Intro
If you spend just one hour on any of the many Call of Duty: Black Ops forums that have sprung up since the game’s announcement you will quickly see thread after thread after thread on how Black Ops should or shouldn’t be developed, and why the game will or won’t succeed. We wanted to compile a quick list of why we believe Black Ops won’t flop.

Dedicated Servers
Now, admittedly this is really only an issue when we’re talking about PC gamers but it is still a huge problem. An internet petition generated some 85, 000 signatures in ONE day, following Infinity Ward’s announcement of IWNet as a replacement for dedicated servers. When Treyarch announced Black Ops, one of their very first public announcements was that PC users could rest easy: dedicated servers would make their return in the upcoming game. Console gamers will most likely continue with the peer-to-peer server setup, as dedicated servers are as “complicated as All Get Out” according to Black Ops developer David Vonderhaar. However, changes to this system will be made, including a likely return for the ‘Local Search’ system of World at War.

Treyarch is taking chances and making changes
As we reported previously in our article about the Official Xbox Magazine preview, Mark Lamia, Studio Head at Treyarch, has confessed that Treyarch is making changes and taking chances developing Black Ops. This comes as welcome news for a large majority of Call of Duty fans, who have been disappointed with Treyarch’s stale approach to developing Call of Duty games in the past. Many gamers were disappointed with World at War, considering it a re-skinned version of Modern Warfare, in part due to Treyarch using a modified version of Modern Warfare’s game engine.

Treyarch is developing a game in an unusual time period, using unusual weapons (Military crossbow, explosive ammo for a Spas-12 shotgun) and working on a multiplayer setup with many changes and improvements. This is clearly not a rehash of World at War, or even Modern Warfare 2 for that matter. Treyarch is throwing everything they’ve got at this game, which means 200+ people contributing to its development. So far, it has become clear that change is a top priority for them.

Treyarch is listening to us
How many times have Call of Duty fans, or gaming fans in general, wished that their game developers would actually listen to their complaints instead of brushing past them? Treyarch developer David Vonderhaar has sought to rectify this in a recent response to a video posted on YouTube, by user Blame Truth. Vonderhaar addressed many important issues, including several multiplayer issues which will be touched on later. The main point here is that Treyarch is taking the time to listen and and actually care about what is important to us, the gamers, and to learn from the mistakes that Infinity Ward made in developing Modern Warfare 2.

Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed, there are many rumors leading towards Treyarch releasing a beta test version of Black Ops and, of course, accepting feedback. A beta test release would be a blessing for everyone who has ever been annoyed by the many glitches/hacks plaguing Modern Warfare 2. Though glitches/hacks always find their way into video games, Treyarch is taking great care to make Black Ops as solid as possible.

Reworked Multiplayer
Any Call of Duty would be essentially half a game without its online multiplayer mode. Many gamers, this writer included, will spend 99% of their time playing online as opposed time spent on the campaign/single player mode. Treyarch recognizes this and is making many wonderful changes to provide us with multiplayer that we will love, without so many of the nuisances that can make the game frustrating.

As mentioned earlier, Treyarch has confirmed the return of dedicated servers for PC users. Additionally, Black Ops will feature Create-a-Class 2.0, a reworked version of the traditional feature that will provide more choices when it comes to designing your kit. Players can also look forward to some great changes in the matchmaking system, map preferences and weapons balance system. Treyarch has at least one member of their development team focused strictly on weapon balancing, a problem many gamers had with World at War and Modern Warfare 2. They are aiming to create a weapons system with the skill-requirement of World at War’s weapons combined with Modern Warfare 2’s accessibility. “Easy to use, difficult to master,” says Vonderhaar.

Zombies!!
The extremely addictive Nazi Zombie mode in World at War was an unbelievably popular multiplayer mode that is rumored to be making a return in Black Ops. In World at War, ‘Nazi Zombies’ was an extra gameplay mode, not a core multiplayer mode, and it seems likely that Treyarch will bring it back to Black Ops in the same role. According to IMDB Shaun Paul Piccinino has been cast into the role of “Zombie.” It’s pretty self-explanatory where the role “Zombie” may appear in a Treyarch-developed Call of Duty game. Treyarch has said continuously that they are listening to the community and creating a game that fans will love and appreciate, and that they respect our wishes and hopes. It seems safe to assume a Zombie mode will appear in Black Ops, though be sure to stay tuned to read when the official word drops.

Nintendo Wii Release
Yes, yes, the percentage of gamers who play on Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection is but a drop in the ocean when compared to PC and Xbox 360/Playstation 3 gamers, but still, it is important to note that this is the first Call of Duty game in the franchise to be released on the Wii at the same time as it is being released for the other, more popular, consoles. More often than not, Wii gamers get left in the lurch when a new Call of Duty hits the shelves. Case in point, Modern Warfare 2 was released worldwide in November of '09 but Wii gamers are still waiting for a release for their consoles. Treyarch announced that the Wii version of Black Ops will hit shelves the same day as the rest of the consoles and PC. While the Wii is primarily used by family gamers and casual gamers it will still be a powerful asset in Treyarch's favor that Wii users won't have to wait months for their release.

Only time will truly tell whether or not Treyarch is developing a successful and revolutionary Call of Duty game, but looking at what we already know it is safe to say that we can all look forward to a highly enjoyable gaming experience, hopefully without the drawbacks of many current first person shooters out there.


What are your views on it guys, I think it sounds awesome and won't let us down compared to that of MW2 ! :@

Dean