Developer Treyarch is throwing a bone to the PC modding scene as they promise "sometime post-launch," the studio will patch in support. They're unsure yet to "what extent" Black Ops can be modded as there are "purely technical issues" to consider. It's a "non-trivial" project for the team.
The World War II era has been mined constantly by first-person shooters, but Treyarch "don't think" they'll be revisiting it unless its "fresh." World at War from Treyarch was set in WWII, but it went to the Pacific theatre. Call of Duty: Black Ops explores the Cold War and covert teams.
Publisher Square Enix has 12 titles planned for this year's Tokyo Game Show, but 2 big Final Fantasy instalments are missing from the list. That would be Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII, despite a nod from director Tetsuya Nomura saying they'd be at the event.
Developer Treyarch has put out a video detailing what fans can expect from Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer, revealing that AI bots are in. COD Points are earned in matches and can even be gambled with in wagers, perfect for "adrenaline junkie fun" they say. Customise guns!
Sorry shooter fans but Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops doesn't look like it's going open beta anytime as Activision studios are handling it. It's the only formal beta "we're planning at the moment" says Treyarch, acknowledging there's a lot of "confusion" out there. It's "internal only".
Huge doubt has been cast on Call of Duty: Black Ops' inclusion of loveable zombie hordes as Treyarch's Josh Olin says "this is it" for big features. There are some "other little things" to reveal but the majors are out, adding what we've seen is the "whole caboodle." So no World at War undead?
Publisher Activision's UK marketing kicks into gear this Friday during the Euro 2012 qualifier match between England and Bulgaria. We get 60 seconds. They've got a "fantastic marketing campaign" for this "fantastic game" claims Activision, and they plan on another record like with Modern Warfare 2.
Activision reveals that actor Gary Oldman will be reprising his voice talents for Black Ops, having played Russian Viktor Reznov in World at War. The publisher also named Apollo 13's Ed Harris who voices a CIA agent, and Dark Knight writer David Goyer on board for story "consultation".
Developer Treyarch has said Black Ops has been much trickier to balance than previous Call of Duty titles because of introducing COD points. There's very powerful weapons as well, and then XP of course. Treyarch's 're-focusing' allows them "dedicated" single and multiplayer teams.
Treyarch boss Mark Lamia says offering "great reasons" for players to keep their games, rather than trade-in, is better than one-time codes. EA introduced the Online Pass to dissuade or at least make something from 2nd-hand game sales. Keep "fans engaged" and they'll stay.
Don't go expecting a chum-friendly campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops as Treyarch reveals there is no campaign co-op "this year," in an interview. Local co-op will exist but only for combat training and split-screen multiplayer. The studio is still yet to unveil the full extent of Black Ops co-op.
If you're a PC gamer who loves their dedicated server scene and can't wait for Call of Duty: Black Ops, well then there's both good and bad news. Good news is that you can get dedicated servers - hooray! Bad news is that you have to pay for it, either as a monthly sub or as microtransactions.
Square Enix are publishing Call of Duty: Black Ops in Japan, one version is dubbed and the other subtitled, but both feature no limbs flying off. The Treyarch game has been given a 'CERO Z' rating which means it's for adults only, but all Japanese retailers sell 'CERO Z' rated titles.
Treyarch's PC lead Cesar Stastny for Call of Duty: Black Ops says the desktop version is the "same game" as the consoles but "makes sense for PC." PC unranked matches are "pretty much on par" with consoles and you can adopt similar rule sets. There's no matchmaking in Treyarch's Black Ops.
Big boss Bobby Kotick of Activision says there will be no online charges for the likes of Call of Duty multiplayer, as that's what the $60 price tag is for. Audiences grow from "more appealing gameplay" which is why Call of Duty does so well, it's of "extraordinarily high quality". Kotick also snubs ads.
While Halo: Reach may be setting videogame sales charts a flame, breaking new records and helping Xbox 360 sales rocket - it's not conquering Xbox Live. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 hold the top 2 positions in unique user count respectively, with Halo: Reach managing 3rd place on Live.
All that 'controversy' around EA's Medal of Honor because of playable insurgents when online had UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox call for a blanket ban. Treyarch says it's "unfair" to "single out games" when "many books and movies" delve into "controversial historical periods" just like COD: Black Ops.
Treyarch has confirmed that, whilst they will still be imposing chat restrictions in Call of Duty: Black Ops, they will only do it where it "makes sense" to do so. Modern Warfare 2 caused quite a stir when it was discovered that Infinity Ward had imposed several restrictions to online chatting over Xbox Live, with players taking part in modes like Search and Destroy and Team Deathmatch unable to be in private conversations or live parties.
Call of Duty: Black Ops studio Treyarch says they "had planned" to include dedicated servers for PC since day one, like with World at War. The team "never went away" from them and "haven't actually wavered" where dedicated servers are concerned. Call of Duty: Black Ops "a true PC title".
This is a rather amusing one. It seems in a bid to try and make their games the 'big cheese' of modern FPS shooters, the two publishing heavy weights EA and Activision have taken their war of awesomeness onto Google. If you type a search in Google for either 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' or 'Medal of Honor', then the rival game will appear at the top of the sponsored ads bit. This basically means that both companies are buying Google Ad Space to try and divert attention away from their competitors. Sneaky, but then again 'all's fair in love and war', as they say. Image courtesy of TechStockJungle.