As most of you are already aware by now, Black Ops 2 will be based in a futuristic setting, a stark comparison to the original game which was set during the Cold War. The new trailer is likely to again feature elements of the story mode seen in the first trailer, although we doubt that a UK trailer will show off multiplayer for the first time ever.

Everyone is waiting to see what multiplayer looks like of course, but we imagine that we’ll have to wait until E3 to see the first glimpse of that, as well as the new zombie mode. Perhaps this is Treyarch and Activision’s way of saying ‘we love our UK fans’ as well, as it now gives them the chance to watch a new Black Ops 2 trailer live during a major sporting event, just like the US had with the playoffs.

There’s no set time for when the trailer will air, but it will be sometime during the adverts shown between the duration of the match. Both ITV1 and Sky Sports 1 HD will show the trailer, so it gives everyone the chance to see it at the same time if they don’t have a subscription to Sky.

There still seems to be some criticisms about the choice to take Black Ops 2 into the future, but we’re definitely on the support bandwagon. Like we have said in previous articles, this game now gives Treyarch the chance to take Call of Duty in a new direction and who knows it may even go on to top the original and introduce Sci-Fi fans who were previously uninterested in ‘another bland shooter’.

Will you be tuning into the final on Saturday between Bayern Munich and Chelsea? Who do you think will come out on top? My money’s on Bayern personally, but let’s see what happens.

More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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For those of you that aren’t aware, Treyarch are still using the same game engine that they used in the first Black Ops game. According to studio head Mark Lamia though, this isn’t a bad thing since ‘extensive’ improvements have been made to the existing engine.

The key piece of information to pick out from his comments though, is that Lamia has said that Treyarch does not need a new engine in order to improve on the visual quality of Black Ops 2. It’s important to remember that the graphics were not the main point of interest in Black Ops – the gameplay was. That game went on to be the most successful in history, so perhaps Treyarch are looking to repeat that with the priority on gameplay again for Black Ops 2.

As we have seen with Battlefield 3 though, a new engine is always great. We won’t see a new engine for Black Ops 2, but who knows we may see Infinity Ward use a new engine for Modern Warfare 4, especially if the next-generation consoles arrive. From our point of view, a nice looking game is always a plus, but it’s the gameplay that counts in the end and Black Ops delivered – probably more so than Modern Warfare 3 which is coming in for a lot of heat.

Could Black Ops 2 be the final Call of Duty game where developers can ‘get away’ with rehashing existing engines? Let us know where your priorities lie with regards to graphics vs gameplay. Do you think Treyarch has done a good job with Black Ops 2, using the same engine based on the trailer they’ve released?

More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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If you have played Black Ops to death, you’ll know that eight players in zombies is a massive thing, since we have traditionally only seen four players possible in each of the levels. We’re delighted to hear that Treyarch appear to have listened to fan requests for more players though, as CVG shares on some details they’ve received.

A new report by them references an insider who has already had some hands-on time with Black Ops 2 prior to the release date of November 13. Eight players have been mentioned, as well as the possibility of having several zombie game mode types. Thanks to the clever storyline in previous zombie levels which treated high level tech such as rayguns and transporters as normal, it should be no problem for Treyarch to switch their Black Ops 2 zombie mode to a setting which will be similar to the year 2025 year which we now know the main campaign and multiplayer will be set in.

Will we see the reappearance of past characters such as Dempsey and Richtofen though in the new zombie mode, or will Treyarch decide to really shake it up? If it’s true that eight players will be possible, then that obviously paves the way for brand new story characters to be implemented in the game.

Let us know what you would like to see in the new zombie mode. How does an eight player online zombie mode sound to you? It also suggests that Treyarch will be making zombies harder than ever too if there is more firepower around. Will we finally get to see big and nasty boss zombie characters? We hope so!

For those that are wondering – above is the first official zombies screenshot that Treyarch has released. It looks very Left 4 Dead like doesn’t it?

More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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Although Activision are still yet to confirm the true identity of their next Call of Duty game, it looks a forgone conclusion with everyone assuming that it will be Black Ops 2. The latest source to jump on the Black Ops 2 bandwagon a little early is none other than Target, as images have revealed not only the logo for the upcoming game, but also what appears to be a solid release date as well.

The image has been provided by IGN and it surprisingly reveals a ”II” next to Black Ops, rather than the number 2 which perhaps a lot of you were anticipating. Furthermore, Target’s retail listings also unveil a November 13 2012 release date for the game, a date which shouldn’t really come as a surprise since all Call of Duty games traditionally release in the first few weeks of November.

Is it impossible for Activision to hide away from this latest leak? Over on the official website, more classified images are starting to unlock, but the most notable so far remains the first image which seemingly unveiled a ‘quadrotor’ flying drone as a new killstreak for the game.

