make
Black Ops a more versatile entry to the
Call of Duty series than its previous efforts – evidenced the very second you begin the WMD level. Rather than throw you into any trenches in front of a wave of enemies, you watch your character put on a cosmonaut suit and step into a reconnaissance jet called the SR-71. After a mildly interactive cutscene (use the left stick to nose up and take off) comes the interesting twist – commanding your squad-to-be from thousands of miles in the air.
Using a thermal map and a scanning device, you see four white spots. That's the squad you will soon take control of, but for now they can't see in a thick snowstorm and enemies are approaching their location. You need to direct them to a nearby hut for cover, and then alert them to leave through the back door when enemy reinforcements and tanks arrive.
When the coast is clear, the camera sweeps out of the cockpit of the SR-71 and down to the viewpoint of the Black Ops commander that you will be controlling for the remainder of the mission. The gameplay is very much built around a stealth model this time around, at least for this particular level. The idea is that nobody must see or hear you. Your non-presence is crucial – you're deep in the Soviet Union undertaking a secret mission that, if your cover is blown, means World War III.
Once the area is cleared of enemies, you lead your four-man squad back to the hut for some cover, and make your way down a mountain pass, avoiding soldiers along the way. Once you get to an overhang, you're introduced to another new element of gameplay – the rappel. Using a timed combination of button presses, you need to shimmy down a vertical drop before crashing through the window of a secured bunker. Cue classic
Call of Duty shooting scene for a few moments and then, again, stealth.
This truly doesn't seem to be like your average war game, but small shootouts like the one I just mentioned help reinforce the idea that you are playing a
Call of Duty game. This kind of gameplay variety is quite nice, and for the purposes of the level – and the mission that ties with the story – is an apt approach as well. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan at the end of the WMD demo, as an avalanche is triggered and you have to base jump off of a cliff to survive...
New weapons on offer here include a refined Sniper Rifle and a Crossbow, which acts as your silenced method of attack. You can also take advantage of a close-range knife for some great finishers, or use throwing knives to effectively take out moving targets. Most guns will have alternative ammunition for various scenarios, and in this demonstration I was shown two ways of tackling a particular camp that had to be infiltrated.
