Black Ops is Back

We have finally gotten the official announcement for this year’s entry into the Call of Duty series: Black Ops Cold War. After months of rumors, teases, and build-up, we finally have a basic idea of the game’s story and we now know that it will be a direct sequel to the very first Black Ops.

A Direct Sequel to the Original

Set in 1981, the game is set at the height of the Cold War (obviously) and sees the return of Alex Mason, though as a non-playable character this time ad without being voiced by Sam Worthington. There will also be the return of Hudson and Woods, also not playable. This time around, the main character will be up to the players to create, including a backstory in the form of a psychological profile.

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Bringing More Customization Options

You will be able to choose female, male, or “classified” (i.e. gender neutral) option, with the neutral option even including a they/them pronoun in your biography. You can also choose other character traits like loyal, unstable, and more.

The ability to choose is also extending to the gameplay with several dialogue options being given to players based on your personality traits, with these decisions affecting missions outcomes. You can open up different missions and paths with how you play your character, and can find side missions through finding evidence. The game will have multiple endings based on how you play through the story.

The game will also bring the first instance of multiple save slots in the series to allow players to see all the different choices and the changes they can create.

The People Behind the Game

The game is being developed by Treyarch and Raven, who took over the reins for this year’s entry when it was originally meant to be developed by Sledgehammer Games. Treyarch is the team behind the Black Ops series, starting with the very first game in 2010, and Raven has been a support studio for the series for quite some time now.

The series began during the Vietnam War and dealt a lot with mistrust and conspiracy within the government. It looks like this entry will continue that trend by diving into the stuff going on behind closed doors.

The new character of Russell Adler personifies this as a “Deep Throat” kind of character, a scarred, hard-looking guy who has eyes and ears everywhere.

We Really Can’t Wait

We, for one, are very impressed with what we have seen and heard so far. Last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was really the first time we had seen the series aim for evolution and change, bringing a new engine and breath of fresh air to the series. It sounds like they are doing the same this year, with opening up a lot of gameplay and mechanics.

We also want to point out that the game is releasing on November 13th, which is right around the rumored release dates for the new generation of consoles. Perhaps this day will be that release date? We will have to wait and see.

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