There’s not very long at all until the ongoing countdown reaches 0 and we can’t wait to see what happens. Any last minute expectations on the game, or are you fully expecting this to be very similar to the first Black Ops game? Don’t forget to check out a rumored weapon and perks list here – there’s some very interesting additions for sure.

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To recap, Activision announced a May 1st reveal for the next game, along with a series of classified images. The first image has now been unveiled as a ‘prototype quadrotor’ flying drone device, which comes attached with a camera and machine gun.

The immediate thing to note here, is that this is a futuristic weapon. Obviously we’ll need to wait for further clues, but could we be possibly be seeing the next Black Ops game which is actually set in the future this time around? Much more exciting for us though is the inclusion of a zombie dinner party in the video, in which the demonstrator from FPSRussia uses the flying quadrotor to blow the zombies up in spectacular fashion.

Another possibility that may come to light, is that this is actually a viral video to show off one of the new Killstreaks that will be featured in the game. We had the RC buggy with a camera mounted on it in Black Ops, so this flying device with a camera and machine gun mounted instead sounds like a perfect Killstreak to us. One thing that Activision are definitely pointing out though is that this thing is deadly, so we’re guessing it may be one of the later Killstreaks if our theory is correct.

Let’s hope that we get the next classified unlock today so we can continue to unravel the mystery. Watch the video below and let us know your thoughts / ideas on it. Do you agree that this would be the perfect Killstreak, or are you more inclined to believe that this confirms a future settings for the game? A zombie poker party! Does it get any more clearer than that? Don’t forget to check out the rumored perks and weapons list here.

More About: Activision, Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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After mixed opinions on Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 3, many of you feel that a follow-up game by Treyarch cannot come soon enough. Black Ops 2 is definitely coming after a poster revealed by Kotaku this week all but confirms this.

The poster shows a shaded out figure similar to the chap on the Black Ops box art, but more importantly it contains the words ‘Return for debriefing’ along with the date of May 2nd 2012. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that return for debriefing essentially implies that we need to come back for more – i.e, more of Black Ops!

Just to point out though that May 2nd date obviously doesn’t mean the release date for the game before you get excited, but we’re guessing that this is going to be the day when the game is revealed officially. This poster also comes on the back of another strong rumor which suggested that the game would be revealed on April 28th. The dates do not match up on this occasion, but what does match is the fact that the game is seemingly expected to be revealed very soon.

Black Ops may be the most successful game ever, but after Modern Warfare 3 and cries of a ‘damaged Call of Duty brand’, will Black Ops 2 be able to achieve the same level of success? The game is expected to go head to head with Medal of Honor: Warfighter, so it will probably still be very successful indeed.

Let’s hope that this poster is legit and we can all look forward to a reveal on May 2nd. Do you agree that Call of Duty is a damaged brand, or do you still have love for the franchise despite all the criticism?

More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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It is common knowledge that Activision will look to release this game in November, following on from previous releases in the franchise, and information posted to the official Black Ops forums which has now been deleted suggests that Black Ops 2 will be released on Tuesday November 6th.

But that’s not all. There’s no confirmation that the information is 100% legit, but the insider who posted the details has certainly made an effort with the amount of multiplayer details posted. On the subject of game modes, we’re hearing that Black Ops 2 will bring Drop Zone and Kill Confirmed over from MW3. However, two modes that won’t be making an appearance according to the list are Infected and Team Defender. One new mode that has been mentioned is called ‘Escort’.

There are also some initial details on the prestige badges that will allegedly be featured in Black Ops 2. If the information is legit, the game will feature 15 prestige badges in total and there will be 50 ranks between each prestige, except for the last prestige which apparently requires 90 levels to earn. This means that Treyarch will be sticking to their original formula of 15 prestige levels as seen in the original Black Ops, but like MW3 – we may see additional prestige badges become available in future updates.

Also worth mentioning is that Black Ops 2 may do away with the RC XD killstreak, which if true is pretty disappointing. It may have become annoying to some, but we loved driving that little portable bomb around, especially through little crevices on Nuketown.

The whole leak can be seen via the Google cache here. Are there any areas which you are unhappy about? Do you hope that Treyarch add more than 15 prestige badges like MW3, or are you happy with 15 like Black Ops?

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More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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Just a week ago, we informed you about the alleged beta video that had turned up online which seemed to hint of a zombie campaign mode, which would obviously be a major addition to the popular spin-off mode and exactly the sort of thing that Treyarch needs to include if they are going to keep the series fresh.

There’s still no word on if that clip is legit or not, but at this moment in time we can say that the video is still live so check it out again below if you missed it last time. Moving away from the zombie side of things though, how can Treyarch improve on multiplayer and the campaign to make the game even better than the original?

One of the most addictive aspects of Black Ops in my opinion was the new wager match modes and in particular, the excellent gun game. I can honestly say that I put countless hours into playing gun game time and time again as the idea of stealing everyone’s money just kept me coming back for more. Infinity Ward hasn’t included this in Modern Warfare 3 of course, but we hope that Treyarch plans to expand on their wager match mode in Black Ops 2 and make it even better than ever – gun game version 2.0 needs to be included as it was easily the best wager match mode.

COD 3 had vehicles: Vehicles are obviously a big attraction in Battlefield 3 at the moment, but how would you feel if Treyarch added some vehicles or heavy weaponry into some of their multiplayer maps? Possible ideas could be a turret set up in a specific part of the map which players can race to use, or maybe even some small people carriers with mounted guns attached to them – don’t forget that Call of Duty 3, a Treyarch developed game had all kinds of vehicles to use on multiplayer, so don’t think that the idea of vehicles being utilized in Black Ops 2 is too farfetched.

If you still play Black Ops today, what kind of features would you like to see in Black Ops 2 to make the game mind-blowing? Do you just want to see an improvement to zombies, or would you welcome more adventurous features like multiplayer vehicles as well? Let’s hope we’re not too far off from an initial reveal.

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A video is currently doing the rounds on YouTube which apparently shows an off-cam peek at a secret Black Ops 2 beta which is going on internally. The video certainly looks like the real thing, but obviously there’s no guarantee that it is genuine at this moment in time. What we can say is that Activision are already trying to remove the video from YouTube, so maybe there is a possibility that this could be real.

Assuming that the video is real, then we have just had confirmation that Treyarch are planning to add a zombie campaign mode to Black Ops 2. Sounds exciting doesn’t it? We’re guessing that you’ll now be able to participate in various levels and tasks in a brand new storyline – who knows, it may even follow on from the events of previous zombie maps with the four main characters Takeo, Richtofen, Nikolai and Dempsey and Samantha.

However, one dubious piece of evidence seen in the video is a category on the main menu screen which reads ‘Feedbacks’. This is the apparently the first category available on the menu screen, which seems particularly odd – why would feedback be top of the list ahead of a campaign and multiplayer modes?

This could well turn out to be a well made fake, but we obviously hope it’s real. A zombie campaign mode sounds like a fantastic idea and a great way to keep the most popular aspect of Treyarch’s Call of Duty games fresh for everyone. With the authenticity of the video aside, let us know your initial thoughts behind a zombie campaign mode in Black Ops 2. Do you have any ideas for Treyarch on a storyline and features?

The background on Black Ops 2: Activision has been trying to keep Black Ops 2 under wraps for as long as possible it seems. They may be looking to hold out until E3 2012, but a domain registered in January for BlackOps2.com first alerted gamers about a possible sequel. We then had the huge leak from Amazon France about the game which was soon removed, followed by this alleged video appearing to suggest that beta testing is already under way. We also offered our thoughts on the game via a discussion on stopping power, while you also gave us some fantastic feedback on the kinds of things you want to see in the next edition of zombies.

More About: Black Ops 2, Treyarch

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Activision has just finished with their latest investor’s call and not for the first time, some rather interesting information has come out of it, other than the typically ‘boring’ financial statistics that most you are probably not interested in hearing.

This time however, Activision Publishing chief Eric Hirshberg has given all current and past Call of Duty players reason for optimism by stating that the game will bring ‘meaningful innovation’ to the franchise. Many current COD players who have become disillusioned with the state of the franchise will agree that yes, the game does need a slice of ‘innovation’, so what could we be possibly be seeing in the next game that we haven’t already seen?

You may not want to get your hopes up though on that passage of text, as since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, we haven’t really seen much in the way of innovation. One potential reasoning behind this though, could be aimed at the ‘action adventure’ title that Sledgehammer Games are thought to be developing. Cast your mind back to March of 2010, when Activision’s COO Thomas Tippi was quoted as saying this about the Sledgehammer developed Call of Duty game:

”We haven’t yet announced the content of their game, but it’s going to be an innovative take that will further broaden the audience for Call of Duty.”

Could we link the two pieces of information together and assume that this is all related to the same game? At the time of that ‘innovative’ quote last year, many of you were going crazy on the prospect of space warfare featuring in some capacity in a Call of Duty game, while we also saw a lot of requests for a Call of Duty futuristic warfare game as well.

It’s clear that Activision need to do something though, as many fans are not too impressed after seeing what Modern Warfare 3 had to offer. Whatever game comes out though, it’s obviously going to be a big success since Activision and Call of Duty can seemingly do no wrong regardless of any criticism aimed towards the franchise.

If you have played Modern Warfare 3 and didn’t feel as if it was better than Modern Warfare 2, let us know your ideas on how they can ‘innovate’ the series to make it completely different. Would space warfare be such a bad idea?

More About: Activision, call of duty, Treyarch

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